Bulloch County, GA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Disturbance of one acre or more
- Issuing office
- Building and Zoning Department
- Plan reviewer
- Ogeechee River Soil and Water Conservation District
- Standard stream buffer
- 25 feet from state waters
- Trout stream buffer
- 50 feet, no variance
- State fee cap
- $80.00 per acre
- Civil penalty
- Up to $2,500.00 per day
Summary
Any land-disturbing activity of an acre or more in unincorporated Bulloch County needs a permit from the building and zoning department and an approved erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan under Chapter 6.5, Article II. Best management practices from the state's erosion manual are mandatory, a 25-foot buffer protects state waters, and violators face stop-work orders and civil penalties.
(a)General provisions. Excessive soil erosion and resulting sedimentation can take place during land-disturbing activities if requirements of this article and the NPDES general permit are not met. Therefore, plans for those land-disturbing activities which are not exempted by this article shall contain provisions for application of soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution control measures and practices. ... there is established a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, as measured horizontally from the point where vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow or wave action ... No person shall conduct any land-disturbing activity within the jurisdictional boundaries of the county without first obtaining a permit from the building and zoning department to perform such activity and providing a copy of notice of intent submitted to EPD if applicable.
Full Breakdown
" The plan must address stripping of vegetation, cut-and-fill work, temporary and permanent vegetative cover, and sediment-trapping devices such as debris basins and silt traps. 5-29(c)(15) establishes a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, measured horizontally from the point vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow, and no land-disturbing activity is allowed inside it until the site is stabilized; primary trout streams keep a 50-foot buffer with no variance allowed. 5-30, no person may begin land-disturbing activity within the county without first getting a permit from the building and zoning department, filing four copies of the erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan, and getting the Ogeechee River Soil and Water Conservation District to approve the plan within 35 days.
00 per acre before issuing the permit. 5-28 cover single-family homes disturbing less than an acre outside a larger development, agricultural operations, forestry management, and projects under NRCS technical supervision.
Violations & Fines
Under § 6.5-32, a first or second violation draws a written warning with five days to correct it; failing that, or any violation involving no permit, a stream-buffer breach, or significant sediment discharge into state waters triggers an immediate stop-work order. A third violation gets an immediate stop-work order with no warning. Noncompliance also forfeits any posted bond, and civil penalties reach $2,500.00 per day for each violation, with each day of continued noncompliance counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to clear less than an acre in Bulloch County?
How wide is the required stream buffer in unincorporated Bulloch County?
What happens if I disturb land in Bulloch County without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bulloch County
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