Chatham County, GA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Under the county's Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance (Code of Chatham County Chapter 24, Article VIII), any land-disturbing activity not otherwise exempt must be covered by an erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan built on best management practices meeting the minimum requirements of Sec. " Plans must address stripping of vegetation, cut-fill operations, topography, disturbed-area duration and stabilization timing. Sec. 24-804(2)(b) establishes a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, measured from the point vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow, and a separate 25-foot buffer along coastal marshlands measured from the marshland-upland interface under the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970.

No land-disturbing activity is allowed inside a buffer, and it must stay in its natural, undisturbed vegetative state until the site achieves final stabilization; a variance from the County Engineer/Director can permit narrower protection only if it is at least as protective. Permit applicants who have had two or more prior violations within three years can be denied a permit, and the county may require a bond of up to $3,000 per acre before issuing one, forfeitable if the site is not brought into compliance.

Enforcement runs through the County Engineer, who issues notices of violation, written warnings, and stop-work orders: a first or second violation gets a 5-day warning to correct before a stop-work order issues, while a third or subsequent violation, an imminent threat to public health or state waters, or unpermitted work triggers an immediate stop-work order.