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

5 (stormwater management) requires a land disturbance permit before grading begins whenever activity disturbs one acre or more, is a smaller phase of a larger common plan affecting one acre or more, or, at the Public Works Department's discretion, poses a unique threat to water or public health. Borrow pits also need one. No building or occupancy permit issues until the land disturbance permit is obtained. An application must include a sediment and erosion control plan, a stormwater management concept plan, a maintenance agreement, and a nonrefundable review fee, and Public Works must approve or deny a complete application within 15 business days.

5-5(i), must be sealed by a professional engineer licensed in Georgia, must be kept at the project site at all times, and must cover 17 specific items: project description, a topographic map with contours of 10 feet or less, existing drainage ways and floodways, tree preservation, clearing and grading limits, pre- and post-construction runoff flows, proposed sediment control improvements, and a phased sequence of construction. The plan must also conform to the county's Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Resolution No. 01-032. A land disturbance permit expires if work has not started within 180 days or is not finished within 18 months, and the applicant must notify Public Works five working days before construction starts so inspections can be scheduled.