Coweta County, GA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Community development department, before any land disturbance
- Local permit fee
- $65.00 per disturbed acre or fraction
- State fee
- Up to $80.00 per acre, O.C.G.A. § 12-5-23(a)(5)
- Standard stream buffer
- 25 feet from state waters, undisturbed
- Trout stream buffer
- 50 feet (25 feet for first-order trout waters)
- Civil penalty
- Up to $2,500.00 per day, each day separate
- Small residential exemption
- Under 1 acre, not part of larger plan
Summary
No person may disturb land in Coweta County without a permit from the community development department. Permits cost $65 per disturbed acre, require an approved erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan, and violators face stop-work orders plus civil penalties up to $2,500 per day.
No person shall conduct any land disturbing activity within the jurisdictional boundaries of Coweta County without first obtaining a permit from the community development department to perform such activity and providing a copy of notice of intent submitted to EPD if applicable... A fee in the amount of $65.00 shall be charged for each acre or fraction thereof in the project area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40).
Full Breakdown
00 per acre. Section 30-34(c) sets the technical minimums that apply once a permit issues: a 25-foot undisturbed vegetative buffer along the banks of all state waters (extending to 50 feet along designated trout streams), disturbed soil stabilized "as quickly as practicable," temporary vegetation or mulching to protect exposed critical areas, sediment traps or basins to keep sediment on-site, and a rule that cuts and fills may not endanger adjoining property or encroach on natural watercourses. Single-family homes disturbing under one acre and not part of a larger common development plan are exempt under § 30-33, but must still honor the trout-stream buffer if one applies.
Enforcement runs through § 30-36: the community development department inspects permitted sites, and a person found out of compliance gets a written notice to comply with a deadline; missing that deadline is itself a separate violation. Section 30-37 escalates from there: a first or second violation draws a written warning with five days to correct, but any violation that threatens public health or state waters, or any unpermitted disturbance, triggers an immediate stop-work order, and a third violation always does. Final stabilization for a certificate of occupancy on residential lots requires either sodding of all disturbed soil (apart from mulched landscape beds) or a signed owner acknowledgment of ongoing stabilization duties (§ 30-36(g)).
Violations & Fines
Land disturbance without a permit can cost the operator a revoked business license or work permit (§ 30-37(a)). Stop-work orders under § 30-37(b) halt all site activity except erosion-control maintenance until corrective action is complete. Civil penalties under § 30-37(d) reach $2,500.00 per day of violation, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense; magistrate and municipal courts are authorized to impose the same $2,500 cap per violation. A holder who fails to comply with an approved plan also forfeits any performance bond posted under § 30-35(b)(7), which the county can use to hire a contractor to bring the site into compliance. Permit or plan decisions may be appealed to the Coweta County Commissioners within ten days, with further de novo appeal to Coweta County Superior Court (§ 30-39).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to grade my Coweta County lot before building?
How much does an erosion control permit cost in Coweta County?
What happens if I disturb land without a permit in Coweta County?
How close to a stream can I disturb land in Coweta County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coweta County
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