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

Effingham County Code § 30-121 requires that any land-disturbing activity not exempted under § 30-113 include a plan applying soil erosion, sedimentation, and pollution control measures conforming to the minimum requirements of §§ 30-122 and 30-123, covering street and utility installation, drainage facilities, and all temporary and permanent improvements, at every stage of the activity. Under § 30-132(a), no person may conduct land-disturbing activity in the unincorporated county without first obtaining a permit from the developmental services department, submitting five copies of the plan, and, per § 30-132(c), paying a fee of $40.00 for each acre or fraction thereof in the project area.

Section 30-132(g) also requires a bond of $1,500.00 per acre or fraction of the proposed activity before permit issuance, refundable once final stabilization is reached. Section 30-122 requires 25 to 50-foot vegetative buffers along state waters and trout streams under § 30-123(15) and (16), with no land-disturbing activity permitted inside an undisturbed buffer until the site achieves final stabilization. Enforcement under § 30-142 starts with a written warning for a first or second violation, giving five days to correct before a stop-work order issues; a third violation triggers an immediate stop-work order.

Section 30-144 sets civil penalties up to $2,500.00 per day for violating any provision, permit condition, or emergency order, with each day of continued violation a separate offense, enforceable in magistrate court or any court of competent jurisdiction.