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

Chapter 2-20, the Floyd County Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control Ordinance, requires a land-disturbing permit for most grading, clearing, or excavation projects. Sec. 2-20-5 puts the permitting authority in the environmental compliance section of the Rome/Floyd County Inspection Department, which reviews applications alongside the Coosa River Soil and Water Conservation District, which has 35 days to approve or reject a plan before it's deemed approved by default; the local issuing authority then has 45 days total to act. Local fees are capped at $80 per acre of disturbance, and the county can require a bond of up to $3,000 per acre before issuing a permit.

Sec. 2-20-4(c) sets buffer minimums along waterways: 25 feet along ordinary state waters, and 50 feet along designated trout streams, with a mandatory 25-foot buffer and no variance allowed at all for first-order trout waters. Several projects are exempt under Sec. 2-20-3, including any disturbance under one acre that isn't part of a larger common plan, single-family home construction under one acre with a completed erosion-control affidavit, agricultural operations, and forestry practices, though forestry that disturbs a required buffer triggers a three-year ban on further land-disturbing activity on the whole property.

Once permitted, the Rome/Floyd County Inspection Department inspects active sites, and Sec. 2-20-6 lets the county require corrective action through a written notice to comply before treating continued noncompliance as a violation. Anyone denied a permit or found in violation can appeal to the Floyd County Board of Commissioners within 30 days and, after that, to the Superior Court of Floyd County.