Hall County, GA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 10.1.2 exemptions, § 10.1.3 BMP/buffer standards
- Stream buffer
- 25 feet along banks of state waters
- Trout stream buffer
- 25-50 feet, no variance on primary streams
- Turbidity trigger
- 25 NTU warm-water, 10 NTU trout streams
- Permit issuer
- Hall County Development Services
- Maximum penalty
- Up to $2,500 per day, § 10.1.7
Summary
Hall County requires a land-disturbing permit and state-approved best management practices for construction sites under Sec. 10.1.3, and Sec. 10.1.3.C.20 sets a 25-foot vegetated buffer along the banks of state waters that grading crews cannot disturb without a Director-approved variance. Development Services and the Engineering Department enforce the standard on every subdivision and building site.
20.There is established a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, as measured horizontally from the point where vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow or wave action, except:a.As provided in paragraphs 20 and 21 of this subsection.b.Where the Director determines to allow a variance that is at least as protective of natural resources and the environment.c.Where otherwise allowed by the Director pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 12-2-8.d.Where a drainage structure or roadway drainage structure must be constructed, provided that adequate erosion control measures are incorporated in the project plans and specifications, and are implemented.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1, Erosion, Sedimentation, and Sedimentation Control, applies to all land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Hall County, with narrow exemptions in Sec. 2 for surface mining, granite quarrying, home gardens, and single-family construction that disturbs less than one acre outside a larger common plan of development. Sec. B requires best management practices meeting the state's Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia for every other land-disturbing activity, and Sec. 20 establishes a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, measured from the point normal stream flow has wrested away vegetation; that buffer can be reduced only where the Director finds an equally protective alternative, or where a necessary drainage structure crosses it with erosion controls in place.
Sec. 2 backs the BMP requirement with a numeric trigger: a stormwater discharge from a disturbed site is a separate permit violation for each day it raises the turbidity of receiving waters by more than 25 nephelometric turbidity units in warm-water fisheries, or more than 10 units in trout streams. Single-family homes get added protection near trout streams: Sec. 4 sets a 50-foot no-disturbance buffer along primary trout waters that cannot be varied down, 50 feet (reducible to 25 feet by the Director) along secondary trout waters, and 25 feet along first-order trout waters with no variance allowed.
Before any grading starts, the developer must hold a land-disturbing permit issued through Hall County Development Services; disturbing land without one doubles the permit fee and can trigger business-license revocation.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 10.1.7 sets a graduated response: the Director issues a written warning for a first or second violation with five days to correct it, then a stop-work order halting land-disturbing activity if the violation isn't fixed, or an immediate stop-work order for a third violation or an imminent threat to public health or state waters. Sec. 10.1.7 also authorizes fines up to $2,500 per day, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hall County require a buffer along streams during construction?
Is single-family home construction exempt from Hall County's erosion rules?
What triggers a separate daily violation under the erosion ordinance?
What happens after a first erosion-control violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hall County
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