Stonecrest, GA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Before any land-disturbing activity (§14-504)
- State-water buffer
- 25 feet from stream bank
- Trout stream buffer
- 50 feet from stream bank
- Civil penalty
- Up to $2,500 per day (§14-506)
- Plan review deadline
- District approves/disapproves within 35 days
- Performance bond
- Up to $3,000 per acre
Summary
In the City of Stonecrest, no one may disturb land within the city without an erosion, sedimentation and pollution control permit from the Community Development Department under Stonecrest Code § 14-504. A 25-foot buffer applies along the banks of all state waters under § 14-503, and violations carry civil penalties up to $2,500 per day under § 14-506.
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 where the Director determines to allow a variance that is at least as protective of natural resources and the environment ... No person shall conduct any land-disturbing activity within the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Stonecrest 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. ... Any person who violates any provisions of this article, or any permit condition or limitation established pursuant to this ordinance ... shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500.00 per day.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 14, article V regulates land-disturbing activity through a state-model erosion, sedimentation and pollution control program administered by the Community Development Department. Section 14-504 requires anyone conducting land-disturbing activity within the city's jurisdictional boundaries to first obtain a permit, supported by an erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan, and a copy of any Notice of Intent submitted to Georgia EPD. The Local Issuing Authority refers the plan to the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District, which must approve or disapprove it within 35 days, and no permit issues until the District approves the plan, any required buffer variances are obtained, and fees, capped at $80 per acre under state law, are paid; the city may also require a performance bond of up to $3,000 per acre.
Section 14-503 sets the substantive minimum standards, incorporating the state's Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia and best management practices for stripping vegetation, cut-fill operations, and stabilizing disturbed soil as quickly as practicable. It also establishes a 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters, measured horizontally from the point where vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow or wave action, with a 50-foot buffer along designated trout streams and a 25-foot buffer along coastal marshlands; no land-disturbing activity may occur within a buffer until final site stabilization, apart from limited utility crossings that stay within 25 degrees of perpendicular and disturb no more than 50 feet.
Certain activities are exempt outright, including single-family construction disturbing less than one acre outside a larger development plan, agricultural operations, and projects under one acre that are not within 200 feet of state waters. The Community Development Director inspects permitted sites under § 14-505 and can issue a written notice to comply, followed by an immediate stop-work order for repeat or public-health-threatening violations.
Violations & Fines
Failing to obtain a land-disturbance permit under § 14-504 exposes the owner to business-license revocation, and § 14-506 authorizes a written warning and five days to correct a first or second violation before a stop-work order issues; a violator faces a civil penalty of up to $2,500 per day under § 14-506(D), with each day of continued violation or discharge treated separately, plus forfeiture of any posted performance bond.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stonecrest
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