Paulding County, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Paulding County, GA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Director
- Permit required
- Before any development in flood hazard area
- Effective ordinance date
- May 30, 2019 (Ord. 19-02)
- Notice-of-violation appeal window
- 30 days
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 60 days jail
Summary
No owner or developer can build, fill, grade or otherwise develop a site inside a special flood hazard or future-conditions flood hazard area in unincorporated Paulding County without first getting a floodplain development permit from the Community Development Department.
No owner or developer shall perform any development activities on a site where an area of special flood hazard or area of future-conditions flood hazard is located without first meeting the requirements of this ordinance prior to commencing the proposed activity. Unless specifically excluded by this ordinance, any landowner or developer desiring a permit for a development activity shall submit to Paulding County, through its community development department, a permit application on a form provided by the Paulding County Community Development Department for that purpose. No permit will be approved for any development activities that do not meet the requirements, restrictions and criteria of this ordinance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
The Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance covers all of unincorporated Paulding County, and the Community Development Director or a designee administers it. An application must include a floodplain management/flood damage prevention plan with a scaled site plan, existing and proposed elevations, spot ground elevations at building corners, base flood and future-conditions flood elevations, floodway boundaries where applicable, and certification by a licensed professional engineer or surveyor. Building and foundation detail must show the lowest floor elevation relative to mean sea level, any floodproofing elevation for nonresidential structures, and flood-opening design for enclosures below the base flood elevation.
Applicants must also submit copies of applicable state and federal permits, including any Clean Water Act Section 404 permit. Once building is under way, the permit holder must give the county a certified as-built elevation or floodproofing certificate right after the lowest floor is finished, and a final certificate after construction and grading are complete; work done before those certifications are approved is at the permit holder's own risk, and unresolved deficiencies can trigger a stop-work order. The Community Development Director also reviews every permit to confirm the site will be reasonably safe from flooding, records the recorded elevations, and can revoke a determination or occupancy permit at any time if construction strays from the approved plans.
Violations & Fines
The county issues a written notice of violation naming the deficiency, the required fix, a compliance deadline and the applicable penalty, appealable within 30 days. If the deadline passes uncured, the county can issue a stop-work order, withhold a certificate of occupancy, suspend or revoke the permit, or impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day the violation continues. Intentional, flagrant violations go to magistrate court and carry a fine of up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build in a Paulding County flood zone?
What has to be in a Paulding County floodplain permit application?
What happens if floodplain construction does not match the approved plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paulding County
Compare Paulding County to another location·View the Georgia environmental rules overview
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