Columbia County, GA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited discharge
- § 34-148(a), MS4 system
- Plan threshold
- 5+ acres need concept plan
- Illicit connections
- banned under § 34-149
- Plan validity
- one year, § 34-153(f)
- Civil penalty
- up to $2,500 per day
- Enforcer
- engineering and environmental services division
Summary
Columbia County bans discharging anything but clean stormwater into its MS4 storm-drain system under Code of Ordinances § 34-148, and requires an approved stormwater management plan before any development involving five acres or more of land disturbance under § 34-150(b). Violators face a written notice, a possible stop-work order, and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day under § 34-162.
It is unlawful for any person to throw, drain, run or otherwise discharge to any component of the MS4, or to cause, permit or suffer to be thrown, drained, run or allow to seep, or otherwise discharge into such system, any matter of any nature excepting only such stormwater or surface water as authorized in this division. ... The requirement for a stormwater concept plan applies to activities involving five acres or more of land, unless exempted in section 34-151.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
Article IV, Division 2 of the county code regulates discharges into the county's municipal separate storm sewer system, or MS4. ' The director of engineering and environmental services can exempt specific low-risk flows, such as water-line flushing, unpolluted groundwater, air-conditioning condensation and firefighting discharges, if they aren't a significant pollution source under § 34-148(b). Section 34-149 separately bans illicit connections, any pipe or channel tied into the MS4 that carries something other than approved stormwater, and requires violators to pay for redirecting the connection to the sanitary sewer.
Development activity itself is regulated under § 34-150: any project disturbing five acres or more needs an approved stormwater concept plan before the county will issue a land-disturbance permit, and subdivisions are treated as a single land-disturbing activity rather than lot-by-lot. Plans go to the director of engineering and environmental services for review under § 34-153, with a permit fee set by the county's schedule of fees and charges, and approved plans expire after one year unless renewed. The director can suspend or revoke a development permit under § 34-154 for violating plan conditions, failing to follow a stop-work order, or creating an immediate downstream danger.
Violations & Fines
A violation under § 34-162 starts with written notice from the director of engineering and environmental services describing the violation and the time allowed to correct it. Violations are treated as an infraction subject to the same penalty structure as the county's erosion ordinance in § 34-72, meaning civil penalties up to $2,500.00 per day, plus possible business-license revocation for anyone who begins work without a required stormwater management plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I legally send into a Columbia County storm drain?
Does every construction project need a stormwater plan?
What if I accidentally connect a pipe to the storm system?
What penalty applies for a stormwater violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia County
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