Cherokee County, GA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. 2005-O-005 on June 21, 2005 and amended by Ordinance No. ' Section 62-82 states its purpose as complying with the county's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and applies throughout the unincorporated area, with the marshal's office designated to administer, implement and enforce it. Section 62-84(a) prohibits any person from discharging pollutants or waters containing pollutants, other than stormwater, into the Cherokee County separate storm sewer system, with narrow exemptions for firefighting water, permitted NPDES discharges, and small-volume activities such as residential car washing, house pressure washing and normal lawn runoff.

Section 62-84(b) separately bans constructing, using or maintaining any illegal connection to the storm sewer system, including sewage lines, and requires property owners to locate undocumented drains on written notice from the marshal's office. Section 62-86 gives the marshal's office a right of entry to inspect properties, install monitoring equipment, and, if access is refused and probable cause exists, to seek a search warrant. Section 62-87 requires anyone aware of an accidental discharge or spill to notify the enforcement agency within 24 hours, confirmed in writing within three business days, and commercial or industrial dischargers must keep a three-year written record of the incident and remedial steps.

00 per day of an unremedied violation assessed by the engineering department, or a criminal citation to magistrate court for intentional and flagrant violations. Unabated violations become a lien against the property for abatement costs, and any resulting condition is separately declared a public nuisance.