Columbus, GA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Triggering disturbance
- 5,000 sq ft new impervious surface or land disturbance
- Redevelopment trigger
- 1 acre of disturbance, or phased projects under 1 acre
- TSS removal target
- 80% of average annual post-development pollutant load
- Water quality volume
- Runoff from first 1.2 inches of rainfall
- Overbank flood design storm
- 25-year, 24-hour storm event
- Standards effective
- January 1, 2016
- Annual maintenance report due
- January 31 each year
Summary
New development or redevelopment in Columbus, Georgia that disturbs 5,000 square feet or more, or any commercial or industrial project requiring a state NPDES industrial stormwater permit, must have a stormwater management plan approved by the Director of Engineering before any building or subdivision permit issues. The plan must remove 80 percent of the average annual pollutant load and control the 25-year and 100-year storm events.
B.Stormwater Management Plan.1.Plan Required. All persons proposing development or construction in the city shall prepare a stormwater management plan.2.Approval Required. No final subdivision plat shall be approved and no development or building permit shall be issued until and unless the stormwater management site plan has been reviewed and approved by the Engineering Director, except as exempt below.C.Applicability.1.The stormwater management standards listed below are required for any new development and/or redevelopment site that meets one or more of the following criteria:(A)New development that creates, or adds 5,000 square feet or greater of impervious surface, or that involves land disturbing of 5,000 square feet or greater or,(B)Redevelopment that creates, replaces or adds 5,000 square feet or greater of new impervious surface, or that involves land disturbing activity of one acre or more, including projects less than one acre if they are part of a larger common plan of development or sale, or,
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
4. Any new development that creates or adds 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface or disturbs 5,000 square feet or more of land triggers the standards, as does redevelopment adding 5,000 square feet of new impervious surface or disturbing one acre or more, including phases of a larger common plan under one acre. Any commercial or industrial project needing coverage under Georgia's NPDES Industrial Stormwater Discharge Permitting Program, or classified as a pollutant 'hotspot' such as a gas station, vehicle-service yard or salvage yard, is covered regardless of size.
E, unless the lot sits inside a subdivision or phased development, in which case the exemption does not apply. 2 inches of rainfall; provide 24-hour extended detention of the 1-year, 24-hour storm for stream channel protection; hold the post-development peak discharge to predevelopment rates for the 25-year, 24-hour storm; and control the 100-year, 24-hour storm so flooding is not worsened. B. 1(F). F requires owners of private stormwater facilities to file an annual maintenance report with the city by January 31.
Violations & Fines
Discharging anything other than unpolluted storm water into Columbus's separate storm sewer system is unlawful under § 7.12.3.A, and improper connections must be corrected within 30 days at the owner's expense. Under § 7.12.7.F, failing to maintain a private stormwater facility, or failing to file the required annual maintenance report by January 31, is a violation of the chapter; the city may perform the needed work itself and place a lien on the property until it recovers the full cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a new house in Columbus need a stormwater plan?
How much of a site can I disturb before Columbus requires a stormwater plan?
Can I pour pool or car-wash water into a storm drain in Columbus?
Who approves stormwater plans and issues stormwater fines in Columbus?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbus
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