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

Article V of Chapter 34, adopted by Ord. No. 75-B on December 2, 2021, prohibits throwing, draining, running or otherwise discharging anything other than stormwater or specifically exempted water, such as potable water line flushing, air conditioning condensate, or firefighting flows, into the county's municipal separate storm sewer system. Illegal physical connections to that system are likewise banned under § 34-188, and an owner whose pipe or drain is found tied in illegally must redirect it. Any new development or redevelopment must follow an approved stormwater management plan consistent with the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual and the county's own addendum, administered by the Department of Engineering; changes to an approved plan need advance written approval, and a permit can be suspended or revoked for noncompliance with plan conditions, an immediate downstream danger, or a stop-work order violation.

Enforcement escalates from a verbal warning for a minor first-time issue to a written notice of violation naming the site, the violation, the required fix and a deadline, appealable to the department within 30 days, or 24 hours if the violation is an immediate danger. An uncorrected violation is a misdemeanor and can draw a civil penalty up to $1,000 per day the noncompliance continues after notice, while a flagrant violation can bring a Magistrate Court citation carrying up to a $1,000 fine or 60 days in jail, or both. A violator also owes the county's cleanup, sampling and legal costs under § 34-195, on top of any fine.