Paulding County, GA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 46-83
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day unremedied
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 60 days jail
- Appeal window
- 30 days from notice of violation
- Enforcing agencies
- Marshal's office, public works, community development
Summary
Paulding County bans discharging any pollutant other than stormwater into the county's separate storm sewer system under Code of Ordinances Sec. 46-83, and separately prohibits building or maintaining any illegal connection to that system. The marshal's office, public works, and community development enforce the ban, with civil penalties running up to $1,000 per day.
(a)No person shall throw, drain, or otherwise discharge, cause, or allow others under its control to throw, drain, or otherwise discharge into the county separate storm sewer system any pollutants or waters containing any pollutants, other than stormwater. ... (c)Prohibition of illegal connections. The construction, connection, use, maintenance or continued existence of any illegal connection to the county separate storm sewer system is prohibited.
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
Article IV of Chapter 46 implements the county's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit obligations by banning illicit discharges to the Paulding Separate Storm Sewer System. Sec. 46-83(a) prohibits throwing, draining, or otherwise discharging any pollutant, or water containing a pollutant, into the storm sewer system, with 'pollutant' defined broadly under Sec. 46-82 to include paint, solvents, automotive fluids, cooking grease, detergents, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, sewage, and construction debris. Subsection (b) exempts specific nonpolluting flows such as landscape irrigation runoff, air conditioning condensation, foundation drain water, and firefighting discharges, plus discharges covered by an NPDES permit.
Subsection (c) separately bans illegal connections, defined in Sec. 46-82 as any pipe, drain, or conveyance that lets a nonstormwater discharge, including sewage or process wastewater, enter the storm system, whether or not it was ever permitted; a property owner who receives written notice must locate and identify any undocumented drain connected to the storm system within the deadline the notice sets. Sec. 46-81(e) puts the marshal's office in charge of administering the article, while Sec. 46-87 lays out a formal notice-of-violation process with a 30-day appeal to the board of commissioners, followed by civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day the violation remains unremedied, or criminal prosecution in magistrate court carrying a fine up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail for intentional and flagrant violations, with each day of violation charged separately.
Violations & Fines
A notice of violation from the marshal's office, public works, or community development department starts a compliance clock; failing to fix the problem within the notice's deadline, or losing an appeal to the board of commissioners, exposes the property owner to civil penalties up to $1,000 per day and to the cost of any county abatement work performed on the property. Intentional and flagrant violations can instead draw a criminal citation carrying up to a $1,000 fine and 60 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car so the soapy water runs into the street drain?
What happens if I ignore a stormwater notice of violation?
Is it illegal to connect a sump pump drain line to the storm sewer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paulding County
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