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

Whitfield County Code Chapter 14, Article VI governs post-development stormwater management for the unincorporated county. Section 14-73 sets the applicability threshold: 5,000 square feet or more of new or replaced impervious cover, one acre or more of land disturbance, any 'hotspot' land use regardless of size, or any phase of a larger common plan of development that reaches those totals. Section 14-75 exempts agricultural and forestry activities, additions to an existing single-family or duplex home, a detached single-family home built outside a larger development, and county-ordered repairs to an existing facility.

Under Section 14-77, an applicant must file a stormwater management plan certified by a Georgia-registered professional engineer, land surveyor, or landscape architect carrying at least $1,000,000 in errors-and-omissions insurance, plus an inspection and maintenance agreement, a performance bond where required, and review fees; projects over 50 lots, ten disturbed acres, or 50 percent impervious coverage need a concept-plan consultation first. 2-inch storm to remove at least 80 percent of total suspended solids, plus 24-hour extended detention of the one-year, 24-hour storm. Section 14-79 requires a recorded maintenance agreement before final plat or certificate of occupancy, with a drainage easement covering the 100-year flood elevation plus ten feet and a 20-foot access easement.

Section 14-80 makes the property owner responsible for maintaining any pre-existing facility, and Section 14-81 gives the county administrator, director, or public works director inspection authority during and after construction.