Rockdale County, GA HOA Rules: Assessment & Dues (2026)
Key Facts
- Lien authority
- POA may lien members for unpaid dues
- County backstop
- County may perform maintenance itself
- Recoupment method
- Special assessments on all lots
- Added costs
- Attorneys' fees and penalties recoverable
- Applies to
- CRS and SRCO conservation/open space subdivisions
Summary
In unincorporated Rockdale County, the zoning code lets a property owners association formed for a conservation subdivision place liens to collect unpaid dues, and lets the county itself step in and recoup maintenance costs through special assessments if the association fails to maintain common conservation space.
The owners may form a property owners association for the purpose of managing and maintaining the grounds and any facilities. The property owners association shall have lien authority to ensure the collection of dues from all members in order to pay for such maintenance. ... In the event the party responsible for maintenance of the conservation space fails to maintain all or any portion in reasonable order and condition, Rockdale County may assume responsibility for its maintenance, and may enter the premises and take corrective action, including the provision of extended maintenance. The costs of such maintenance may be charged to the owner, property owners association, or to the individual property owners that make up the property owners association, and may include administrative costs, including attorneys' fees, and penalties. Such costs shall be recouped through the use of special assessments upon the property owners of the various lots and undeveloped phases.
Full Breakdown
The Unified Development Ordinance's CRS (collaborative residential subdivision) rules, Rockdale County Code § 206-5, require developers to set up a management plan for conservation space and common facilities before any land disturbance permit issues. Under subsection (h), owners of lots in a CRS subdivision may form a property owners association to manage and maintain the grounds and facilities, and that association is given lien authority to force collection of dues from every member. The lien is not optional decoration: subsection (i)(6) backs it with a county enforcement mechanism.
If the association (or any responsible owner) lets the conservation space fall into disrepair, Rockdale County itself may enter the property, perform the maintenance, and then recover its costs, plus administrative costs including attorneys' fees and penalties, through special assessments levied on every lot and undeveloped phase in the subdivision. The companion Salem Road Corridor Overlay rules at § 210-2(k)(7)b describe the same basic mechanism for open-space POAs there: mandatory membership, dues shared equitably per the association's bylaws, and liens on individual lots for members who fail to pay dues on time, with penalty interest allowed.
None of this reaches ordinary subdivisions without dedicated conservation or open space; it applies specifically where a CRS or SRCO zoning designation created the association's obligations in the first place.
Violations & Fines
An association (or owner) that lets required conservation space or common facilities go unmaintained can have Rockdale County perform the work directly and then bill it back as a special assessment against every lot in the subdivision, with attorneys' fees and penalties added to the amount owed. Members who miss dues payments face a lien on their individual lot or house, and the SRCO version allows penalty interest to accrue on the unpaid balance until it is cleared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Rockdale County HOA place a lien on my home for unpaid dues?
What happens if the HOA stops maintaining the conservation space?
Does this apply to every HOA in unincorporated Rockdale County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockdale County
Compare Rockdale County to another location·View the Georgia hoa rules overview
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