Bulloch County, GA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Bulloch County, GA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Allowed watering hours
- 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.
- Adopted
- December 7, 2010
- Exempt uses
- 13 listed, incl. drip irrigation, hand-watering
- New landscaping grace period
- 30 days after installation
- Maximum fine
- $1,000.00
- Maximum jail term
- 60 days
- Court
- Magistrate Court of Bulloch County
Summary
Outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and landscaping in unincorporated Bulloch County is restricted to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. under § 6.5-60, with thirteen listed exceptions covering drip irrigation, hand-watering, private wells, food gardens and new plantings. Violators face up to a $1,000.00 fine, 60 days in jail, or both, prosecuted in Magistrate Court.
Outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants in the unincorporated area may occur only between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.; provided, however, that this limitation shall not create any limitation upon the following outdoor water uses: ... (a)Any person violating any provision of this article shall be subject to imposition of a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, or to imprisonment in the county jail for a period of time not to exceed 60 days, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Full Breakdown
m. The restriction does not apply to thirteen listed uses, including commercial agricultural operations, capture and reuse of cooling-system condensate or stormwater, reuse of gray water under state health board rules, use of reclaimed wastewater from a permitted system, personal food gardens, drip irrigation or soaker hoses, hand-watering with an automatic shutoff hose or a handheld container, water drawn from a private well or surface water on the same property, irrigation of horticultural crops held for sale, athletic fields and golf courses, irrigation system installation and calibration, hydroseeding, and new or replanted turf and landscaping during its first 30 days after installation.
5-62. The rule applies year-round rather than only during declared droughts, so a homeowner watering a lawn by sprinkler at midday outside the allowed window is in violation even without a drought declaration.
Violations & Fines
Section 6.5-61 makes any violation of the outdoor watering hours punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both. Cases are prosecuted in the Magistrate Court of Bulloch County. Because the hour restriction is a standing county ordinance rather than a drought emergency order, it applies continuously and does not require a separate declaration to be enforced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I water my lawn at noon in unincorporated Bulloch County?
Is hand-watering my garden with a hose exempt from Bulloch County's watering hours?
What is the penalty for watering outside the allowed hours in Bulloch County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bulloch County
How Bulloch County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Bulloch County to another location·View the Georgia landscaping rules overview
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