Macon-Bibb County, GA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Macon-Bibb 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. daily
- Exemptions
- 13 listed uses, e.g. drip irrigation, hand watering
- New landscaping grace period
- 30 days after installation
- Governing section
- County Code Section 16-39
- Penalty basis
- General penalty section of the Code
Summary
Macon-Bibb County limits outdoor irrigation of landscapes to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. daily under County Code Section 16-39, with a long list of exempted water uses such as drip irrigation, hand watering and new-turf establishment.
(a)Restrictions; exemptions. Persons may irrigate outdoors daily for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants only between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., provided, however, that this section shall not create any limitation upon the following outdoor water uses:...(5)Irrigation of personal food gardens;(6)Irrigation of new and replanted plant, seed, or turf in landscapes, golf courses, or sports turf fields during installation and for a period of thirty (30) days immediately following the date of installation;(7)Drip irrigation or irrigation using soaker hoses;(8)Hand watering with a hose with automatic cutoff or handheld container;...(13)Hydroseeding.(b)Enforcement. No person shall use or allow the use of water in violation of the restrictions on outdoor water use contained in this section.(c)Penalties. Any violation of this section shall be enforced as a violation of the Macon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances and subject to the general penalty section of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Comprehensive Land Development Resolution: Supplement 4 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
each day. A. A. 2, reclaimed wastewater from a permitted EPD system, personal food gardens, newly installed or replanted turf and landscaping for the first thirty days after installation, drip irrigation or soaker hoses, hand watering with an automatic-cutoff hose or handheld container, water pulled from a private well or on-site surface water, horticultural crops held for sale, athletic fields and golf courses, irrigation-system installation, maintenance or calibration, and hydroseeding. The section places the enforcement duty directly on the person doing the watering or allowing it to happen: subsection (b) makes it unlawful to 'use or allow the use of water' outside the permitted hours.
This restriction sits inside Chapter 16 of the general Code of Ordinances (not the Comprehensive Land Development Resolution), grouped with other nuisance and property-maintenance offenses rather than the zoning or landscaping standards in the land-use book.
Violations & Fines
Subsection (c) makes any breach 'a violation of the Macon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances and subject to the general penalty section of this Code,' meaning code enforcement or the sheriff's office can cite a property owner or occupant for watering a lawn or garden bed before 4:00 p.m. or after 10:00 a.m. without an exemption. Repeat violations accumulate under the Code's general penalty provisions applicable countywide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I water my new sod anytime in Macon-Bibb County?
Is hand watering with a hose allowed any time of day?
What happens if I irrigate my lawn at noon in Macon-Bibb County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Macon-Bibb County
How Macon-Bibb County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Macon-Bibb County to another location·View the Georgia landscaping rules overview
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