Gordon County, GA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

The Gordon County Right-of-Way Protection Ordinance, Article VII of Chapter 7, covers any activity, whether or not for profit, that takes place over, on or within the public rights-of-way of county roads. The rule in Section 7-225(a)(1) is blunt: no permit, no work on the right-of-way. The one exception is a mailbox for U.S. Postal Service delivery, which has to be built so it breaks away on impact, and the owner repairs any right-of-way damage caused by mail delivery traffic. Applicants apply in person or through an authorized agent at the Gordon County Road Department.

Timber operators and utility providers are the two groups the section spells out. A timber operator files Georgia Department of Revenue form PT 283T, names the roads the timber trucks will use, gives cutting dates and supervisors, and posts a surety bond payable to Gordon County. Utility providers give the property location, start and end dates, supervisors and contractors and post the same kind of bond. Under Section 7-223 the bond is $10,000 in cash, an irrevocable letter of credit or a bond from a surety licensed in Georgia. Timber work on two acres or less for building construction or lot maintenance can be exempted from the form and bond after the road superintendent inspects and approves.

Section 7-226 issues the permit at no charge once the information and bond are in. Permits are never issued for signs, advertisements or notices on county road rights-of-way, and anything unauthorized placed there is treated as littering and can be removed and destroyed. Permits must be posted on the right-of-way abutting the property. Section 7-227 adds duties: a temporary drive cut and culvert, erosion controls, no unattended vehicles on the right-of-way, and a restoration inspection by the road superintendent, with the bond forfeited if restoration fails.