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

Section 23-87(a) covers two categories of work, and both need the permit before anything starts. Subsection (1) reaches utility work: installation, construction, maintenance, renewal, removal, or relocation of pipes, mains, conduits, cables, wires, poles, towers, traffic and other signals, and any other utility equipment, facilities, or appliances. Subsection (2) reaches the surface improvements a property owner is more likely to build: construction, maintenance, relocation, or removal of driveways, sidewalks, curbing, bike lanes, multi-use trails, associated drainage facilities, and landscaping. Two features make the section broad.

First, the covered locations are "in, on, along, over, or under" the county's public roads, so overhead wires and buried pipes need the permit just as surely as a new driveway apron does. Second, the verbs go beyond building: maintaining, relocating, or removing an existing driveway or sidewalk is listed alongside constructing a new one, so tearing out old curbing requires the same permit as pouring it. The permit comes from the director of public works, and the section applies to county public roads outside city limits.