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

Sec. 54-36, Encroachment on right-of-way, requires anyone seeking ingress or egress access to a county right-of-way for pipe installation to apply for encroachment authorization. Under Sec. 54-36(1), all driveway or access entrances from a county road or street, including modifications to existing driveways, headwalls, decorative entrance work and plantings, need a county permit. Sec. 54-36(2) bars temporarily filling drainage ditches for site access and bars placing debris, excavation material or building materials on the right-of-way at construction sites without an engineer-approved grading plan. Applications go to the county building official's office or public works department under Sec.

54-35(a), must include the applicant's name, phone number and the installation site's address or location description (Sec. 54-35(b)), and the site must be inspected to determine pipe size and installation procedure (Sec. 54-35(c)); the county allows two consecutive working days to set piping specifications (Sec. 54-35(d)). Sec. 00, covering the site investigation/pipe-size inspection and the final inspection before the driveway surface is poured. Mailbox and newspaper box installations on arterial roads also require building inspection department approval under Sec. 54-36(4), and no basketball goals may be placed on any county right-of-way under Sec. 54-36(5).