Macon-Bibb County, GA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 24, Encroachments, in the Macon-Bibb County general code governs private use of the public right-of-way. Sec. 24-126(a) bars advancing a lot from its original boundary onto a county street without first applying to the Macon-Bibb County Commission for an encroachment agreement, (b) bars erecting any building outside a lot line, and (c) bars a fence, steps, portico, or other obstruction beyond the lot line without an approved agreement. Under (d), unauthorized or nonconforming encroachments can be ordered removed by the mayor on reasonable notice, or, at the mayor and commission's discretion, sanctioned to remain for a negotiated fair consideration that accounts for the interests of other nearby property holders.

Sec. 24-127 sets the price of doing this the right way: a $250 fee to the county engineer for any required survey, investigation or map; a separate $250 fee to the county attorney if legal work is needed; and a $100 minimum consideration for the encroachment grant itself, on top of those service fees. Sec. 24-128 requires the application to include the applicant's deed and a plat prepared by a registered land surveyor showing the street center line, property line, and encroachment dimensions, routed first to the county engineer for survey and report, then to the county attorney's office. Sec. 24-129 gives the applicant 30 days from the commission's favorable vote to pay the finance director before the mayor executes a deed.