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

Sections 62-31 and 62-32 of the Roads chapter set up the county's encroachment permit system for anyone entering a "public way," defined broadly as any county-owned right-of-way, easement, street, road, highway or bridge. Section 62-32(a) makes it unlawful for any person, including any utility company or its representatives, to enter a public way to install, construct or erect a pipe, cable, pole, tower or similar utility facility until that person applies for and receives from the county the necessary permit.

The application must be in writing, identify the work and its location, and include a surveyor's plat drawn to scale showing the public way's boundaries and the work's location, per § 62-32(b). As a condition of approval, the applicant must agree to provide safety measures the board of commissioners deems necessary, and the application must state expected start and completion dates, reviewed by the Department of Transportation's transportation division. Under the county's Development Regulations fee schedule, § 14.1.3, the standard Encroachment Permit fee is $50.00, alongside a separate $50.00 Road Use Permit.

Section 62-35 layers on operating conditions: the permit creates only a revocable license, not a property right; work must start within 60 days or the permit is void; all work must finish within 120 days; permits cannot be transferred to a new owner; and the county can revoke a permit on 30 days' written notice. When the county needs to alter the public way, the permittee must relocate its own facility at its own expense. Failing to obtain the required permit, or failing to restore the public way afterward, is a misdemeanor under § 62-36, punishable through the Code's general penalty at § 1-19.