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

Section 10-2-190 of the Walton County Land Development Ordinance requires any public or private utility that wants to construct, improve, relocate, repair, maintain or alter a utility system within a county right-of-way to first submit a completed Utility Permit Application to the Planning and Development Department for review and approval. The applicant must pay all applicable Utility Permit fees set by the Board of Commissioners to cover review and inspection costs, and must attach permit drawings no larger than eleven by seventeen inches showing the applicant's name and address, the road name and number, a description of the proposed work including size, type and length, the location relative to nearby intersections or landmarks, roadway and right-of-way dimensions, distance from the edge of pavement or curb, depth of cover, and a traffic control plan, among other listed items.

Once approved, installation must follow detailed standards: utilities generally go in the back five feet of the right-of-way unless the county approves otherwise, fixtures and manholes go at property corners where possible, no pavement cut proceeds without prior county approval and any cut must be repaired within twenty-four hours, trenches and bore pits must stay at least ten feet from the edge of pavement, and jack-and-bore road crossings need a welded steel casing extending ten feet on either side of the traveled surface. A Stop Work Order issues if the county inspector finds a contractor or utility company in violation of any part of these requirements during construction.