Georgia's Water Stewardship Act and Atlanta Watershed rules limit outdoor watering to between 4 PM and 10 AM with a 25-gallon hand-watering allowance year-round, regardless of drought level.
Under OCGA Title 12 and the Georgia Water Stewardship Act of 2010, outdoor irrigation across Atlanta is allowed only between 4 PM and 10 AM to reduce evaporative loss. Hand-watering of plants with a hose nozzle, drip irrigation, and rain barrels are exempt. The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management enforces these limits and may impose stricter level-1 through level-3 drought restrictions when the state Environmental Protection Division declares a watering ban. Commercial car washes using recycled water and certain agricultural operations have separate exemptions. New sod and landscape installations get a 30-day variance window with a permit.
First violations typically draw a written warning. Subsequent violations bring fines from $50 escalating to several hundred dollars under municipal court schedules and potential water-service enforcement.
Atlanta, GA
Under OCGA §12-5-7, Metro Atlanta operates year-round watering rules: outdoor irrigation is allowed only between 4 PM and 10 AM. Further cuts apply during EP...
Atlanta, GA
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged. Rain barrels need no permit; larger cisterns tied to interior plumbing require a plumbing permit and backflow p...
See how Atlanta's lawn watering restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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