Richmond County, GA Stormwater Regulations

Richmond County and Augusta run as one consolidated government, and it holds a Phase I Medium MS4 permit (GAS000200) from GA EPD. The Augusta Engineering Department enforces the stormwater ordinance, charges a stormwater fee of $6.40 per month per 2,200 square feet of impervious surface, and requires annual owner inspections of stormwater practices built under its 2020 manual. Local fines reach $1,000 per offense under the stormwater ordinance, with each day a separate offense, and $2,500 per day under the erosion ordinance. State penalties reach $50,000 per day.

Primary source: Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD), Municipal Stormwater

Permit Requirements

Augusta and Richmond County consolidated on January 1, 1996, so one government handles stormwater for nearly the whole county. GA EPD issued that government a Phase I Medium MS4 permit, NPDES Permit GAS000200. It was issued April 1, 2022, modified effective June 3, 2024, and expires April 11, 2027. The permit requires a stormwater management program, an enforcement response plan, and plans for impaired creeks.

At the state level, GA EPD's NPDES Construction General Permits (GAR100001, GAR100002, GAR100003) cover any project disturbing one acre or more, or less as part of a larger common plan. Locally, Augusta is a certified Local Issuing Authority, and its Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control Ordinance requires a Land Disturbing Activity permit before work starts. Projects under one acre are exempt unless they're part of a larger common plan or sit within 200 feet of state waters. A single home, commercial lot, or institutional lot under one acre still has to submit an individual lot drainage plan to the Engineering Department before it gets a building permit.

Post-construction water quality standards kick in for new development or redevelopment that creates, adds, or replaces 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface, or disturbs one acre or more. The site has to retain the first 1.0 inch of rainfall, or treat the runoff from the first 1.2 inches. Augusta charges a $15 per disturbed acre administrative fee on top of the state fee of up to $80 per acre, and it can require a bond of up to $3,000 per acre.

Inspection Obligations

Augusta's code makes any stormwater facility that serves a single lot or a commercial or industrial development privately owned and maintained, and the owner has to keep a permanent access easement for maintenance. Under the Augusta Stormwater Management Manual (July 2020), once the city accepts a development, owners must inspect every stormwater practice at least once a year. They record it on the Appendix F checklist for that practice type and send it to the Augusta Engineering Department by October 30. If the inspection turns up a problem, the checklist has to say how and when it'll be fixed.

New projects need a signed maintenance agreement for every onsite practice. It runs with the deed, so the inspection duty passes to the next owner, which matters for HOAs and commercial buyers. The manual exempts projects whose stormwater plan was approved, or that reached 60% design, before April 1, 2020, so owners of older ponds should check their recorded agreement and confirm their obligations with the Engineering Department.

The city also inspects. The Director of Engineering sets inspection schedules and can enter property after notice to the owner, or without notice in an emergency. Construction sites start with a pre-construction meeting with the Engineering Department and get periodic city inspections, on top of the state permit's own inspection schedule. Properties that get a stormwater fee credit can be inspected too, and any deficiency has to be fixed within 60 days of written notice or the credit can be pulled.

Penalty Structure

Augusta's Storm Water Management Ordinance is enforced by citation from Engineering or Planning & Development inspectors. A conviction carries a fine up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both, and each day of violation is a separate offense. The city can also go to court for an injunction, and a violator pays the city's costs, including spill containment and cleanup. If a neglected facility becomes an immediate danger, the city can make it safe and bill the responsible party.

The erosion control ordinance allows civil penalties up to $2,500 per day through the Magistrate Court of Richmond County. First and second violations get a written warning with five days to fix the problem, then a stop-work order. Working without a permit, failing to keep a stream buffer, or sending significant sediment into state waters brings an immediate stop-work order. Starting work without a permit can also cost a contractor its business license, and a posted bond can be forfeited.

At the state level, GA EPD can assess civil penalties up to $50,000 per day per violation under the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, and up to $2,500 per day under the Erosion and Sedimentation Act.

Key BMPs

The Augusta manual calls stormwater practices IMPs (Integrated Management Practices) and publishes design forms and inspection checklists for each type. Common ones include:

• Dry detention and dry extended detention basins - Augusta's public stormwater system alone includes nearly 1,000 flood detention ponds. New basins need a 20-foot paved access route, a six-foot fence, and grassed bottoms and embankments with no trees or woody growth.
• Bioretention areas - Planted filter beds used to meet the 1.0-inch runoff reduction standard. Water standing more than three to four days can point to clogged media or a failed underdrain.
• Underground detention - Has its own design procedure form and Appendix F inspection checklist.
• Permeable pavers, pervious concrete, and porous asphalt - Each has its own design procedure and annual inspection checklist.
• Grass channels, dry enhanced swales, and vegetated filter strips - Vegetated practices listed in Chapter 6 of the manual, each with its own design form and inspection checklist.

Local Ordinances

The Storm Water Management Ordinance (Code Title 5, Chapter 1) also sets up the stormwater utility. Charges have accrued since January 1, 2016 at $6.40 per month per ERU, with one ERU equal to 2,200 square feet of impervious surface. Land with no more than 400 square feet of impervious area, railroad tracks, roadways, and Fort Gordon are exempt, and tax-exempt status doesn't exempt a property. Non-residential owners can earn credits of up to 65% under the Augusta Stormwater Credit Manual. Current rates are on the city's Stormwater Fees page.

Three watersheds carry tighter rules. In the Rae's Creek, Rocky Creek, and Rock Creek watersheds, post-development peak flow can't exceed 90% of pre-development flow for the 2-year through 100-year storms, and fill and detention ponds aren't allowed in the 100-year floodplain. A 25-foot buffer applies along all state waters. GA EPD also posts bacteria plans under the MS4 permit for Butler Creek, Spirit Creek, and Rocky Creek.

Other parts of the code add overlays: the Savannah River Water Supply Watershed Protection District around the city's intake on the Augusta Canal (Title 8, Chapter 7), a Groundwater Recharge Area District (Title 8, Chapter 6), and the Flood Damage Prevention ordinance (Title 8, Chapter 1).

Hephzibah and Blythe stayed separate from the consolidation. Neither is a certified Local Issuing Authority, so the state list assigns erosion control there to GA EPD's East Central District office in Augusta. Hephzibah is on GA EPD's list of designated Phase II small MS4s. Augusta's code says stormwater charges in both cities are set by the Director of Engineering based on the services Augusta provides there.