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Georgia Groundwater Recharge Area Protection — DCA Part V Environmental Planning Criteria (GA)

Tracked preemption from the Georgia overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1992-03-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:GA
Other Georgia preemptions
Georgia Short-Term Rentals — No State PreemptionGeorgia Density / ADU / Design Review — No State PreemptionGeorgia Tree Canopy / Tree Ordinance — No Statewide PreemptionGeorgia Military Installation & Airport Compatible-Use Zoning ReviewGeorgia Local Hazard Mitigation Plan — FEMA Stafford Act §322 ComplianceGeorgia Service Delivery Strategy Act (HB 489) — Intergovernmental Coordination MandateGeorgia Wetlands Protection — DCA Part V Environmental Planning CriteriaGeorgia Water Supply Watershed Protection — DCA Part V Environmental Planning Criteria

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

city.in_significant_groundwater_recharge_area == True

Preempted fields

3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].requires_groundwater_recharge_protectionoverrideTrueLocal governments must adopt ordinances restricting agricultural waste impoundments, hazardous-waste handling, new sanitary landfills, stormwater basins, and septic densities in significant recharge areas mapped in DNR Hydrologic Atlas 18
base_districts[*].min_lot_size_for_septic_in_recharge_area_sffloor_at43560DNR Manual minimum septic lot sizes by recharge-pollution-susceptibility (high/medium/low); 1-acre floor is the typical high-susceptibility minimum, doubled from the standard 0.5-acre
base_districts[*].prohibited_uses_in_recharge_areaadd['new_sanitary_landfill', 'new_hazardous_waste_facility', 'new_agricultural_waste_impoundment_with_uncompacted_clay_liner']

Citation

Authority source
O.C.G.A. §12-2-8 (DNR minimum planning standards); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-16-.02 (Groundwater Recharge Areas); DNR Hydrologic Atlas 18 (1989)
§ Rule 391-3-16-.02; DCA Part V Environmental Planning Criteria; Hydrologic Atlas 18 maps
https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/391-3-16

Research notes

Applies to portions of approximately 60 GA counties with mapped significant recharge areas — concentrated along the Fall Line (Coastal Plain / Piedmont boundary) and overlying the Floridan, Cretaceous, and Clayton aquifers. Local pollution-susceptibility ratings (high/medium/low) drive specific restriction levels. Required as a condition of DCA Qualified Local Government (QLG) status. Companion to Wetlands Protection (Rule 391-3-16-.04) and Water Supply Watershed Protection (Rule 391-3-16-.01) under the same Part V framework.