Zoning › State preemptions › Georgia

Georgia Metropolitan River Protection Act — Chattahoochee River Corridor (GA)

Tracked preemption from the Georgia overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1973-04-01
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 Groundwater Recharge Area Protection — DCA Part V Environmental Planning CriteriaGeorgia Wetlands 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.

AND
  • city.is_metro_atlanta == True
  • parcel.in_chattahoochee_corridor == True

Preempted fields

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

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].min_chattahoochee_corridor_buffer_ftfloor_at5050-ft impervious-surface and vegetation buffer measured horizontally from each bank of the Chattahoochee within the protected corridor
base_districts[*].chattahoochee_corridor_jurisdiction_ftoverride2000MRPA jurisdiction extends 2,000 ft on each side of the river from Buford Dam to the downstream limit of Fulton/Cobb County
base_districts[*].requires_arc_certificate_for_land_disturbanceoverrideTrueLand-disturbing activities and certain construction within the corridor require Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) certificate of compliance with the Chattahoochee Corridor Plan before local permits issue

Citation

Authority source
O.C.G.A. §§12-5-440 through 12-5-457 (Metropolitan River Protection Act); ARC Chattahoochee Corridor Plan
§ §§12-5-440 et seq.; ARC Plan adopted under §12-5-446
https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-12/chapter-5/article-5/

Research notes

Applies within the 2,000-ft corridor on each bank of the Chattahoochee River from Buford Dam (Forsyth/Gwinnett line) downstream through Fulton and Cobb counties. Affected jurisdictions include Roswell, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Forsyth County. ARC issues a non-binding certificate of compliance; local governments are required by §12-5-453 to amend local ordinances to enforce the Corridor Plan's standards (buffer widths, impervious-surface limits, land-disturbance permitting). MRPA also authorizes similar plans for the Yellow River, but Chattahoochee is the only active corridor as of 2026.