Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act — Stream Buffer Preemption (GA)
Tracked preemption from the Georgia overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1975-04-01
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 Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA) — Rezoning ConstraintGeorgia Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Review ThresholdGeorgia Zoning Procedures Law (ZPL)Georgia Rent Control Preemption (constrains mandatory inclusionary zoning)Georgia Constitutional Home Rule for Planning and Zoning
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
always true
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].min_state_water_buffer_ft | floor_at | 25 | 25-ft undisturbed natural vegetative buffer along all state waters; 50-ft buffer for trout streams |
base_districts[*].min_trout_stream_buffer_ft | floor_at | 50 |
Citation
Authority source
O.C.G.A. §§12-7-1 through 12-7-22 (Erosion and Sedimentation Act of 1975)
§ §12-7-6(b)(15) (25-ft buffer); §12-7-6(b)(16) (50-ft trout stream buffer)
Research notes
Statewide minimum stream buffer floor — local governments must enforce at least the state minimum and may adopt stricter local buffers. Buffer is measured horizontally from the point where vegetation has been wrested by normal stream flow or wave action. Variances available through GA Environmental Protection Division (EPD). Universal applicability across every GA city with state waters within or adjacent to its jurisdiction.