Does My Dam Need an Emergency Action Plan in Georgia?
The obligation, who it falls on, and the recurring duty that follows it — from O.C.G.A. §§ 12-5-370 et seq. and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-8 (Rules for Dam Safety).
Category I dam owners must develop and submit an emergency action plan to the Division for approval, in the Division-approved format (391-3-8-.11).
Because only Category I dams are regulated in Georgia, the EAP question and the "is my dam regulated" question have the same answer.
Timing
- A dam newly classified Category I submits its plan with the permit application.
- Owners of dams already Category I before October 2016 were given until 1 July 2017.
- Annual updating is recommended by the Division rather than imposed by rule — a genuine difference from the Carolinas, where the annual cycle is mandatory.
Inspections, which travel with the same obligation
| Who | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dam owner (no engineer required) | Each calendar quarter | |
| Engineer | At least every two years | Conducted between 1 October and 31 March |
| Reporting | By 30 April | For inspections in the preceding 1 April–31 March window |
Dams under 50 feet may request a one-cycle waiver of the two-year engineer inspection where four consecutive quarterly inspections show no deficiencies and there have been no recent enforcement actions. The waiver is one cycle, not a standing exemption.
Georgia in the national picture
Georgia has 556 high-hazard dams, of which 60 (10.8%) have no emergency action plan recorded in the National Inventory of Dams. Rankings, method and the downloadable dataset are on the national EAP gap page.
Scope. General information about Georgia dam safety regulation, read from primary sources and current as of 2026-08-28. Not an engineering opinion about any specific structure and not legal advice. Requirements change when the legislature amends the Georgia Safe Dams Act of 1978 or the rules are revised — confirm against the current text of O.C.G.A. §§ 12-5-370 et seq. and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-8 (Rules for Dam Safety), and contact the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for a determination that binds.