Dam safety compliance

Georgia dam safety requirements

EPD Safe Dams Program — what a private owner actually has to do, and when.

Frequently asked questions

When is Georgia's dam owner annual report due?

30 April every year, for every dam owner registered with the Safe Dams Program — one statewide deadline, not a per-dam date, unlike North Carolina's rolling schedule. Look up your dam to confirm its classification and current status.

How often must a Georgia dam owner inspect their own dam?

Quarterly self-inspection is expected, with a periodic formal engineer inspection on a separate cycle set by the Safe Dams Program. Dam-Smart's inspection tool captures this with GPS-tagged checkpoints from your phone — crest, both slopes, spillway, toe, outlet, seepage — building a dated record over time.

Who actually owns Georgia's highest-hazard dams?

A large share trace to old USDA small-watershed structures held by Soil & Water Conservation Districts, not private individuals — worth checking your dam's actual owner of record before assuming a Class I dam's filing is on you personally.

How to self-inspect a small dam

Dam-Smart's inspection tool walks through six checkpoints, the same order a formal engineer inspection follows:

  1. Crest — walk the full length of the crest, checking for cracking, settlement, or unusual vegetation.
  2. Upstream slope — check the upstream slope for erosion, slumping, or animal burrows.
  3. Downstream slope — check the downstream slope for seepage, wet areas, or sinkholes.
  4. Spillway — confirm the spillway is clear of debris and vegetation and free to pass flow.
  5. Outlet works / drains — check outlet works and drains for blockage, damage, or unusual flow.
  6. Instrumentation — read and record any installed instrumentation, such as piezometers or staff gauges, where present.

Sourced from EPD's Safe Dams Program FAQ and the June 2025 Inventory of Dams. See Georgia EPD Safe Dams Program for the primary source. This page is informational, not legal advice — verify current requirements with EPD directly.

Compare filing deadlines in all eight states

Requirements for other states: Connecticut · Massachusetts · North Carolina · New York · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Wisconsin