Home › Water rights › Georgia Georgia · off-grid water rights
Water rights in Georgia Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Georgia: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 22 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.
Georgia water rules
Household well Exempt — no permit or water right O.C.G.A. 12-5-96: no groundwater permit below 100,000 gpd. Household wells (a few hundred gpd) are exempt statewide; local well-construction rules still apply.
Limit: withdrawal permit only at/above 100,000 gpd
Georgia Code 12-5-96 (Ground-Water Use Act) ↗ Greywater reuse Rainwater harvesting unrestricted Legal; limited to outdoor non-potable uses.
NCSL ↗ Water rights 22 constrained counties in Georgia
Over-appropriated Baker County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 70 Over-appropriated Bryan County Coastal Georgia Upper Floridan Saltwater-Intrusion Management Area (Red/Yellow Zones) 61 Over-appropriated Calhoun County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 74 Over-appropriated Chatham County Coastal Georgia Upper Floridan Saltwater-Intrusion Management Area (Red/Yellow Zones) 53 Over-appropriated Colquitt County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 61 Over-appropriated Crisp County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 58 Over-appropriated Decatur County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 62 Over-appropriated Dooly County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 57 Over-appropriated Dougherty County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 73 Over-appropriated Early County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 69 Over-appropriated Effingham County Coastal Georgia Upper Floridan Saltwater-Intrusion Management Area (Red/Yellow Zones) 63 Over-appropriated Glynn County Coastal Georgia Upper Floridan Saltwater-Intrusion Management Area (Red/Yellow Zones) 60 Over-appropriated Grady County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 64 Over-appropriated Lee County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 65 Over-appropriated Liberty County Coastal Georgia Upper Floridan Saltwater-Intrusion Management Area (Red/Yellow Zones) 66 Over-appropriated Miller County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 61 Over-appropriated Mitchell County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 62 Over-appropriated Seminole County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 57 Over-appropriated Sumter County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 63 Over-appropriated Terrell County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 68 Over-appropriated Turner County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 66 Over-appropriated Worth County Lower Flint / Dougherty Plain Agricultural Withdrawal Suspension (Sub-area 4) 65 Keep exploring Georgia See the full Georgia county ranking , compare states on the water-rights hub , or read how we score water access . We dim physical water — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
