Commissioners adopt second reading of Chapter 46 exemption amendments with enforcement provisions

The Hart County Board of Commissioners approved a second reading on proposed amendments to Chapter 46 that tighten exemptions to platting requirements and add enforcement measures, the board said at its May 2025 meeting. The amendments were presented by county legal counsel and approved unanimously on second reading.

The draft ordinance clarifies that certain exemptions expire after a two-year period and addresses whether exemptions transfer when property ownership changes. The county attorney said additions include consequences for violating the exemptions: “potential denial of plat approval, denial of a building permit, issuance of a citation, and or issuance of a stop work order,” and the text now states that a meets-and-bounds description without an approved plat “shall not be allowed” to circumvent platting requirements.

Commissioners discussed enforcement questions, including how violations discovered after construction would be handled and whether citation authority would be sufficient to deter circumvention. The county attorney explained the language uses “can” to allow discretion and that the stop-work authority provides a remedy for after-the-fact discoveries. Commissioner Dorsey moved to take the ordinance as a second reading; Commissioner Teasley seconded. The motion passed 5-0.

County staff said the additions were drafted in response to commissioner requests at an earlier meeting and were intended to add “teeth” to the exemptions. The ordinance text, as presented at the meeting, contained only additions requested by the board; no deletions were proposed at second reading.