DeKalb County writes the county and city split into its own code. Section 22.5-11(a) of the DeKalb County Code of Ordinances states that "The provisions of this chapter shall apply throughout unincorporated DeKalb County," and Section 22.5-4(c)(8) defines the county storm sewer system as a conveyance "not located within the boundaries of a city located within the county." A catch basin in Brookhaven is not a DeKalb County catch basin under that definition, so a wash crew working a Brookhaven parking deck and a wash crew working a parking deck on unincorporated DeKalb County ground are working under different instruments, different penalty sections and different inspectors.
That split is the single most useful thing to know before buying exterior cleaning across a DeKalb County portfolio, and almost no contractor page states it. A property manager holding four sites in DeKalb is not holding four sites under one rule. This page answers the questions a DeKalb County owner, manager or facilities lead actually has to answer: whose ordinance applies, what that ordinance prohibits, whether wash water is exempt, what enforcement looks like, how the cities differ, and what a compliant scope of work contains. Every regulatory figure below is quoted from a primary document and listed with a read date in the Sources section at the end.
One boundary belongs at the top. Thrare Contracting is a contractor, not a regulator, and the ordinance duties described here fall on the discharger and the property owner. Thrare Contracting reads them as the outcome a scope of work has to produce, which is why the containment method on a DeKalb job is decided before the pressure is.
Which government's stormwater ordinance applies to a DeKalb County address?
The answer follows the city limit, not the mailing address. DeKalb County Code Section 22.5-11(a) applies Chapter 22.5 "throughout unincorporated DeKalb County," and adds that the County "may exercise such powers or authorities within the incorporated portion of DeKalb County as are set forth in the interjurisdictional agreements with the governing bodies of such cities." No such interjurisdictional agreement was read for this page, so the safe reading is the plain one: on unincorporated ground, DeKalb County Chapter 22.5 governs, and inside a city, the city's own code governs unless the city has handed authority back.
DeKalb County's definition of its own system says the same thing a second way. Section 22.5-4(c)(8) defines the "DeKalb County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System" as a conveyance that is "owned or maintained by the county," "designed or used for collecting or conveying stormwater," "not a combined sewer," "not part of a publicly owned treatment works (POTW)," and "not located within the boundaries of a city located within the county or owned or operated by any other government entity." Every one of those five conditions has to hold at once. A drain inside a city boundary fails the fifth one, and DeKalb County's prohibition at Section 22.5-23 reaches only its own system.
Two DeKalb cities publish their own instruments, and both were read for this page. The City of Brookhaven publishes a Pressure Washing Guidance page citing its Code Sections 25-648 and 25-649. The City of Dunwoody carries an Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection division at Chapter 32, Article IV, Division 9, whose Section 32-477(b) states that "The provisions of this division shall apply throughout the incorporated area of the city." For any other city address inside DeKalb County, Thrare Contracting confirms the governing ordinance for that specific parcel before mobilizing rather than assuming the county's ordinance reaches it.
One further caution belongs here. Whether a particular drainage structure on a site is a component of the county system, a city system, a Georgia Department of Transportation system or a private system is a per-parcel question that no ordinance page answers. A commercial site can carry private inlets that discharge to a public conveyance a hundred feet away, and the prohibition attaches at the point the wash water reaches the public system.
What does DeKalb County's own ordinance prohibit?
DeKalb County Chapter 22.5 prohibits any discharge to the county storm sewer system that is not entirely stormwater. Section 22.5-23 states that "It is unlawful for any person to discharge to any component of the DeKalb County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System or to cause, permit or suffer to be discharged into such system any matter of any nature that is not composed entirely of stormwater, or such unpolluted water as exempted in accordance with the provisions of section 22.5-26, and such discharge shall be deemed an illicit discharge and constitute a violation of the provisions of this chapter." The chapter's title, at Section 22.5-1, is the "Stormwater Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection Quality Management Code of DeKalb County, Georgia."
Three phrases in that sentence do real work. "Any person" reaches the crew, the vendor and the owner alike, because Section 22.5-4(c)(28) defines "person" to include "any individual, firm, corporation, government agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, two (2) or more persons having a joint or common interest, or any other legal entity." "Cause, permit or suffer" reaches an owner who did not hold the wand. "Composed entirely of stormwater" leaves no allowance for a small amount of detergent.
DeKalb County's definition of a pollutant names the chemistry of exterior cleaning directly. Section 22.5-4(c)(29) lists, among others, "petroleum hydrocarbons; automotive fluids; cooking grease; detergents (biodegradable or otherwise); degreasers; cleaning chemicals" and "concrete and cement." The parenthetical on detergents matters on a bid: a biodegradable soap is still a pollutant under the DeKalb County Code, so "we use eco friendly products" is not a compliance answer in unincorporated DeKalb County.
The Code also names wash water by name in its definition of an illegal connection. Section 22.5-4(c)(21) covers any conveyance "which allow any non-stormwater discharge including sewage, process wastewater, and wash water to enter the storm drain system, regardless of whether such pipe, open channel, drain or conveyance has been previously allowed, permitted, or approved by a federal, state or local law enforcement agency." A drain line that a previous vendor ran to a storm inlet does not become lawful by having been there a long time.
None of this is a DeKalb County invention. The federal rule at 40 CFR 122.26(b)(2) defines an illicit discharge as "any discharge to a municipal separate storm sewer that is not composed entirely of storm water except discharges pursuant to a NPDES permit," and 40 CFR 122.26(d)(2)(iv)(B) requires an MS4 permit application to describe "a program, including a schedule, to detect and remove (or require the discharger to the municipal separate storm sewer to obtain a separate NPDES permit for) illicit discharges and improper disposal into the storm sewer." DeKalb County's Roads and Drainage page states that "DeKalb County operates under NPDES Phase I MS4 permit," which is the permit obligation Chapter 22.5 exists to satisfy.
Is pressure washing wash water exempt in unincorporated DeKalb County?
Pressure washing wash water is not on DeKalb County's exemption list. Section 22.5-26(a) sets out thirteen exempt categories in full: water line flushing approved by the director and other unpolluted potable water discharges, unpolluted landscape irrigation and lawn watering, unpolluted irrigation water, unpolluted diverted stream flows, unpolluted rising or pumped ground water, unpolluted infiltration, unpolluted water from foundation and footing drains, crawl space pumps and air conditioning condensation, unpolluted springs, "Individual residential car washing where biodegradable soap is used," unpolluted flows from riparian habitats and wetlands, unpolluted dechlorinated swimming pool discharges, flows from fire fighting, and "Other unpolluted water."
Read category nine closely, because the drafting is deliberate. DeKalb County wrote one express allowance for washing, and it is scoped to an individual residential car, with biodegradable soap. A commercial building wash, a dumpster pad, a drive-through lane, a parking deck and an apartment breezeway are outside that allowance. The catch-all at category thirteen does not rescue them either, because the word in it is "unpolluted," and Section 22.5-4(c)(29) has already classified detergents and cleaning chemicals as pollutants.
Every exemption is also conditional on the director's judgment. Section 22.5-26(a) opens by making the thirteen categories exempt "unless the director determines that the following discharge or connection is a significant source of pollution," and subsection (b) provides that on such a determination the discharger "shall be required to immediately cease the illicit discharge." An exemption in this chapter is a default position, not a permanent right.
One lawful route to discharging non-stormwater exists and it is a permit, not a practice. Section 22.5-26(d) provides that the section does not apply to "any non-stormwater discharge permitted under an NPDES permit or order issued to the discharger and administered under the authority of the State and the EPA," and requires that the "Discharger must supply director with a copy of the NPDES permit or order." For ordinary exterior cleaning work the practical path is containment instead: wash water that never reaches the storm sewer never opens the permit question at all.
What happens after an illicit discharge in unincorporated DeKalb County?
DeKalb County's enforcement sequence begins with a written notice of violation and can skip straight to a summons. Section 22.5-61(a) requires the notice to describe the property, list the provisions violated, and "set forth the potential penalty involved and the fact that each day the violation continues shall constitute a new and separate violation." Section 22.5-61(b) allows the department to issue a summons without first issuing a notice of violation "if, in the judgment of the director, the illicit discharge or illicit connection was not an accidental discharge or if the violation constitutes a threat to the public health, safety, general welfare, or the DeKalb County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System." A deliberate discharge therefore has no cure window built into it.
DeKalb County publishes its own penalty ceiling, and the figure below belongs to DeKalb County alone. Section 22.5-64(a) states that "Violation of the provisions of this chapter constitutes an infraction subject to a penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or one hundred twenty (120) days imprisonment in the county jail or both per violation for each day of violation." Section 22.5-64(b) preserves any other lawful action, and Section 22.5-66(c) states that the listed remedies "are not exclusive of any other remedies available under any applicable federal, state or local law."
Reporting the discharge is itself a duty with a clock on it. Section 22.5-28(a) requires the discharger to inform the director "within twenty-four (24) hours, of the nature, quantity and time of occurrence of the illicit discharge," to follow with a written report "within three (3) business days after the initial report," and states that "The failure to report an illicit discharge or illegal connection as required by this section shall constitute a violation of this chapter." Section 22.5-28(b) requires immediate action to "remediate, correct, contain, treat, and minimize the effects."
Access to the property is written into the same chapter. Section 22.5-52(b) permits the department, "bearing proper credentials and identification, and in accordance with state and federal law," to enter private or public property at reasonable times to inspect or investigate, notifying the owner or the on-site representative "except in the case of an emergency." Section 22.5-52(d) provides for an inspection warrant where entry is refused. An owner who assumes a private lot is out of view has misread the chapter.
A second exposure sits outside the fine. Section 22.5-66(b) declares a violating condition a nuisance that "may be abated by injunctive or other equitable relief as provided by law," and Section 22.5-66(a) allows DeKalb County to file a civil damage action "seeking such damages, fees and costs as are permitted by law." For a commercial owner the abatement and cost recovery route is usually the larger number, because the cleanup follows the discharge wherever it went.
How do Brookhaven and Dunwoody differ from unincorporated DeKalb County?
Brookhaven and Dunwoody each run their own instrument, and neither instrument matches DeKalb County's. Carrying a penalty figure across a city line is the specific error this section exists to prevent, so each figure below is printed with the section that issues it.
The City of Brookhaven publishes dedicated Pressure Washing Guidance through its Public Works Stormwater and Water Resources Program. The City states plainly that "Discharge of pressure washing washwater to the stormwater drainage system is prohibited," and, on the same page, that "Pressure washing activities in Brookhaven have resulted in fish kills along entire reaches of streams." Brookhaven names its legal authority in its own order, ending with "Local Ordinance: City of Brookhaven Code of Ordinances Section 25-648 - Prohibited and Illicit Discharges" and Section 25-649. The City's published ceiling is that "Maximum penalties for discharging pressure washing washwater to the stormwater drainage system or to local waterways are not to exceed $1,000 fine per violation per day and up to six months in jail."
The City of Dunwoody reaches the same prohibition through a different chapter and a different penalty shape. Dunwoody Code Section 32-478(a) provides that "No person shall throw, drain, or otherwise discharge, cause, or allow others under its control to throw, drain, or otherwise discharge into the municipal separate storm sewer system any pollutants or waters containing any pollutants, other than stormwater," and wash water appears on no exemption in that subsection. Dunwoody's civil penalty at Section 32-475(f) is not a per-day fine for washing: the city municipal court may impose a penalty "for each day the violation remains unremedied after receipt of the notice of violation," after a ten day window to take the remedial measures. Dunwoody's criminal penalty at Section 32-475(g) of a fine "not to exceed $1,000.00 or imprisonment for 60 days or both" is reserved for "intentional and flagrant violations."
Set the three side by side and the practical differences are the enforcing body, the trigger and the clock, not whether the discharge is prohibited.
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Where it applies | Penalty as the instrument states it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated DeKalb County | DeKalb County Code Chapter 22.5, Secs. 22.5-23 and 22.5-64 | "throughout unincorporated DeKalb County" (Sec. 22.5-11(a)) | "not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or one hundred twenty (120) days imprisonment in the county jail or both per violation for each day of violation" |
| City of Brookhaven | Brookhaven Code Secs. 25-648 and 25-649, published on the City's Pressure Washing Guidance page | City of Brookhaven | "not to exceed $1,000 fine per violation per day and up to six months in jail" |
| City of Dunwoody | Dunwoody Code Ch. 32, Art. IV, Div. 9, Secs. 32-478 and 32-475 | "throughout the incorporated area of the city" (Sec. 32-477(b)) | civil penalty for "each day the violation remains unremedied after receipt of the notice of violation"; criminal fine "not to exceed $1,000.00 or imprisonment for 60 days" for "intentional and flagrant violations" |
Two further differences show up in practice. DeKalb County's enforcing body under Chapter 22.5 is the public works department through the director, per Section 22.5-4(c)(10) and (11), while Dunwoody's notice of violation issues from "the city community development department" under Section 32-475(b). The permit class differs too: DeKalb County's Roads and Drainage page states the County operates under a Phase I MS4 permit, and the City of Dunwoody's stormwater page states that "The City of Dunwoody is permitted under the EPD's General NPDES Permit for Phase II MS4s." Georgia EPD publishes that Phase I requirements "apply to Large and Medium MS4s" and Phase II requirements "apply to Small MS4s."
Does paying the DeKalb County stormwater utility fee change any of this?
Paying the DeKalb County stormwater utility fee authorizes no discharge whatsoever. The fee funds the county system; the discharge rule lives in a different chapter and applies whether the bill is paid, credited or exempt. Owners conflate the two constantly, and the conflation is expensive because a paid utility account gives a false sense that the drain on the property is a service being bought.
DeKalb County publishes the fee structure on its Roads and Drainage stormwater page. Under "Current Rates (Effective 2025)" the page prints a "Base Rate: $120 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) annually," with previous rates of $108 for 2024 and $96 for 2023. Under "How Fees Are Calculated" the page prints "Single Family Homes/Townhomes: 1 ERU per year," "Multi-Family (Apartments/Condos): 0.5 ERU x number of units," and "Commercial/Other Developed Land: 1 ERU per 3,000 sq ft of impervious surface." Undeveloped property is not charged. The County offers up to a 40% credit for on-site detention facilities, water quality treatment systems and green infrastructure installations.
Chapter 25, Article V carries obligations that do bite on an owner, and they are separate from the fee. Section 25-372 requires every owner of real property in the unincorporated area, and every contractor or developer developing such property, to "provide, manage, maintain, and operate on-site stormwater management systems and facilities sufficient to collect, convey, detain, control and discharge stormwater in a safe manner," and states that "Any failure to meet this obligation shall constitute a nuisance and be subject to an abatement action filed by any damaged party or DeKalb County in any court of competent jurisdiction." The same section gives DeKalb County lien rights perfected "by filing a notice of lien on the General Execution Docket of the Superior Court of DeKalb County."
The fee credit carries an inspection condition worth knowing before an owner applies. Section 25-370 provides that no credit is given "unless the property owner agrees in writing in its application that the county shall have the right" to enter and inspect, and that facilities found no longer compliant subject the owner "to revocation of all, or a portion of, stormwater service charge credits based on the county inspections' estimate of capacity reduction for a period of not less than one (1) year." Section 25-363(b) adds that where the county performs remedial maintenance on a private facility, "the county may bill the owner of the private facility for the costs of such maintenance." A detention pond that has silted in because nobody scheduled it is therefore a credit exposure and a cost exposure at once.
How is a compliant exterior cleaning job sequenced on a DeKalb County property?
A compliant job decides where the water goes before anyone squeezes a trigger. Thrare Contracting sequences a DeKalb County site walk in the same order every time: identify the jurisdiction for the parcel, walk every inlet and yard drain inside and downhill of the wash area, decide the containment method for each one, then set the chemistry and the pressure to suit both the surface and the containment.
- Jurisdiction first. Thrare Contracting establishes whether the parcel sits in unincorporated DeKalb County or inside a city, because the answer decides which ordinance, which reporting number and which enforcement route applies.
- Dry cleanup before water. The City of Brookhaven's guidance puts this first as well: "If possible, use dry cleaning methods, such as sweeping and brushing." Sweeping, scraping and picking up debris removes the solids that would otherwise become the pollutant load in the wash water.
- Inlet protection. Brookhaven's guidance describes "placing temporary barriers around stormwater inlets and storm drains," and notes that "Roof gutters may also drain to storm drains and roadway gutters." Downspouts on a building being washed are part of the containment plan, not an afterthought.
- Direct or recover. Brookhaven's guidance describes diverting wash water "on paved areas to vegetated or other pervious areas to allow for infiltration," and states that where that is not possible the water "must be collected for disposal using methods such as wet/dry vacuum."
- Reduce the volume produced. Brookhaven's guidance states "Reduce washwater volume by using high pressure, low volume nozzles," which is the cheapest containment decision on any job because water not produced needs no recovery.
- Weather. Brookhaven's guidance states "Only perform cleaning activities during dry weather." Rain during a wash defeats containment by carrying the recovered area's residue into the system anyway.
- Chemistry chosen for the containment, not against it. Brookhaven's guidance states "If cleaning agents must be used, don't use cleaning products that contain hazardous or toxic substances, such as bleach." DeKalb County's own pollutant definition at Section 22.5-4(c)(29) reaches "detergents (biodegradable or otherwise)," so the product label does not settle the question and the containment still has to hold.
Brookhaven published those steps for its own jurisdiction, and Thrare Contracting treats them as the conservative default across DeKalb County rather than as a rule that Brookhaven imposes on unincorporated ground. The reason is practical: the containment method that satisfies the strictest published local guidance satisfies the others, and a crew that runs one method everywhere makes fewer mistakes than a crew that runs three.
Surfaces then get matched to method within that containment plan. Painted brick, wood siding, stucco and shingle roofs on older DeKalb housing stock take a low pressure soft wash because high pressure drives water behind the finish. Concrete flatwork, dumpster pads and drive lanes take a surface cleaner, which also produces a more predictable water path than an open wand. Concrete pavers are their own case: the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association publishes, in PAV-TEC-005-22, that "A high pressure sprayer applies cleaner and water between 1,000 and 4,000 psi (6.9 and 27.6 MPa), and at a rate between 2 and 6 gallons/minute," and that "A low angle of attack from a wide nozzle spray will also reduce the risk of dislodging joint sand." That range is CMHA's published figure for interlocking concrete pavement and is not a statement about what any given poured slab will tolerate.
What is in the price of a DeKalb County exterior cleaning scope, and what is not?
Containment is a line item, and a bid that does not price it has either omitted it or hidden it. Thrare Contracting writes DeKalb County scopes so an owner can see which side of the line each item sits on, because the items below the line are exactly the ones that turn into change orders on a job that was priced as a simple wash.
Normally in a DeKalb County exterior cleaning scope:
- Pre-wash walk of the wash area and every inlet inside and downhill of it, with the containment method recorded per inlet
- Dry cleanup of the area before water is introduced
- Inlet and downspout protection for the duration of the work
- Wash water direction to a pervious area where the site allows, or recovery where it does not
- Surface-appropriate method selection, including low pressure soft wash where the substrate requires it
- Water supply from the site where a hose bib or hydrant meter is available, and the source confirmed before the day of work
- Post-wash walk with the site contact, and photographs of the containment in place rather than only of the clean surface
Normally not in the scope, and priced separately when the site needs it:
- Hauling and disposal of recovered wash water to a permitted receiving facility, which is a volume-driven cost and depends on what the surface contributed
- Oil and grease remediation on a pad that has been leaking rather than merely soiled
- Repair or replacement of a failed inlet, grate or trench drain found during the walk
- Detention pond cleaning, silt removal and flowline restoration, which is stormwater facility maintenance rather than exterior cleaning
- Sealing, striping or coating after cleaning
- Night or weekend work where a tenant, a drive-through lane or a loading dock cannot be interrupted during the day
- Traffic control, lane closure or flagging beyond ordinary cone and tape delineation
- Any permit, variance or utility authorization the property requires in its own name
Two cost drivers on a DeKalb County site are worth naming because they surprise owners. The first is recovery volume: a scope that can direct wash water to a landscaped area costs less than one where every gallon has to be vacuumed and hauled, and the difference is decided by the site's grade and planting, not by the contractor. The second is surface history. A pad that has absorbed years of grease releases a load that the containment has to handle, so the containment plan on a restaurant pad and the containment plan on an office building sidewalk are not the same plan even though both are concrete.
What does Thrare Contracting need from a DeKalb County property before mobilizing?
A short list settles most of a DeKalb County job before the truck moves.
- The parcel's jurisdiction, meaning whether the address sits in unincorporated DeKalb County or inside a city, confirmed rather than assumed from the mailing address
- A site contact who can authorize a wash window and can be reached during the work
- Water source: a working hose bib, or written confirmation that Thrare Contracting is to bring water
- Any site drainage plan, detention pond location or as-built the owner already holds, because a plan on file shortens the inlet walk considerably
- Known problem surfaces, meaning failed coatings, soft mortar, previously damaged stucco or a roof with granule loss, identified before the wash rather than after
- Tenant constraints: hours a drive-through, loading dock, breezeway or entrance cannot be blocked
- Anything the owner already knows about a past stormwater notice on the property
Thrare Contracting works DeKalb County submarkets on both sides of the line, including Decatur, Stone Mountain, Tucker, Dunwoody and Brookhaven. Related pages cover the exterior cleaning scope, commercial pressure washing and work for property managers. Call (678) 748-3578 or request a site walk to have the inlets on a specific DeKalb County property walked before anything is priced.