County Codes & Standards
All property owners and occupants in DeKalb County are responsible for maintaining their properties in accordance with certain standards/codes. These standards were designed by the county to protect the environment and maintain the appearance of our neighborhoods.
Parking
As a courtesy to our neighbors, we ask that residence when possible to refrain from parking on the street, as our streets are only two lanes, and can be dangerous when cars attempt to go around a parked cars.
Recycling
Please consider joining DeKalb County’s Recycling Program. The program is now FREE. You will receive a bin and bags. Pickup day for recycled items is the same day as trash pickup.
Five Great Reasons to Recycle Include:
- Saves Natural Resources – By making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials, we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
- Saves Energy – It usually takes less energy to make recycled products; recycled aluminum, for example, takes 95% less energy than new aluminum from bauxite ore.
- Saves Clean Air and Water – In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
- Saves Landfill Space – When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don’t go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
- Saves Money and Creates Jobs – The recycling process creates far more jobs than landfills or incinerators, and recycling can frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.
Phone Numbers to Know
For non-emergency situations i.e. loud music or other disturbing noises you may call 404-294-2911 for police assistance.
To enroll in the Dekalb County Emergency alert system, go to www.dekalbcounty.ga.gov and go down the page on the left and click on Emergency Alerts. If you have problems accessing through the internet, call 770-270-0413 and assistance should be available.
| Animal Control: 404-294-2996 | Fire Services: 404-328-1622 |
| Code Compliance: 404-687-3700 | Keep DeKalb Beautiful: 404-371-2654 |
| Commissioner’s Office: 404-371-2881 | Police Services Information: 404-294-2000 |
| Community Development: 404-286-3308 | Public Works (Rd & Drainage): 404-297-3840 |
| Court: Magistrate: 404-294-2150 | Sanitation: 404-297-3840 |
| Court: Recorders/Traffic: 404-508-0368 | Speed Hump Application: 404-297-3840 |
| Court: Superior: 404-371-2000 | Street Light (Request/Repair): 888-660-5890 |
| DMVS (Drivers Licenses): 678-413-8650 | Traffic Engineering (Signs): 404-297-3947 |
Code Enforcement Address:
180 Sams Street, Suite B0100
Decatur, GA 30030
Code Violations
All property owners and occupants in DeKalb County are responsible for maintaining their properties in accordance with certain standards/codes. These standards were designed by the county to protect the environment and maintain the appearance of our neighborhoods.
When a property owner or tenant is found to be in violation of the Property Maintenance Code or the Zoning Ordinance, he or she may be issued a warning giving them a set time to come into compliance or a court summons will be issued. Failure to comply with the warning will result in the issuance of a citation to appear in court. A fine may also be imposed.
Code Violations are as follows:
- Automobiles parked on the grass
- Unregistered & unlicensed motor vehicles (A court summons will be issued upon the first inspection, no warning notice will be given)
- Inoperable vehicles
- Commercial Vehicles are restricted from residential areas (e.g. school buses, semi-tractors, Tow Trucks, and panel and cargo vans)
- Boat & Trailer may only be parked to the side or rear of one’s house, or within a carport or garage
- Automobiles/vehicles with signs on the side (must be parked on the side of the home on a concrete pad )
- Grass may not exceed 12 inches in height
- Operating a Business in improper zone
- Excessive animals (Dekalb County allows a maximum of 3 animals per household)
- Unleashed animals (Dekalb County states that all animals must be contained properly; either a fenced in yard or on a leash)
- Debris (It is unlawful to maintain on your property for more than 7 calendar days any used or damaged lumber, junk, trash, scrap metal, concrete, sand, asphalt, cans, bottles, tires, abandoned, discarded, inoperative or unusable furniture, stove, refrigerator, sink, toilet, or household fixtures, yard waste, or equipment that would be visible from the public street, alley or from an adjoining property).
- Tree debris left on property – Call Sanitation Dept to have debris removed
- Rooming/Boarding House
- Inoperable Pool
- Fences may only be 4 foot high in the front yard or 8 foot high in the side or rear yard. Fences must be maintained in good repair and should be made out of materials suitable for fence construction
- Trash Can Removal (Trash cans are to be removed from the street by the next day following trash pickup day)
- Dekalb Sanitaion will only pick up trash from authorized Green Bins provided by Dekalb Sanitation Dept. Please note: Any trash not inside of this container will not be picked up.
- All litter, trash and debris thrown from vehicles is prohibited. DeKalb County police department enforces this litter law.
See Something? Say Something. Please call DeKalb County Code Compliance (404-687-3700)to report any issues you notice in the neighborhood.
DeKalb County Sanitation Services
Trash pickup for the Riverwood/Wesley Hills Community takes place on Thursdays. Please note: if a Holiday falls within the week of regular schedule pick up, Trash will be picked up the following day on Friday.
All approved receptacles must be placed at the curb without blocking mailboxes, utilities, driveways, sidewalks, drainage systems, or roadways before 7:00 a.m. on the Thursdays.
Bulky Items Collection Procedures
All bulky items are collected by special collection vehicles and are included in the residential annual assessment fees. Bulky items include furniture, mattresses and box springs, household appliances, playground equipment, lawn mowers, hand tools, accessories etc. and/ or other items not collected on the weekly servicing days. Call Sanitation at (404) 294-2900 to report bulky items as soon as they have been placed at the curb. The collection period is between 5-7 business days.
Special Collection Service
Special collection services are provided for a fee to residents to properly dispose of tires, uncontainerized/ improperly prepared yard waste, construction and demolition materials; rocks, dirt, concrete, wood, metal fences, decking, and other materials not identified.
These special items are collected using specialized vehicles, and are NOT included in annual residential sanitation assessment fees. Once special collection service requests have been submitted, the field collection team will visit the site to complete an assessment for determining the appropriate collection fee.
A notice advising of this fee will be left at the customer’s location. Once the fee has been paid, it will take approximately 7-10 business days to complete the special collection request. For scheduling, please contact the Sanitation Division’s customer service team at (404) 294-2900.
Yard Debris Collection Procedures
All Yard Debris must be properly prepared for collection. Yard Debris includes: grass clippings, leaves, twigs, branches, limbs, tree parts, shrubbery, vines, garden plants, etc., and other naturally occurring vegetative matter. Grass clippings, leaves, twigs, shrubbery, vines, garden plants, and small items must be placed in approved 20-40 gallon receptacles.
Approved receptacles include durable metal and plastic containers or durable biodegradable paper bags. Each container must have two durable handles. Each paper bag must be folded at the top to minimize rain deteriorating the paper bags. Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
All approved receptacles must be placed at the curb without blocking mailboxes, utilities, driveways, sidewalks, drainage systems, or roadways before 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled day of yard debris collection for your service area.
Branches and limbs must be trimmed of twigs, vines, and leaves and cut to a maximum of four (4) feet in length, and stacked neatly at the curb. The removed twigs, vines, and leaves must be placed in an approved receptacle as outlined above.
Trees must be cut up as small as necessary, where each piece does not exceed a maximum of 50 pounds. Tree limbs that are cut by professional or hired contractors should not be left at the curb for collection by Sanitation.
Please contact the Sanitation Division at (404) 294-2900 if there are large piles of yard debris the curbside not meeting the above restrictions, or if your yard debris has not been serviced by close of business on the scheduled day.