Georgia reference · Updated 2026-08-21
Special Event Permits and Portable Toilets in Georgia: What Each Office Wants
The short answer
Georgia special event permitting runs through two separate tracks: your city or county issues the event permit and any right-of-way closure, while the county Health Authority governs portable sanitation under Rule 511-3-6. The sanitation rule adds requirements the event permit does not mention, most importantly that units stay accessible for maintenance by truck at all times.
Which office actually permits your event?
Two different authorities are involved, and they do not talk to each other: the local government issues the event permit, and the county Health Authority governs portable sanitation.
The local track is city-specific and often has more than one component. In Atlanta, outdoor festival permits go through the Mayor's Office of Special Events while street closures are handled separately by the Atlanta Department of Transportation. In Savannah, the Office of Special Events, Film & Tourism issues the permit, and Historic District squares carry additional placement restrictions on top. Consolidated governments like Augusta-Richmond County, Columbus, Macon-Bibb, and Athens-Clarke County handle both city and county functions in one office.
The sanitation track runs through the county board of health, the Health Authority as Rule 511-3-6 defines it. This is the office that permits the company hauling your waste, and the districts covering each county are listed further down this page.
The gap between the two tracks is where events get caught. An event permit reviewer will check your site plan; they will not necessarily verify that your portable sanitation vendor holds a current Waste Removal and Disposal Permit, or that your unit count matches Appendix Table 2. Both remain your obligation regardless.
What does the sanitation rule require that the event permit does not?
Proof of a service contract with a certified company, unit counts matching Table 2, placement away from food service, and continuous truck access for servicing.
Rule 511-3-6-.03(5) requires each special event sponsor to hold and show proof of a service contract with a certified portable sanitation company. This is a document you should have before the event, not something to sort out afterwards.
Placement carries three separate constraints in 511-3-6-.03(8): units go as close as practical to the highest concentration of participants, as far from the food service area as possible, and with user safety as a primary consideration. Those first two pull in opposite directions at most festivals, and resolving the tension is a site-plan decision, not a delivery decision.
The requirement that units remain accessible at all times for maintenance by truck is the one that most often fails in practice. Draw the service route on your site plan alongside the crowd flow, and check that it survives once vendor tents, stages, and barricades are in place.
- Have the service contract in hand before the event, not after.
- Size units from Appendix Table 2, then apply the sewered-toilet and alcohol adjustments.
- Place units near crowd concentration but away from food service.
- Keep a truck-accessible service route through the finished site layout.
- Confirm accessible unit counts against the Georgia Accessibility Code and your local permit office.
How early should you book units for a Georgia event?
For ordinary weekends, two to four weeks is comfortable; for the state's peak windows, inventory commits months ahead.
Georgia has three demand peaks that behave differently from the rest of the calendar. Savannah's St. Patrick's Day is the largest portable sanitation deployment on the coast and commits Coastal Health District inventory months in advance, calling in February for a March event is generally too late. Masters week in Augusta each April pulls units, trailers, and service crews in from across the Southeast, so even unrelated jobs in the region that week face scarcity and premium pricing.
The third is less obvious: University of Georgia home football Saturdays in Athens spike demand across campus, downtown, and private lots simultaneously, spreading it across many small placements rather than one large deployment. September kickoffs also run in extreme heat, which raises service frequency alongside unit count.
Accessible units and restroom trailers are the first categories to run out everywhere. If your event needs either, book them at the same time as the standard units rather than adding them later.
Which Health Authority covers your county
Georgia has eighteen public health districts. The Waste Removal and Disposal Permit is issued by the district covering the county where the portable sanitation company is based, and it is valid statewide.
| District | Name | Headquarters | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | Northwest Health District | Rome | Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, Walker |
| 1-2 | North Georgia Health District | Dalton | Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, Whitfield |
| 2 | District 2 Public Health | Gainesville | Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White |
| 3-1 | Cobb & Douglas Public Health | Marietta | Cobb, Douglas |
| 3-2 | Fulton County Board of Health | Atlanta | Fulton |
| 3-3 | Clayton County Board of Health | Jonesboro | Clayton |
| 3-4 | GNR Public Health | Lawrenceville | Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale |
| 3-5 | DeKalb County Board of Health | Decatur | DeKalb |
| 4 | District 4 Public Health | LaGrange | Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, Upson |
| 5-1 | South Central Health District | Dublin | Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler, Wilcox |
| 5-2 | North Central Health District | Macon | Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington, Wilkinson |
| 6 | East Central Health District | Augusta | Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilkes |
| 7 | West Central Health District | Columbus | Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Webster |
| 8-1 | South Health District | Valdosta | Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift, Turner |
| 8-2 | Southwest Health District | Albany | Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Worth |
| 9-1 | Coastal Health District | Savannah and Brunswick | Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh |
| 9-2 | Southeast Health District | Waycross | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bulloch, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Evans, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Tattnall, Toombs, Ware, Wayne |
| 10 | Northeast Health District | Athens | Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Walton |
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health district directory. Verify a company’s standing with the state Environmental Health office at (404) 657-6534.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this rule
Do I need a special event permit for a private party in Georgia?
Local event permits generally apply to gatherings on public property, in the right-of-way, or above a size threshold set by the city or county, so a private party on private land often does not need one. Georgia's portable sanitation rule works differently: it applies at more than fifty people congregating for more than two consecutive hours regardless of whether the event is public or private, which brings the service-contract and unit-count requirements into play.
Can I put porta potties in the street for a Georgia block party?
That requires a right-of-way or street-closure permit from the city, which is usually a separate application from the event permit itself. Cities including Atlanta, Marietta, Savannah, and Roswell all handle street closures separately from the event approval. Units must also remain truck-accessible for servicing under the state sanitation rule.
How far from food service do porta potties have to be in Georgia?
Rule 511-3-6-.03(8) states that units should be placed as far from the food service area as possible, without specifying a fixed distance in feet. Because the same provision requires units to be as close as practical to the highest concentration of attendees, the two requirements have to be balanced deliberately in your site plan, and a local permit reviewer may apply a specific separation distance.
Does the event permit office check my porta potty vendor's certification?
Generally no. Event permitting and portable sanitation permitting run through different authorities, your city or county for the event, and the county board of health as Health Authority for the sanitation company. Verifying that your vendor holds a current Waste Removal and Disposal Permit is your responsibility as the event sponsor.
Sources
- Rules of the Georgia Department of Public Health, Chapter 511-3-6 — Portable Sanitation Contractors — Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-6. Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 31-2A-6, 31-12-8, 31-27-9, 12-8-1.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51(c)(1) — Sanitation, construction
- Georgia Department of Public Health, State Environmental Health Office — (404) 657-6534
Content on this page reproduces public regulatory text for reference. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your county Health Authority and permit office before relying on them. Page last reviewed 2026-08-21.
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Related services
Where this applies
Other guides
- Georgia Portable Toilet Regulations (Rule 511-3-6)
- How Many Porta Potties Do I Need? (Georgia Table)
- OSHA Porta Potty Requirements for Georgia Job Sites
- How to Verify a Georgia Porta Potty Company
Questions about applying this to your job? Call (470) 431-3553