LandCode
Sugar HillDevelopment Regulations

Article 7 — Utilities and Easements

current as of 2020-12-14verified current · checked 2026-08-24Officialofficial source5 sections · full chapter
§ 7.1

Placement of Utilities.

7.1.1 All authorized public underground utilities shall be located within the right-of-way of a

public street or within an easement designated for such use. Within public street right-of-way, placement of the various authorized utilities (power, gas, cable TV, water and sewer) shall conform to the specific locations designated for such use by the City of Sugar Hill, as illustrated in the Standard Drawings or the Gwinnett County Standard Drawings.

7.1.2 No other underground utilities, such as private lawn sprinkler systems, yard lighting, etc.,

shall be installed within a public right-of-way or easement except by authorization of the City.

Such authorization, if issued, shall require the applicant to assume all repair costs of the applicant's facilities should they be damaged during the course of installation, maintenance or repair of any of the public utilities authorized to occupy said right-of-way or easement.

§ 7.2

Water System and Fire Hydrants.

7.2.1 The developer shall install or have installed a system of water mains connected to a

public water supply system in accordance with the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction.

7.2.2 All water mains, fire hydrants and appurtenances shall be designed in accordance with

the policies, standards, plans and specifications of the Gwinnett County Fire Prevention Ordinance and the water system having jurisdiction. Where jurisdiction resides with the Gwinnett County Water System, the public watermains and appurtenances shall be designed by the County Water System upon submittal of the Development Plans for the project.

7.2.3 Within the Gwinnett County Water System jurisdiction, water mains and appurtenances

shall be installed after installation of the curbs and gutters and before paving, or after staking of the curb line and submission to the Water System of an as-graded survey of the street profile accompanied by a certification executed by the owner as required by the Water System that the subgrade will not change. Water mains shall be relocated as necessary to meet Water System regulations prior to Approval of Development Conformance, if improperly located to final curb line or grade.

§ 7.3

Sanitary Sewer Disposal.

7.3.1 Connection to an approved sewage disposal system shall be made, which may require the

construction of an on-site system or the extension of public sanitary sewerage and associated appurtenances, as required under the Water Pollution Control Regulations of Gwinnett County or as required by the Gwinnett County Health Department.

7.3.2 No septic tanks shall be allowed if public sewer is available. All structures shall connect

to public sewer when such sewer is available, in accordance with the Sewer Regulations of Gwinnett County. Sewer availability shall be determined by the Gwinnett County Water Pollution Control Division.

City of Sugar Hill

7.3.3 Lots with septic tanks and tile drain-field sewerage disposal systems shall contain the

contiguous area outside of the 100-year floodplain as required by the Health Department.

7.3.4 The Health Department may require notation that certain lots must meet additional

requirements prior to issuance of a building permit, or other wise limit development relative to Health Department regulations.

a.Such lots may include lots upon which adequate depth to water table must be demonstrated during the appropriate season of the year, adequate percolation tests must be performed, limitations upon the number of bedrooms in a dwelling, etc.,
b.No lot shall be included on a Final Plat which the Health Department is not confident will meet all Health Department regulations at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable period of time, except lots proposed to be served by sanitary sewer in subdivision where "dry" sewer has been installed. Such lots shall be noted: “Approval by Water Pollution Control for connection to sanitary sewer required prior to issuance of a building permit."
§ 7.4

Easements.

7.4.1 Temporary construction easements and permanent easements for public utilities, drainage

or other public facilities shall be dedicated to the City of Sugar Hill or Gwinnett County in accordance with City or County Requirements. All easements shall be stabilized in accordance with the Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia.

7.4.2 Drainage easements are required for any part of the drainage system which is designed to

carry storm water runoff from more than one parcel, existing or proposed. Drainage easements for improved ditches, pipe construction, and detention facilities shall be cleared, opened, and stabilized at the time of development to control surface water run-off (See also Article 8). Run-off slope and side slopes to be specified by the Developer's Engineer, according to good engineering practice. Drainage easements shall be provided according to the minimum requirements found in TABLE 7-A below, and shall conform to City or County Standards. The minimum easement width shall be rounded up to the nearest 5 feet. For pipes exceeding 16 feet in depth, a pre-submittal conference shall be held with the City to determine what additional requirements may be required. If concrete pipe is used, the minimum easement width shall be 20 feet and the widths in Table 7-A shall be used as building setback limits. The setback shall be shown on the plans.

TABLE 7-A. Easements for Storm Drain Pipes.
2.020202020252525303030353540
2.520202020252525303035353540
3.020202020252530303035353540
3.5202020252530303035354040
4.0202020252530303035354040
4.52025252530303535354040
5.02025252530303535354040
5.525253030303535404040
6.025253030303535404040

parallel utilities are located therein. When warranted, temporary construction easement widths shall be determined by the Gwinnett County Public Utilities Dept., Water Pollution Control Division.

7.4.4 A common 30-foot wide easement for sanitary sewer and drainage purposes may be

allowed if the pipes are parallel and at least 10 feet is provided between pipes (on center).

7.4.5 Drainage easements shall be provided where a development is traversed by or contains a

water course, impoundment, detention facility, floodplain, natural stream or channel. It shall conform substantially to the limits of such natural drainage feature, but shall be no less than 20 feet in width.

7.4.6 Drainage easements off the street right-of-way shall be clearly defined on the Final Plat.

The property owner will be required to keep the easement free of obstruction in such a way as to assure the maximum designed flow at all times. The property owner shall not alter any drainage improvements without the prior written approval from the City. Structures, except driveways, shall not be constructed or erected in an easement without the prior written approval from the City. Driveways shall cross an easement as close to perpendicular as practical. Property owners may plant landscaping in an easement that is piped; however, the City is not responsible for replacing the landscape material located in the easement when it is removed to maintain the drainage system.

7.4.7 All drainage, sewer, access or other easements which were required to be cleared shall be

fine graded and grassed within 10 days of completing construction work. The use of sediment control measures may be required to protect the area until a comprehensive vegetative cover is obtained.

Reading grid · rebuilt for display · verify at source (p. 47)
§ 7.5

Street Cuts.

7.5.1 All utility construction plans within City or County right-of-way shall be reviewed and

approved by the City or the Gwinnett County Dept. of Transportation before construction begins.

Street cuts shall not be allowed unless deemed absolutely necessary due to the presence of rock, the need to tap into an existing line beneath the road surface, or other circumstance which makes boring impossible or infeasible.

7.5.2 No street cut shall be authorized until such Street Cut Fees have been paid.

City of Sugar Hill

7.5.3 If approved, all trenches shall be backfilled and compacted the same day the trench is

opened.

a.Trenches under the paving shall be returned to 95% compaction.
b.Trenches elsewhere shall be returned to 90% compaction.
c.See Section 6.7 for trench compaction and test requirements.
7.5.4 All trenches under paving shall be concreted with 8" of Class "A" concrete base and 1 1/2

inch of type "E" or "F" wearing course asphalt is to be spread.

a.The paving cut shall be widened to a minimum of 9" beyond the edges of the trench.
b.The edges of the paving cut shall be smooth.
7.5.5 Contact the City or Gwinnett County Public Utilities Department for public utility

extension information from the existing to the proposed development. Contact the City and/or the Gwinnett County Traffic Engineer at least 24 hours in advance of closure of traffic lanes.

City of Sugar Hill Drainage Systems and Soil Sediment Control Requirements.