01Georgia's outdoor watering schedule
Georgia EPD says the Georgia Water Stewardship Act went into effect statewide on June 2, 2010. It allows daily outdoor watering for planting, growing, managing or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs or other plants only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. by anyone whose water is supplied by an EPD-permitted water system. Milton homes on Fulton County water fall under that rule.
An irrigation controller set to run in the late morning or early afternoon is outside those hours. Check the start times on every program, including any seasonal adjustment, and set them to finish before 10 a.m. or start after 4 p.m.
02Exemptions that matter at home
EPD lists uses allowed at any time of day. For homeowners, the most relevant are irrigation of personal food gardens; irrigation of new and replanted plants, seed or turf during installation and for 30 days immediately after installation; drip irrigation or soaker hoses; hand watering with a hose with an automatic cutoff or a handheld container; and installation, maintenance or calibration of irrigation systems.
EPD also allows water from a private well or surface water on the owner's own property at any time. If your property has a well as well as County water, note that Fulton County's backflow policy treats that combination as a higher hazard class.
03Fulton County's backflow rules for irrigation
Fulton County's backflow policy classes irrigation and sprinkler systems as medium hazard, or high hazard where chemicals are injected. It says minimum protection for irrigation is a double check backflow preventer, and a reduced pressure principle backflow preventer where chemicals are injected. Homes with no installed irrigation or sprinkler system are low hazard.
Devices must be inspected and tested at installation and at least annually after that, with dates set by the County. The County's backflow page says a certified tester performs the test and submits results through SwiftComply, and the customer pays for testing, maintenance and repair. Repairs and installation must be done by a licensed plumber trained and certified to enter the device.
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Free Quote Request04What happens if you skip it
The County's policy says failure to install or test the required backflow preventer, after a 60-day notification period for medium and high hazard connections, may result in termination of water service, and that service will not be reconnected until protection is in place. Our backflow testing guide covers the program in full.
If your device fails its test, a licensed plumber can repair or replace it and the tester can retest. See license checks to confirm the plumber's class.
05Irrigation and your bill
From April through October, Fulton County bills residential water in tiers based on your winter average. In 2026, Tier 1 is $4.74 per 1,000 gallons up to 130 percent of your base, Tier 2 $5.91 up to 200 percent, and Tier 3 $9.47 above that, with sewer volume at $8.98 per 1,000 gallons. The County says the tiers exist because summer irrigation drives demand peaks.
Fulton County publishes a separate irrigation meter rate of $9.47 per 1,000 gallons in 2026 with its own service charge, and lists irrigation meter requests among its water services. A zone valve that sticks open can waste a lot of water; the County's meter test in our leak detection guide will show it.
06Getting help
For leaks in irrigation lines or a broken backflow device, a licensed plumber or irrigation professional can help. Back to Milton plumbing help, or see the high bill guide and the leak cost calculator.
A Free Quote Request lets independent licensed plumbers contact you.