---
title: O.C.G.A. § 12-5-248. Criminal violations.
collection: code
id: 12-5-248
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 12-5-248 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5-248
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5-248.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5-248/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t12-(v10)-2021-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=67595359_0#page=549
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5-247.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/12-5-260.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES / WATER RESOURCES / COASTAL WATERS, BEACHES, AND SAND DUNES / SHORE PROTECTION
---

# O.C.G.A. § 12-5-248. Criminal violations.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to:

(1) Operate any motorized vehicle or other motorized machine on, over, or across sand dunes or beaches except as authorized by the department or committee, except that individual disability vehicles, emergency vehicles, and governmental vehicles utilized for beach maintenance or research may operate within sand dunes and beaches without authorization from the department or committee so long as those vehicles operate across existing cross-overs, paths, or drives; or

(2) Store or park sailboats, catamarans, or other commercial or recreational marine craft on any sand dune.

(b) All such lawful activities conducted under this part shall provide protection to nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings and habitats and to nesting shore birds and their hatchlings and habitats.

(c) Any person violating the provisions of subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

## History

Code 1981, § 12-5-248, enacted by Ga. L. 1992, p. 1362, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1302, § 13; Ga. L. 2002, p. 521, § 1; Ga. L. 2019, p. 493, § 9/HB 445.

The 2019 amendment, effective May 3, 2019, for purposes of promulgating rules and regulations and for all other purposes effective December 30, 2019, in paragraph (a)(1), substituted ‘‘department or committee’’ for ‘‘permit-issuing authority’’ near the middle, and substituted ‘‘department or committee so’’ for ‘‘permit-issuing authority as’’ near the end.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2019, p. 493, § 10/HB 445, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: ‘‘This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval for the purposes of promulgating rules and regulations necessary to administer the provisions of this Act and shall become effective on December 31, 2019, for all other purposes.’’ The Act was approved by the Governor on May 3, 2019.