Following passage of new regulations in Georgia for anchoring in the coastal waters of the state (House Bill 833 Effective July 1, 2020), Ted Arisaka, an experienced skipper and frequent contributor to Cruisers Net who has been active in the debates and issues surrounding boater access to public waters, posted this summation. Thank you Ted.

Anchoring in Georgia 2021

By Ted Arisaka

“Anchoring Permits” are only required if you plan to anchor in one place for more than 14 days in a year.  “One place” is defined by a circle of 1 mile radius.

“Anchoring Restriction Areas” are a separate concept – you may not anchor in these areas overnight:

– Within 300 ft. of a marina

– Within 150 ft. of a marine structure (such as a private dock)

– Within 500 ft. of an approved shellfish area

These zones are mapped on GA DNR’s website here:

https://gcmp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b5a616ad152a462bad0b73cdb5eeb107

Marina setbacks are shown in red. Structures setbacks are shown in purple. Shellfish setbacks are shown in brown.

They are not charted by NOAA (I have requested this) nor are there currently ATONs in situ to delineate these areas.  If you are on FB, we have a group there dedicated to GA Anchoring and one member took GA DNR’s KMZ files and converted them to GPX which you can import into AquaMap.  Here is the post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/permalink/895344771296834/

Also in this group, I took Bob Sherer’s (Bob423) long track through the state and overlaid the anchor restriction zones for shellfish harvest so one could get a sense for where they are in relation to the AICW:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/daiwXxCkMxNaiJVt5

 As far as enforcement goes, I have only heard of one case where an anchored cruiser was asked to move in Turner Creek by GA Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The law enforcement officer was courteous but was mistaken on the particular setback being cited and some of us contacted GA DNR to alert them to the need for additional training. Technically it is a misdemeanor, so potentially $1000 fine and one year in jail.  

GA DNR is telling us that this is “complaint driven” and they do not have the manpower or intention to patrol the coastal waters looking for violations.

There is another issue brewing due to Georgia’s handling of subtidal shellfish leases. Note that when the new anchoring regulations were enacted last year that a 500 foot setback was agreed to by all parties at the time, not knowing how the state was going to pursue the management of shellfish areas. The new leases will impact where vessels may anchor. Defining those areas and determining what the state’s intentions are is an ongoing struggle.

So at the end of the day, I personally would anchor in Georgia, in my usual spots, keeping away from docks and feel that I would be fine. At least for this spring and summer.