Georgia idling law: no statewide limit

What the law says

No person shall stop or stand any truck or bus on any street or public place and idle for more than 15 minutes. A violation of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be punishable by a minimum fine of $500.00.

Atlanta Code of Ordinances §150-97(c)

Who and what it covers

Statewide, nothing limits how long any vehicle may idle. The one state provision on the subject is O.C.G.A. §32-6-27(a)(4), which lets a truck carrying idle-reduction technology subtract the device’s certified weight, up to 550 lbs, when overweight penalties are calculated, provided the operator can show the manufacturer’s weight certification and that the device works. Atlanta’s ordinance reaches only trucks and buses stopped or standing on a street or public place, not cars and not private lots.

Exemptions

• Statewide: not applicable, there is no statewide limit to except from
• Atlanta: emergency vehicles, and utility, construction and maintenance vehicles whose engines must run to do the work (§150-97(c)(1))
• Atlanta: trucks or buses held motionless by traffic (§150-97(c)(2))
• Atlanta: commercial passenger buses, transit buses and school buses running heat or air conditioning for passenger safety or comfort may idle up to 25 minutes (§150-97(c)(3))
• Atlanta: up to 25 minutes when the temperature is below 32°F (§150-97(c)(4))
• Atlanta: vehicles fueled primarily by compressed natural gas or electricity are exempt entirely (§150-97(c)(5))

Penalties

With no statewide prohibition there is no statewide fine. In Atlanta, a truck or bus idling more than 15 minutes on a street or public place is punishable on conviction by “a minimum fine of $500.00” (Atlanta Code §150-97(c)).

Who enforces it, and how to report

No state agency enforces an idling limit, because none exists. Atlanta’s limit sits in the city’s traffic and vehicles code (Chapter 150), and the $500 minimum applies on conviction.

Outside cities with their own ordinance there is no legal limit to report against. In Atlanta, the ordinance applies only to a truck or bus idling more than 15 minutes on a street or public place, so a useful report records the location, how long you watched, the vehicle type, and the plate or company name, and goes to the city, which enforces its traffic code. The ordinance does not name a complaint line, and we could not verify one.

Local rules in Georgia

• Atlanta: No truck or bus may stop or stand on any street or public place and idle more than 15 minutes; minimum fine $500 on conviction. Up to 25 minutes for passenger buses running climate control and when it is below 32°F; CNG and electric vehicles exempt. (Atlanta Code of Ordinances §150-97(c) (Ord. No. 2001-8; Ord. No. 2002-84))

History

The history note for Atlanta Code §150-97 cites Code 1977 §13-2238, Ord. No. 2001-8 (February 13, 2001) and Ord. No. 2002-84 (November 26, 2002).

Reporting in Georgia is unpaid. The only program that pays complainants is New York City's.