You hit the same pothole every morning. Somebody is supposed to fix it — but who? In Macon-Bibb the answer depends on which road it's on, because different governments own different roads. Report it to the right owner and the fix starts; report it to the wrong one and your complaint has to find its own way home. Here's how to tell.
The short answer
- Most local streets and sidewalks belong to Macon-Bibb County. Report problems through SeeClickFix, the county's report-a-problem tool.
- State routes, U.S. highways, and interstates belong to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) — the state, not the county.
- Storm drains, ditches, and street sweeping belong to the Macon Water Authority — yes, really.
Roads have owners
Every public road in the county is somebody's responsibility, and the owner is who patches it, paves it, and mows beside it. That's the whole trick to getting something fixed: match the problem to the owner. There are three.
The county: Public Works
The Macon-Bibb County Public Works department maintains city and county roads — more than 1,064 miles of paved road and 39 miles of unpaved road. Its road work includes sidewalk repair, asphalt patching, right-of-way cutting, and litter pickup. If it's a neighborhood street, a residential sidewalk, or most of the roads you drive between them, this is the owner.
- Report online through SeeClickFix — potholes are one of its core categories.
- No internet? Call the county's Customer Service line at (478) 751-7400.
- The department itself is at 4520 Knight Road, (478) 803-0490, open Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. — a four-day week, so don't expect a Friday callback.
The state: GDOT
State routes, U.S. highways, and the interstates in Macon-Bibb — the roads with a route number — are owned and maintained by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the county's own Public Works page says plainly: state-road problems go to GDOT, not the county.
- GDOT's statewide online contact portal: gadot.service-now.com/gsp
- The local GDOT office (District 3, Area 4, which covers Bibb County): (478) 757-2601
- The county's Public Works page also lists a state-road reporting line, 1-888-488-4368.
The surprise owner: the Water Authority
Storm drains, stormwater pipes, and ditches along local roads aren't the county's — they belong to the Macon Water Authority, which runs the countywide stormwater system outside GDOT rights-of-way. The MWA also does the street sweeping on public roads and bridges. So if the problem is a clogged storm drain, a collapsed ditch, or standing water rather than broken pavement, the owner is the MWA: (478) 464-5600.
(What is the Macon Water Authority? explains why your water utility is a separate government.)
How to tell whose road it is
The practical test: look for a route shield. If the road is signed with a number — like US 41, GA 74, or GA 247 — it's a state-maintained route, and GDOT owns the roadway. No route number usually means it's a local street, and the county is the owner. If you want to check for certain, GDOT publishes an official Bibb County road map showing the state-route network.
The shapes to know: the U.S. Route shield (left) and Georgia's state-outline marker. Spot either one, and GDOT owns the road.
If you guess wrong, it's not fatal — but reporting to the right owner the first time is the fastest path to a fix.
Where to go next
- SeeClickFix: report a problem — the county's front door for potholes, and more.
- What is the Macon Water Authority? — the separate government behind your storm drains.
- What does Macon-Bibb County government do? — the bigger map of who runs what.
- Ask Mulberry — describe the problem and get pointed to the right owner.
Macon-Bibb County — Public Works (maconbibb.us) — Public Works handles all maintenance of city and county roads, including sidewalk repair, asphalt patching, right-of-way cutting, and litter pickup, covering 1,064+ miles of paved and 39 miles of unpaved registered roads; the page directs state-highway issues to GDOT and lists the 1-888-488-4368 state-road line.
Macon-Bibb County — Public Works: Contact (maconbibb.us) — department location 4520 Knight Road, phone (478) 803-0490, hours Monday–Thursday 6:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Macon Water Authority — Understanding Road Maintenance and Drainage Responsibilities in Macon-Bibb (maconwater.org) — State Routes and U.S. Highways are owned and maintained by GDOT; the MWA is responsible for the countywide stormwater system outside GDOT rights-of-way and provides street sweeping of public roads and bridges; MWA stormwater line (478) 464-5600 and GDOT state-route line (478) 757-2601.
GDOT — Area Office Contacts (dot.ga.gov) — District 3, Area 4 covers Bibb County; office phone 478-757-2601.
GDOT — Customer Service Portal (gadot.service-now.com) — GDOT's online contact channel for road issues.
Macon-Bibb County — SeeClickFix (maconbibb.us) — the county's SeeClickFix hub. County announcements (example) direct residents without online access to call Customer Service at (478) 751-7400.
Last reviewed August 2026. Contacts and department details can change; when in doubt, start at SeeClickFix and the county will route it.