Temporary Housing on Your Lot in Albany After Hurricane Isaias

This page is for homeowners in the City of Albany and unincorporated Dougherty County, Georgia, if Hurricane Isaias left your home unlivable. Albany and Dougherty County share one zoning ordinance and one planning and permitting office, so the rule reads the same on both sides of the city line. We did not find a statewide Georgia rule on living in a travel trailer on your own lot while you rebuild, and the local ordinance limits living in an RV to mobile home parks, so this is an address to check before delivery. 1st Choice Living has placed furnished travel trailers on homeowners' own property, nationwide, since 2004, and we bill the carrier directly under ALE where the claim covers it.

Hurricane Isaias and the Albany area

Storm facts as of October 9, 2026, 10 p.m. CDT, from official sources:

• The storm. In its 4 p.m. CDT advisory on October 9, 2026, the National Hurricane Center said Isaias was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph, and that it was forecast to make landfall along the coast of the western Florida Panhandle that evening and then move across Alabama. Source
• Warnings. That advisory had a hurricane warning in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay and Gulf County line in Florida, and said storm surge could reach 6 to 9 feet above ground from the Alabama and Florida border to Grayton Beach, Florida. Source

The advisory forecast 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia. It said flash, urban, and river flooding was possible, with considerable impacts likely across much of southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle into southwestern Georgia, and that the tornado risk would continue that evening and night across the Florida Panhandle, southeast Alabama, and southern Georgia, and Saturday across parts of Georgia.

The National Hurricane Center's discussion with that advisory said damaging wind gusts were likely over a large portion of the southeastern United States, from western and northern Georgia westward, and told residents to prepare for power outages and be aware of the potential for falling trees. The advisory's coastal warnings did not include Georgia; for inland watches and warnings it pointed to the local National Weather Service office.

Albany is well inland, so the risk named in the advisory here is wind, rain, flooding, and tornadoes rather than storm surge. If a tree comes through the roof or water gets in, a home can become unlivable far from the coast, and Additional Living Expenses coverage works the same way it does on the coast.

State of emergency. Governor Brian Kemp's Executive Order 10.08.26.01, signed October 8, 2026, declared a state of emergency in Georgia due to the potential impact of Hurricane Isaias. The order is statewide and names no counties, so it covers Dougherty County; the Governor's office said it applies to all 159 counties. The order says it is valid for seven days unless the Governor renews it. Source

Return to your property only when local officials say it is safe. Stay out of flood water and keep clear of downed lines. For roads, shelters, and re-entry, follow the Albany-Dougherty County Emergency Management. For the current forecast, go to the National Hurricane Center.

Local rules on living in an RV on your lot

Albany-Dougherty Planning and Development Services is a shared city and county department at 240 Pine Avenue, Suite 300. It handles planning, zoning, and permits for the City of Albany and unincorporated Dougherty County, so one call covers either side of the city line. Permits go through the Albany Permit Center portal.

What the joint zoning ordinance says: its definition of a recreational vehicle, which includes travel trailers, ends with the line that an RV is not permitted as living quarters except in mobile home parks in the R-MHP district. Its parking section lets an RV be kept on a residential lot for storage only: not used as a dwelling, no cooking, and not permanently connected to sewer, water, or electricity.

The only disaster housing item we found is a provision for temporary mobile home parks during a declared emergency, on property the City/County Commission approves. That is a park approved by the Commission, not a trailer on your own lot. We did not find a rule that lets a homeowner live in an RV on the lot while the house is repaired, and we did not find a local emergency declaration for Isaias on the city or county sites as of October 9.

In the unincorporated county, the county code also says a mobile home lived in for more than 48 hours must be in a mobile home park or subdivision, with a hardship variance only for medical hardship.

Septic and sewer: we did not find a Dougherty County health rule written for RV septic hookups. Statewide, the Georgia Department of Public Health's on-site sewage rules cover recreational vehicles and require a county health department permit before a septic system is installed. Dougherty County Environmental Health is at 229-438-3943.

Rules here were read on official city and county pages on October 9, 2026 and can change after a storm. The side-by-side table for every Isaias area is on Hurricane Isaias RV rules by county.

How the trailer is billed: Additional Living Expenses

Additional Living Expenses, or ALE, sometimes called loss of use, pays for somewhere to live while the house is not livable. Ask your carrier whether your policy includes it and what the limit is. The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire explains in its disaster guide that the additional cost of renting a house or staying in a motel is payable under the policy but your normal mortgage payment is not, and to save documents and receipts for increased living expenses. Its Consumer Services Division is at (800) 656-2298.

• Local rules for your address checked before delivery.
• A furnished travel trailer that sleeps 2 to 10, with a kitchen, a bathroom, real beds, and heat and air, delivered, leveled, and set up on your property.
• Utilities connected by licensed, insured contractors from our preferred vendor network, planned around what is actually working at the property.
• Site conditions documented at setup and again at takedown.
• Direct billing to your carrier under ALE where the claim covers it, tracked against your ALE limit. On a covered claim that is $0 out of pocket for your family.
• One named contact from the first call to the day the unit leaves.

Flood is different. National Flood Insurance Program policies do not provide additional living expense coverage. If your home also had damage your homeowners policy covers, such as wind, ask your adjuster how ALE applies. This is general information, not legal or coverage advice. Your policy and your adjuster decide what is covered.

Already working with a temporary housing company?

We work with any temporary housing company. If one is handling your housing, ask them to place you with 1st Choice Living for a trailer on your own lot in Albany. They send us the placement, we deliver, set up, and service the trailer, and the billing runs through them or straight to your carrier, whichever way their program works.

What we need to start

• The property address in Albany and whether it is inside city limits.
• How many people are in the household.
• Your claim number and your adjuster’s name and contact.
• Your ALE limit, if your adjuster has told you.

From there we check the local rules for that address, confirm the lot can take a unit, and plan setup around what is safe and working at the property. If a trailer on your lot is not the right fit, we will tell you. Adjusters and housing companies can send a placement through for adjusters and carriers.

More Hurricane Isaias pages

• Temporary housing after Hurricane Isaias: storm facts, safety, and how ALE works for a trailer on your lot.
• Hurricane Isaias RV rules by county: every area in one table.
• Our Georgia temporary housing page.
• Nearby: Southwest Georgia (Bainbridge, Thomasville, and Cairo), GA
• Nearby: Columbus and Muscogee County, GA
• More Georgia pages: Atlanta area.
• Travel trailers for crews and families after Hurricane Isaias from Temporary RV Living.
• Drone documentation after Hurricane Isaias from LossMap, to record roof and property damage before cleanup.

Frequently asked questions