Film: six real photographs. Photo: Peter S (salanki), CC BY 2.0; Photo: Thomson200, CC0. All credits
An independent community guide · Dawsonville, Georgia
Chestatee on Lake Lanier
Chestatee is a protective-covenant golf and lake community in Dawsonville, Georgia, on the Chestatee River arm of Lake Lanier. This independent guide shows who runs what, who to call, and what the documents say about golf, the marina and docks, with every fact linked to its source and dated. We are not the association, the club or the developer.
Start here
A golf community where the golf is not the whole story
Search for Chestatee and you get listings, a creek, a school and a golf club. What you do not get is the answer buyers actually need: which parts of life here belong to the association, which belong to the club and the marina side, and which belong to the county and the Corps of Engineers. This guide answers that, one source at a time.
The scorecard: what the sources sayChecked 2026-10-20
18Holeson the public course
71Parchampionship layout
5Tee setsfive, per the club
7Marina dockslettered A to G
5Tennis courtscourts 1 to 5
19Miles up the riverChestatee arm of the lake
Every figure above is printed from a source we link. Hole, par and tee counts are the club’s; the marina docks and tennis courts are the association’s; the river arm length is the Corps’. None is an offer or a promise.
Three questions people ask first
Pick the one on your mind
Is golf included?
The covenants give a lot no golf rights. See who sets each rule, with a flag wherever you should confirm in writing.
Open the checker →Do I get a boat slip?
Compare a marina slip, a private dock and a county ramp against the covenants, then take the seller question list to the tour.
Compare the options →Who do I call?
The association, its manager, the club, the sewer office, the county and the Corps, by topic, with checked contacts.
Open the directory →Four rule-makers, one address
Who sets the rules for a Chestatee home
One street address can sit under four different rule-makers, and the one buyers meet first is the one that least often runs the things they care about. The association's own welcome letter says the golf course, the sewer system and the marina are not managed by the homeowners association; they have a separate owner.src
The Corps of Engineers
Owns and manages the lake and the shoreline around it. Its rules apply on top of everything else.
Ask: Lake Lanier project officeDawson County
Taxes, zoning, building permits, inspections, roads on its project list, animal control and septic or well records.
Ask: County officesThe association (HOA)
Chestatee Community Association, Inc.: the covenants, the amenities, exterior-change approvals and the board. Managed by HMS.
Ask: Association and HMSThe course, marina and sewer owner
A separate owner, not the association, per the association’s own welcome letter. Golf, slips and the sewer bill sit here.
Ask: Club and developer office
The lake behind the community
The Chestatee arm of Lake Lanier
From Buford Dam the reservoir extends about 44 miles up the Chattahoochee River and about 19 miles up the Chestatee River.src
Photo and film credits
Band photo: An arm of Lake Lanier from an overlook, March 2017. Lake Lanier, March 2017 1 by Thomson200, released into the public domain (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized. Hero film, six real photographs: Open water on Lake Lanier, July 2018 (Photo: Thomson200, CC0); Chestatee Overlook off Georgia Highway 60 in Lumpkin County, upstream of the lake (Photo: Thomson200, CC0); An arm of Lake Lanier from an overlook, March 2017 (Photo: Thomson200, CC0); Lake Lanier seen from the shore, March 2017 (Photo: Thomson200, CC0); Lake Lanier from West Bank Park (Photo: Thomson200, CC0); Afterglow over Lake Lanier (Photo: Peter S (salanki), CC BY 2.0). Home page film: a slow cut of six real photographs (open water on Lake Lanier, the Chestatee Overlook upstream on Georgia Highway 60, an arm of the lake from an overlook, a pebbled shore, West Bank Park and an afterglow), with gentle zoom and dissolves. None is a photograph of the Chestatee community itself. Nothing in the film is generated, and no share-alike photo is in the cut; credits for each source are listed on the page.
The guide
Everything we have checked, by topic
Chestatee at a glance
Chestatee is a protective-covenant community in Dawsonville, Georgia, governed by a recorded declaration and an owner-run association.
Read the guide →Chestatee amenities
The association owns the Lodge, Pavilion, pool, tennis and pickleball courts, bocce, basketball, trails, the Square and a bandstand.
Read the guide →The Chestatee golf course
Chestatee Golf Club calls itself a public course, with a championship layout, five sets of tees, a driving range, a pro shop and a clubhouse restaurant.
Read the guide →Marina and lake access at Chestatee
The community waterfront has marina docks lettered A to G, but the association does not manage the marina and owning a lot gives no right to a slip.
Read the guide →Chestatee covenants and rules
Chestatee is governed by a recorded Declaration of Protective Covenants, bylaws and association policies. The rules buyers trip on most are the ban on short-term rentals, the parking policy that bars street parking, exterior changes needing a Modification Request, no private docks, and no drawing lake water.
Read the guide →Getting to Chestatee
Night Fire Drive begins at Georgia 400 and Dogwood Way starts at State Route 136, and the community sits in Dawson County near Dawsonville.
Read the guide →Journal
Questions that deserve a full answer
Does a Chestatee lot come with a boat slip?
No. The covenants say owning a lot or association membership alone gives no right to use or own a boat slip, and the association does not manage the marina.
Read the article →A golf course nearby is not golf included
Chestatee Golf Club calls itself a public course, and the covenants say owning a lot gives no right to use it.
Read the article →Why a private lot dock is off the table at Chestatee
A Chestatee lot cannot count on a private dock. The covenants bar private docks and boat access to Lake Lanier except those the original developer installed, and the Corps of Engineers permits docks only in certain shoreline areas.
Read the article →Four rulebooks, one address: who answers which question
A Chestatee home sits under four rule-makers: the owner-run association, a separate owner of the golf course, marina and sewer, Dawson County, and the Corps of Engineers.
Read the article →What to read in the Chestatee welcome packet before you offer
The association’s welcome packet is a public download that holds the covenants, bylaws, policies, the amenity list and a welcome letter that explains what the association does not manage.
Read the article →Short-term rentals and Chestatee: the covenant says no
An amendment to the Chestatee covenants expressly prohibits short-term rentals, whether or not the owner lives in the home.
Read the article →Quick answers
What buyers ask first
What is the legal name of the Chestatee homeowners association?
The community homeowners association is Chestatee Community Association, Inc.
Source: Homeowner Management Services Inc., Chestatee page. Checked 2026-10-20.
Who manages the Chestatee association?
The association is managed by Homeowner Management Services Inc. (HMS), 1260 Old Alpharetta Road, Alpharetta, GA 30005, phone 770-667-0595, email HMS@HMS-inc.net.
Source: Homeowner Management Services Inc., Chestatee New Homeowners page. Checked 2026-10-20.
Does the HOA run the golf course, the sewer system and the marina?
The association's own welcome letter says the golf course, the sewer system and the marina are not managed by the homeowners association; they have a separate owner.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
What amenities does the Chestatee association own?
Association common properties include the Lodge, Pavilion, Pool, Tot Lot, Tennis/Pickleball, Basketball, Bocce ball courts, Croquet Field, Bandstand and The Square.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Are the Chestatee amenities open to the public?
The Lodge, Pavilion, Square, pool, tennis, pickleball, basketball and bocce are not open to the public; use is limited to owners, family and accompanied guests.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Is the Chestatee golf course public or private?
The club calls itself a public golf course on GA-400 in Dawsonville, set along the shoreline of Lake Sidney Lanier.
Source: Chestatee Golf Club (chestateegolfclub.com), Chestatee Golf Club home page. Checked 2026-10-20.
Does owning a Chestatee lot give me the right to play the course?
Under the covenants the golf course is not association common property, and owning a lot or association membership gives no right to use it; use rights are set by the course owner.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Does Chestatee have a marina?
The community waterfront has marina docks labeled A through G, with parking at Waterfront Park Lane (Docks A-D), River Sound Lane (Docks E and F) and River Overlook Road (Dock G).
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Does owning a lot give me a boat slip?
The covenants say owning a lot or association membership alone gives no right to use or own any boatslip; rights are granted by the slip owner on its terms.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Are short-term rentals allowed at Chestatee?
Short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO and similar) are expressly prohibited by an amendment to the covenants, whether or not the owner lives in the home.
Source: Chestatee Community Association, Inc. (via Homeowner Management Services Inc.), Welcome Book updated 2026-04-06 (public PDF download linked from hms-inc.net/chestatee). Checked 2026-10-20.
Gold Peach Realty listings
Homes for sale in Dawsonville and Dawson County
Current listings come from Gold Peach Realty, the brokerage behind this guide, and open on goldpeachrealty.com. Not every listing in Dawson County is in Chestatee: check the address, then use the checkers on this site before you tour.
Listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Listings, photos and details come from the MLS through Gold Peach Realty; this site publishes none of its own.