Polk County, Georgia · Cedartown
Water spreading, a burst pipe, sewage, mold or smoke? Call to be connected with a restoration company that serves Cedartown, Rockmart and Aragon. Start the steps below while you wait.
Answered 24/7 by a participating local provider. We're a referral service and don't do the work ourselves. How it works
Start here
Pick the closest match. These steps limit the damage and protect your insurance claim. Skip anything that isn't safe.
Polk County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 24% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.4 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Polk County gets about 11.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Polk County, 4.27 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
15% of occupied homes in Polk County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 89 muggy nights a year, mold in Polk County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 17,368 homes and around 43,785 residents, Polk County is 310 square miles of northwest Georgia. Besides Cedartown, the county seat, the biggest communities are Rockmart and Aragon. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Polk County ranks 26 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Polk County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Polk County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Georgia. From 2015–2024 it averaged 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 47 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 18th of 159 counties.
The freeze season here runs January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 12 and end around Mar 17.
Polk gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. About 11.4 days a year bring an inch or more (113th of 159), most often in February, out of 53 inches of total precipitation. On September 27, 2024, 4.27 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.33 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 46 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Georgia's 159 counties range widely in housing age; Polk ranks 33rd, with 47% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 24% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
About 27% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 9% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 89 times a year here, below the Georgia county median of 112. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Polk County homes break down as 27% utility gas, 57% electric, 13% propane and 2% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Georgia norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Polk County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Polk gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Floyd County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Polk | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 15% | 17 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 38% | 33 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 85 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.3% | 21% | 123 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 8.4% | 14% | 130 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 7.1% | 33 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 2/yr | 18 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 113 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 46/yr | 29/yr | 24 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 89/yr | 112/yr | 135 of 159 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Georgia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Polk County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology