Georgia school sports heat policy
GHSA’s By-Law 2.67 sets WBGT limits for practices and voluntary conditioning in every sport, and GHSA says the policy runs year-round. How to read these labels
- Association
- GHSA (Georgia High School Association)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 27, 2026
What GHSA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
GHSA’s table puts 92.0 °F in its one-hour band and starts “No outdoor workouts” above it. This card starts that top band at 92.0 °F, a tenth of a degree earlier.
- < 82°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82 to under 87°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87 to under 90°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 90 to under 92°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- Under By-Law 2.67 the policy is signed by each head coach at the start of every season and “distributed to all players and their parents or guardians”.
- GHSA ties its instrument line to the calendar: a WBGT instrument “must be utilized at each practice (prior to October 1)”, while the policy itself “is year-round, including during the summer”. GHSA says readings should be taken at least every 30 minutes, starting 30 minutes before practice.
- GHSA says rest breaks “must be held in a ‘cool zone’” out of direct sunlight, and that when the WBGT is over 86, cold immersion tubs “must be available” for any player showing early signs of heat illness.
- For football before October 1, GHSA limits each of a player’s first five days of practice to two hours, in helmet and mouthpiece only, and a five-day re-acclimatization is “Required for any athlete who misses five (5) consecutive days of practice/games”.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82 to under 87°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. GHSA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes GHSA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in Georgia
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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