Brookhaven, GA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Backyard chickens are allowed in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia under Sec. 5-32(b), which regulates domestic fowl through lot size, density, coop placement and management rules. The minimum lot size is 6,000 square feet. A lot can hold a maximum of 25 domestic fowl over four months old, and no owner can have more than one domestic fowl per 1,000 square feet of lot area as depicted on the plat on file in the Superior Court of DeKalb County, with all fractions rounded down to the nearest whole number.

Space rules are specific. The minimum fenced yard area is 25 square feet per fowl, and each fowl over four months old needs a minimum four square feet of floor or ground area in the coop. For Bantams, defined as a miniature variety of chickens, the coop needs one square foot of floor area per fowl over four months old. Coops must sit at least seven feet six inches from any property line, and a structure housing domestic fowl must be in the side or rear yard if a principal building exists. No roosters are allowed. Under Sec. 5-32(b)(9), birds must be kept securely in an enclosed yard or pen at all times, and under (b)(10) they are permitted only as pets or for egg production, not for slaughter.

The general provisions of Sec. 5-32(a) add that housing must be well-drained and free from accumulations of animal excrement and objectionable odors, with a solid floor of cement or other suitable washable material. Structures must meet setback requirements for accessory structures, and where the two sets of rules differ the more restrictive controls. Fowl and their structures must also comply with the Code's noise and property maintenance articles.

Other keeping under Sec. 5-32 covers bees and potbellied pigs. Sec. 5-32(d) allows one potbellied pig per lot with a maximum weight of 200 pounds, only on lots zoned single-dwelling detached residential or used for detached houses, with a minimum four-foot fence, a minimum 250 square foot enclosure, and spay/neuter and vaccination.