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

Section 27-176 lets Dunwoody residents keep backyard chickens, but only after clearing an approval process first. An applicant must submit a conceptual site plan to the community development department showing the property's dimensions and the location of existing and proposed structures; the community development director can inspect the lot before and after approval and can deny an application that does not meet the section's requirements. Approval runs with the applicant, not the property, so it does not transfer to a future owner or tenant, and it does not override any HOA or restrictive covenant that separately bans chickens.

Once approved, only hens are allowed. Roosters, crowing hens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry or fowl are prohibited outright, and no lot under 10,000 square feet may keep any chickens at all; lots that qualify are capped at six hens. Coops cannot exceed six feet in height and must provide at least two square feet of footprint per hen, with a 40-square-foot maximum footprint for a single coop, and the combined coop-and-run area is capped at 100 square feet. Coops and runs must sit in the rear yard, set back at least 35 feet from the rear property line, 15 feet from side property lines, and 20 feet from a corner side lot line. Chickens are for personal use only: selling eggs, meat, or manure, breeding for commercial purposes, and on-site slaughter are all prohibited.