Newton County, GA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Sec. 8-81, in Article IV Domestic Animals, splits livestock and chickens from small mammals. For livestock and chickens, the section simply defers: the number and type permitted is set by applicable county zoning regulations rather than by the animal code itself, so a resident keeping backyard chickens or livestock must check the zoning ordinance and land development regulations adopted separately under Chapter 34 for the actual head count and any coop or pasture standards for their zoning district. For small mammals housed outside, such as rabbits and guinea pigs kept for personal, non-commercial purposes, the animal code does set its own numeric standard: one small mammal is permitted per 1,000 square feet of high ground, with a hard ceiling of five mammals per acre regardless of how much land is available, and any small-mammal habitat must sit at least 50 feet back from any occupied building other than the owner's own dwelling.

Sec. 8-81(c) closes the section by making clear that meeting these animal-code numbers does not excuse compliance with zoning: all properties remain subject to and must comply with applicable county zoning requirements on top of these standards. Sec. 8-79 reinforces the same layering principle for the whole article, stating domestic animals are allowed only to the extent this article and applicable county zoning regulations permit, so both the animal code and the separately adopted zoning ordinance govern a chicken coop or small livestock pen.