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

Section 6-1-650 of the Land Development Ordinance permits keeping chickens in platted subdivisions within the A, A1 and A2 agricultural zoning districts, and on lots of two acres or less within the A1 and A2 districts, subject to a set of numeric limits. No more than six chickens are allowed per parcel, and roosters or any other crowing chickens are prohibited outright. The use is noncommercial only: chickens, chicken products and by-products cannot be sold from the property. Chickens must be kept at all times in the rear or side yard, in either a fenced area or a covered enclosure, and no person may allow chickens to run at large at any time.

Chicken houses and enclosures must be kept clean and sanitary, must be set back twenty-five feet from side and rear property lines, must comply with the county's general fencing standards in Article 10, Section 10-1-120, and cannot exceed one hundred square feet in size. Feed must be stored in a fully enclosed, rodent-proof container. Private drive subdivisions with lots of five acres or larger are excluded from all of these conditions entirely, meaning the six-bird cap, enclosure and setback rules do not apply on those larger private-drive parcels.

A separate, related section on livestock quarters (Section 6-1-510) sets its own limits for larger hoofed animals like cows, horses and llamas by acreage and district, and expressly cross-references the poultry section for chicken-specific rules.