Fayette County, GA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Fayette County Code § 110-89
- Districts covered
- All residential and A-R zoning districts
- Trigger
- Animals licensed under O.C.G.A. title 27, ch. 5
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine and/or 60 days jail (§ 1-7)
- Enforcement
- Planning and Zoning Department / Code Enforcement
Summary
Unincorporated Fayette County prohibits keeping any wild animal classified as inherently dangerous under Georgia's wild animal license law in every residential and A-R zoning district. Code Section 110-89 turns the state's licensing category, lions, bears, large primates, and venomous reptiles among them, into an outright local ban rather than a permit option, so no state license authorizes one on a residential or agricultural-residential lot.
All wild animals categorized as inherently dangerous that require a license or permit and liability insurance per O.C.G.A. title 27, ch. 5 (O.C.G.A. § 27-5-1 et seq.) shall be prohibited in all residential and A-R zoning districts.
Full Breakdown
title 27, chapter 5, from all residential and A-R zoning districts in the unincorporated county. The county does not create its own dangerous-species list; it borrows the state licensing trigger and then forbids the animal outright rather than issuing a local permit, so holding a valid state wild animal license does not authorize keeping the animal on residential or A-R property. The ban sits in Article III of Chapter 110, the same article that regulates ordinary pet-keeping under Section 110-87 (limiting most districts to three animals per dwelling, unlimited in A-R) and beekeeping under Section 110-88.
Those neighboring sections show the county treats domestic pets, livestock, and bees as routine accessory uses subject to numeric limits, while wild animals requiring a state dangerous-animal license get a flat prohibition with no permit path at all. The rule traces to the 1992 Code Section 20-5-30 and was carried forward by Ordinance No. 2012-09 and Ordinance No. 2012-13. Enforcement runs through the county's Planning and Zoning Department, which administers Chapter 110, working with Code Enforcement and Animal Control on complaints. 00, imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both, with each day a continuing violation persists charged as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a wild animal that requires an O.C.G.A. title 27, chapter 5 license or permit on residential or A-R property is a Code violation under Section 1-7, punishable by a fine up to $1,000.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both. Each day the animal remains on the property is treated as a separate offense, and the county can also pursue equitable relief to abate a continuing violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a tiger, bear, or venomous snake at my Fayette County home?
Does holding a Georgia wild animal license let me keep the animal anyway?
What happens if code enforcement finds a prohibited wild animal on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fayette County
Compare Fayette County to another location·View the Georgia animal ordinances overview
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