Cobb County, GA Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Cobb County Code § 10-69(e) requires that every animal adopted from the CCAS shelter be spayed or neutered, and directs the treating veterinarian to submit signed certification of the surgery to CCAS. Section 10-72(b) fills in the mechanics: the adopter signs a binding agreement at the time of adoption committing to sterilization within a CCAS-set window, 30 days from the adoption date for any animal already over six months old, or by six months of age for animals adopted too young to be sterilized safely. CCAS may instead sterilize the animal itself before it ever leaves the shelter, which is the department's default practice for most adoptions. If a licensed veterinarian certifies that surgery must be delayed because of a medical condition, that delay has to be documented in writing to CCAS, and the animal is sterilized as soon as the vet clears it.

Proof runs on a tight clock: under both § 10-69(e) and § 10-72(c), the adopter must deliver evidence of the completed surgery to CCAS within seven days of the operation, either directly or by having the operating veterinarian send signed verification. Under § 10-68(a)(2), any animal adopted from CCAS that was not sterilized as the adoption agreement required can be reclaimed by CCAS the moment it comes back into the shelter's custody for any reason, such as a later impoundment, and the original adopter is not permitted to reclaim it. This mandate rides with the animal, not with where the adopter lives: it attaches at the point of adoption from the county shelter, so it reaches adopters throughout Cobb, including residents of Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs, and Austell, even though those cities otherwise run their own animal codes for in-city matters.