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

Section 10-34(c) requires that any person adopting an intact animal from the Cherokee County Animal Shelter "cause to have the animal spayed or neutered (sterilized)" within a set window: 30 days from the date of adoption for animals over six months old, or by the time the animal reaches six months of age if it was sexually immature at adoption. An animal not sterilized within the specified time may be reclaimed by the marshal's office. If the adopted animal becomes pregnant after the deadline for sterilization has passed, the owner can be cited for violating the chapter.

This mandatory-sterilization rule attaches specifically to shelter adoptions; it is not a general county-wide spay/neuter mandate for every dog or cat in Cherokee County. Section 10-34(a) separately bars anyone who adopts an animal from using it for breeding, fighting, or profit, or supplying it to any individual or institution for research, and lets the chief marshal or animal shelter director limit how often a household may adopt. Section 10-34(b) sets an adoption fee under the shelter's published fee schedule, which may also cover part or all of the cost of examination, rabies inoculation, and the spay or neuter procedure itself.