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

Section 2-5-4, adopted by Ordinance No. 10-10, 2023, makes it unlawful to own, keep, or possess a sexually mature dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered, unless an exemption applies. Sexual maturity is defined in Section 2-5-1 as 120 days or four months for a cat and 180 days or six months for a dog, and whether an animal has reached that age is determined by the Animal Control Director, an animal control officer, a licensed veterinarian, or reliable veterinary records. The ordinance allows three exemptions: a licensed veterinarian's documentation that the animal cannot currently be safely altered for health reasons, with an estimated timeframe for future alteration; ownership by a Georgia-licensed pet dealer keeping the animal for commercial breeding through the Department of Agriculture; or the animal qualifying as a working dog under the chapter's definition, meaning a dog suited by size, breeding or training for draft, herding, show, sporting or hunting work and actually employed in that work, not merely possessing common canine traits.

Before the citation's court date, an owner can avoid conviction by proving to the Floyd County Magistrate Court that the animal has since been altered.