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

Sec. 22-204(a) provides that any menacing dog or cat impounded as a stray animal will not be released until it is spayed or neutered at the owner's expense, unless the owner holds bona fide registration letters as outlined elsewhere in the chapter. Sec. 22-204(b) extends the rule regardless of registration status: any dog or cat impounded for a second time cannot be returned to its owner until it is spayed or neutered at the owner's expense, unless a licensed veterinarian provides written proof that the procedure would jeopardize the animal's health.

Sec. 22-204(c) requires that every animal adopted from the Chatham County Animal Shelter be spayed or neutered before release; where a veterinarian or the Director of Animal Services determines the animal's health or other conditions warrant delaying the procedure, the adopter must instead provide proof the surgery was completed within 14 days of the agreed-upon date. These impound-triggered spay/neuter duties sit alongside the separate outdoor-cat rule at Sec. 22-104(a), which independently requires any cat allowed outside a residence to already be spayed or neutered, and the breeder provisions at Sec. 22-202(b), which require unregistered puppies and, where possible, both parents to be spayed or neutered as soon as medically feasible.