Carroll County, GA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Carroll County, Georgia does not ban retail pet sales or require pet shops to be adoption-only; instead Chapter 14, Article III's 'animal establishment' permit scheme in § 14-59 lets pet shops operate in the unincorporated county under a county permit and minimum care standards, separate from Carrollton's or the county's other cities' own rules. Every pet shop, kennel, grooming shop, auction or performing-animal exhibition must hold an annual permit from the Animal Control Department, renewed each January, with a separate permit required for each physical location; the department inspects the facility before issuing or renewing the permit and charges a nonrefundable inspection fee set by the board of commissioners.

' Section 14-59(f)(2) then layers pet-shop-specific standards onto the general animal-establishment rules in § 14-59(f)(1): hot water of at least 160 degrees must be available for washing and disinfection, cold water must be accessible throughout the shop, fresh drinking water must be available to every species at all times with containers cleaned daily, room temperature must be kept healthy for every species kept, and cages and enclosures must be nonporous and large enough for the animal to stand, turn and stretch to its full length. The department may inspect any animal establishment at any reasonable time during business hours and can deny, suspend or revoke a permit for noncompliance.