Atlanta, GA

Atlanta bans weeds taller than 12 inches on at least 10 percent of a vacant or abandoned lot, or 35 percent of its pervious surface, whichever is greater: code enforcement can abate…

Atlanta lets residential property owners compost yard trimmings on-site instead of setting them out for curbside pickup, but the pile must stay odor-free, pest-free, and free of…

Atlanta's post-development stormwater code lists rainwater harvesting and reuse among four ranked green infrastructure practices developers must prioritize to meet the city's…

Atlanta restricts outdoor irrigation to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. year-round, tightening to a two-day odd-even address schedule during declared drought response levels…

Atlanta requires property owners to trim or remove trees that block safety or free passage along a public street, sidewalk, or multi-use trail, or face a municipal court citation after…

Atlanta's Housing Code recognizes naturescaping, landscaping built around native plants, as a lawful alternative to a manicured yard, exempting dead shrubs, trees, and stumps kept as…

Atlanta requires a permit from the city arborist before removing or destroying any regulated tree, six inches DBH or larger, or 12 inches for pines, on public or private property…

Atlanta bars commercial vehicles from residential lots except one rated three-fourths ton or less, which must be kept in an enclosed garage, accessory building, or rear yard by a…

Atlanta bans junked motor vehicles, wrecked, dismantled, abandoned, or inoperative, parked on any lot or premises within the city, declaring them a public nuisance per se enforceable…

Atlanta's fire chief can order curbs next to designated fire lanes painted red or another distinctive color, and property owners must post "No Parking. Fire Lane" signs to keep the…

Atlanta designates 19 named residential permit parking areas where a $20 decal exempts residents from posted time limits, under Code of Ordinances § 150-147.

Atlanta bars parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, in front of driveways, within intersections and crosswalks, and anywhere leaving less than ten feet of roadway clear for traffic.

New multi-family, mixed-use, and parking-garage construction in Atlanta must wire at least 20% of required parking spaces for future EV chargers and install working Level 2 chargers at…

Atlanta limits residential driveway width to 20 feet for one- and two-family homes, 24 feet for multi-family, and caps paving in the required front yard at one-third of its area.

Atlanta's parking code sets no citywide overnight ban. Sec. 150-89 only bars parking 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 4:00-7:00 p.m. on streets where the city has posted signage, nighttime and…

Atlanta restricts curb loading zones to active loading and unloading during posted hours, with separate rules for passenger and freight zones and fines starting at $75.

Atlanta does not print its own dollar ceiling for a nonconsensual tow. Sec. 162-227 caps what a towing or storage firm may charge at the maximum the State of Georgia allows and adds…

Atlanta lets homeowners keep an RV, trailer, or boat on residential property, but it must sit behind the front building line, stay under 6 feet tall in a side yard, and can't be lived…

Atlanta caps commercial and industrial noise bleeding into residential zones at 300 feet during the day and 100 feet at night, with wider 500-foot and 300-foot buffers near mixed-use…

Atlanta bans motorized landscape maintenance devices, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and chainsaws, in or within 300 feet of residential and mixed-use zoning districts between…

Atlanta's noise ordinance bars loud sound carrying past set distances at set hours citywide, but it expressly excludes noise from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport…

Atlanta bans amplified sound audible 300 feet away between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. weeknights (midnight on Friday and Saturday), tightening to 100 feet overnight, under Code of Ordinances…

Atlanta bars audible construction noise within 100 feet of residential zoning districts from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, with work…

Atlanta bans letting a dog, cat, or other animal bark, whine, or make similar noise nonstop for 10 minutes or more unless it's inside an enclosure that muffles the sound.

Atlanta's noise ordinance tightens overnight: the audibility limit drops from 300 feet to 100 feet from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weeknights and midnight to 7 a.m. on weekends.

In unincorporated Fulton County, sounding a vehicle horn or signaling device for anything other than a danger warning, or making it unreasonably loud, is a prohibited noise violation.

Atlanta allows up to 25 chickens or turkeys per property if housing, setbacks and manure disposal rules are met under City Code Chapter 18.

Atlanta zoning allows veterinary clinics in its commercial and industrial districts, from C-1 through I-2, but only if animals are kept inside soundproof buildings; the…

In Atlanta, dogs and other animals officially classified as dangerous or vicious must be permanently microchipped by a licensed veterinarian, with the chip registered with Fulton…

Atlanta caps how many domestic animals or livestock any property may keep at once: 10 dogs or cats, 5 horses or cows, 10 hogs, sheep, or goats, enforced by Fulton County Animal Control.

Atlanta pet shops cannot sell dogs or cats at all: they may only host adoptions from shelters and rescues, per City Code § 18-212.

Atlanta's zoning code allows pet grooming and care businesses in Industrial Mixed Use (I-MIX) districts, but explicitly bans overnight boarding of pets under that permitted use.

Atlanta bans owning skunks and foxes as pets in the Fulton County part of the city, with a narrow permit path for pen-raised skunks and a 1987 grandfather clause.

In the Fulton County portion of Atlanta, every cat over four months old must be licensed and wear a vaccination tag through Fulton County Animal Control, but the code's at-large…

Atlanta Code § 18-10 bars breed-specific dog ordinances outright; instead, the Fulton-portion dangerous/vicious dog classification system (§§ 18-115, 18-170–18-173) targets individual…

Across most of Atlanta, which lies in Fulton County, dogs cannot leave their owner's property unless secured on a leash no more than six feet long and under the control of a competent…

Fulton County doesn't mandate spay/neuter for pets generally, but any dog or other animal formally classified dangerous or vicious must be sterilized by a licensed vet before the…

Georgia law bars counties and cities from banning, impeding, or restricting honeybee hives, so keeping bees is protected statewide under O.C.G.A. § 2-14-41.1. Local governments keep…

Georgia lets you feed deer and other wildlife on private land, but DNR Rule 391-4-2-.60(1) makes it unlawful to place bait or any wildlife food on a state Wildlife Management Area.

Atlanta allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot in the R-4, R-4A and R-5 districts, capped at two total dwelling units per parcel and 750 square feet, with no added…

Backyard sheds and other accessory buildings in Atlanta's R-1 through R-5 districts cap out at 20 feet tall, 25% of the rear yard, and 30% of the main house's floor area, and…

Atlanta allows tiny homes only as detached accessory dwelling units up to 750 sq ft and 20 ft tall in R-4, R-4A, and R-5 zones, built on a permanent foundation under Georgia's Appendix…

Atlanta currently prohibits attached ADUs, so a garage conversion into a separate dwelling is not allowed by-right; converting a garage to additional living space for the primary…

Fulton County's guest house zoning standard bars charging rent: § 19.3.5(B)(1) limits occupancy of an unincorporated-county guest house to relatives, guests or employees who work on…

Atlanta requires a fire permit to install or maintain any LP gas container, with construction plans required once a home's tank tops 200 gallons in capacity.

Atlanta prohibits burning construction debris, stump and land-clearing debris, and virtually all other outdoor fires within city limits. Only cooking fires and recreational fire pits…

Every dwelling unit in Atlanta must have an approved smoke detector on each level, loud enough to wake sleeping occupants: a Housing Code requirement enforced by the Police…

Atlanta bans launching bottle rockets, firecrackers, sparklers, and similar combustible devices in city parks unless the user holds a permit from the Parks Department, under the Code…

Atlanta caps recreational fire pits at 2 by 3 feet, requires full screening, constant attendance, and 15 feet of clearance from any structure.

Since July 1, 2021, Georgia no longer requires a Forestry Commission permit or notification to burn hand-piled natural vegetation where it was cut, though statewide safety rules, local…

The Georgia Forestry Commission has statewide wildfire suppression authority and may declare burn bans, restrict outdoor activities, and recover suppression costs from negligent…

Atlanta bans barbed wire and razor wire on any fence along a public right-of-way or a private drive that serves pedestrians, one of several material and height limits set in the zoning…

Atlanta requires a building permit for fences, with a $75 minimum fee for fences 6 feet or less and $120 for taller ones; front-yard fences in the R-1 through R-5 districts are capped…

In Atlanta's R-1 through R-5 districts, retaining walls in required yards can't exceed six feet without a special exception from the board of zoning adjustment, and front-yard walls…

Atlanta caps residential fences at 4 feet in front yards, 6 feet in side and rear yards in the R-1 through R-5 districts, and 2.5 feet within 20 feet of any street intersection for…

Three code violations at a short-term rental property within 12 months trigger automatic license revocation and a 12-month ban on new applications for that address in Atlanta.

Atlanta requires short-term rental license holders to ensure the booking platforms they use provide a complaint line, help educate hosts on the ordinance, and meet with city planning…

Atlanta STR licenses require posted rules banning noise that exceeds the city's noise ordinance, cap occupancy at two adults per bedroom, and revoke licenses after three violations at…

Atlanta caps short-term rental occupancy at two adults per bedroom, a rule license applicants must post in writing inside every unit under the city's short-term rental ordinance.

Atlanta requires short-term rental applicants to disclose the number and location of on-site parking spaces, then post the maximum vehicle count allowed inside the unit for guests to…

Atlanta requires a Short-Term Rental License (STRL) for all rentals under 30 days. The annual fee is $150. One license covers a host's primary residence and one additional dwelling…

Atlanta short-term rentals owe an 8% hotel-motel tax on every stay, plus a $150 non-refundable annual license application fee to the city.

Any swimming pool built in Atlanta needs a bureau of buildings permit, and the county health department must approve the pool's plans before city officials sign off.

Atlanta requires a Bureau of Buildings permit for any pool, above-ground or in-ground, at least 2 feet deep in a residential zoning district, plus county health department approval of…

Atlanta bars illumination on any sign advertising a home occupation, including signs mounted inside windows or doors that are visible from a public right-of-way or a neighboring…

Atlanta caps home occupation customer traffic to no more than what's normal for the neighborhood, and requires any resulting parking be handled off-street, outside required front or…

Atlanta lets residents run a home-based business without a public hearing, but caps it at two workers, 500 square feet, and bans on-site sales, signage lighting, and customer traffic…

Fulton County bans family day care homes in multifamily buildings, requires them to sit at least 1,000 feet apart, and limits hours to 6 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Since July 1, 2025 a Georgia cottage food operator needs no state license and pays no state fee. House Bill 398 added Article 19 to Chapter 2 of Title 26, and under O.C.G.A. § 26-2-472…

Georgia has no microenterprise home kitchen permit and no exemption that lets a private house serve cooked meals. The Department of Public Health food service rules make it unlawful to…

Atlanta requires a right-of-way dining permit from the Department of Transportation before any restaurant sets tables on the sidewalk or street, with a $250 application fee and annual…

Atlanta requires an assembly permit for any parade, march, or procession on city streets, sidewalks, or parks: apply at least 30 days ahead through the Special Events Manager.

Reserving a pavilion or other outdoor facility in an Atlanta park requires a facility reservation permit from the Office of Parks, filed 14 to 90 days ahead, with no application fee…

Atlanta folds vending rights into its outdoor festival permit: a Class A commercial festival permit runs up to $15,000, and hosts don't need a separate vending permit for the…

A block party that closes any Atlanta street or sidewalk needs a street or sidewalk closure permit from the Atlanta Police Department, filed at least ten days ahead with a $50 fee.

Atlanta exempts filming from the entertainment filming permit under Code § 46-104 when it occurs as part of an outdoor event already authorized under a Chapter 142 special event…

Atlanta requires a right-of-way dining permit from the Department of Transportation before any restaurant places tables in the sidewalk or a curbside parking space, with annual fees up…

Atlanta's SPI-1 Downtown Special Public Interest District sets mandatory exterior design rules: window transparency, façade fenestration percentages, active ground-floor uses, and a…

In Atlanta's BeltLine Overlay District, developers earn a 15% floor-area-ratio bonus above the zoned FAR by setting aside 10-15% of new rental units as affordable workforce housing for…

Atlanta's Smoke-Free Ordinance (Ref. 19-O-1205), effective January 2, 2020, prohibits smoking and electronic nicotine delivery system use in most indoor public places and within 10…

Atlanta bars an alcohol license endorsed for adult entertainment within 2,000 feet of homes, schools, churches, parks, and MARTA stations.

Atlanta requires wreckers and trespass-tow operators to hold a mayor-issued license, register every vehicle with police, and cap nonconsensual towing fees at $125 under city and state…

Atlanta requires a police-issued license to operate a massage establishment, with a $2,000 annual fee, a $100 investigative fee, and inspections at least four times a year.

Atlanta requires anyone operating a tattoo establishment or working as a tattoo artist to get a police-issued permit, submit fingerprints and a medical certificate, and steer clear of…

Atlanta requires a police-issued pawnshop license before operating: $100 application fee, $750 annual license, License Review Board hearing, and a 1,000-foot buffer from other…

Atlanta requires secondhand dealers to log every item's description and seller's identity within one hour of purchase, hold goods 15 days, and file daily purchase reports with the…

Auto repair cannot operate as a home occupation anywhere in unincorporated Fulton County. Zoning Resolution § 4.12.D excludes it by name from the list of uses a resident may run out of…

Atlanta requires a Department of Transportation encroachment agreement before anyone builds, maintains, or extends any structure, from balconies to building footings, into the public…

Atlanta bans placing merchandise, display stands, or sale items on public sidewalks, though licensed peddlers and brief loading activity are exempt under City Code § 138-15.

In Atlanta, the abutting property owner must repair a sidewalk once the Department of Transportation condemns it as damaged, or the city does the repair and bills the owner for the…

Atlanta restricts billboards to I-1 and I-2 industrial zoning and closely regulates electronic message changes: each display must hold static for ten seconds, transitions must finish…

In Atlanta, illuminated or electronically changing window signs cannot cover more than 30% of the window or door, must stay under 12 square feet total, and no single sign can exceed 6…

Atlanta bans animated, flashing, changing, and rotating signs within 660 feet of any limited-access freeway or expressway inside city limits, with a narrow temporary exception during…

Atlanta's sign ordinance flatly bans inflatable signs and balloons as a display category citywide, but lights and non-advertising holiday decorations are exempt from the sign permit…

Georgia state law restricts placement of political and outdoor advertising signs on state highway rights-of-way and regulates them under the Outdoor Advertising Control Act, while…

Atlanta zoning permits urban gardens as an accessory use in every residential district, but market gardens are limited to school and religious-institution parcels, and farmers' markets…

Georgia's Right to Farm Act in O.C.G.A. 41-1-7 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors and changing land uses.

Atlanta bans drinking alcohol on streets, sidewalks, parking areas and MARTA station grounds under Code § 10-8, with a temporary open-container exception carved out for a South…

Atlanta bans loitering or prowling around parking lots and vehicles when a person acts suspiciously, such as trying door handles or fleeing police.

Atlanta bans defecating or urinating on streets, sidewalks, building halls and elevators, or any property in public view, punishable by a fine up to $1,000 or six months in jail.

Atlanta's noise ordinance makes the adult host of a party personally liable if the noise carries 300 feet past the property line before 11 p.m. (midnight Fri-Sat), or 100 feet…

Atlanta bans aggressive monetary solicitation citywide: blocking someone's path, following them, touching them, or continuing after a refusal are all separate criminal offenses.

Atlanta has no citywide skateboarding ban, but it's illegal on Civic Center sidewalks and plaza, off-limits at named park art installations, and treated as destructive park conduct off…

Smoking and vaping are banned in every Atlanta park, athletic field, trail, golf course, and other city recreational facility, with no exception for open-air areas.

Atlanta decriminalized small-amount marijuana possession in 2017: anyone caught with one ounce or less within city limits faces only a $75 fine, with no jail time under the municipal…

Atlanta requires elevated structures in mapped floodplains to set their lowest floor at least three feet above the base flood elevation, or two feet above the highest observed flood…

Atlanta caps truck and bus idling at 15 minutes on any street or public place, with a $500 minimum fine and narrow exceptions for weather, traffic, and passenger comfort.

Atlanta requires a floodplain development permit from the Watershed Management commissioner, and new single-family homes in a floodplain, floodway, or special flood hazard area must…

New development or redevelopment in Atlanta needs a stormwater permit and management plan once it adds 500 square feet of impervious surface or disturbs one acre or more, under Chapter…

Atlanta requires a Land-Disturbing Activity permit for most projects disturbing over 5,000 square feet, with erosion and sediment control plans, performance bonds, and buffers along…

Boat ramps and docks are allowed in Fulton County's special flood hazard and flood-prone areas only as approved recreational uses, and only in the unincorporated county, not in…

Georgia's Coastal Marshlands Protection Act and Shore Protection Act require state permits for development affecting marshes, beaches, and dunes, with authority concentrated in the…

Selling food or merchandise from a sidewalk cart in Atlanta requires a Valid Vendor Permit from the city's Office of Revenue, and unpermitted vending in the public right-of-way is a…

Atlanta food trucks can vend only from city-designated food truck areas set by the Department of City Planning, and those areas must sit at least 200 feet from any single-family or…

Atlanta requires mobile food units on private property to get a city business license, written property-owner consent, a zoning-compliant use, and a $75 food vending permit from the…

Atlanta requires a written application and formal permit from the Bureau of Buildings before any electrical work begins, and only contractors holding a Georgia Electrical or…

Replacing a roof in Atlanta requires a building permit with a $360 minimum fee; only non-structural repairs to existing shingles on houses and duplexes are permit-exempt, and only if…

Atlanta requires a formal permit from the Bureau of Buildings before any plumbing installation, alteration, or repair under the city's 1992 Plumbing Code; only minor repairs like…

Atlanta requires automatic fire sprinklers in every new multi-family building and hotel three stories or taller, and in all new R-1 and R-2 occupancies regardless of height, under the…

Atlanta requires three staged inspections on permitted construction: foundation, framing and final, each signed off by the Director before work continues.

Atlanta requires LEED Silver certification for city-owned and city-funded buildings over 5,000 square feet, not for private construction generally.

Atlanta requires passenger elevators be inspected every six months and freight elevators annually under the City of Atlanta Elevator Code; operating without a valid permit or in an…

Unincorporated Fulton County limits family day care homes to weekday-Saturday daytime hours, requires 1,000 feet of separation from another such use, and mandates state registration on…

Fulton County requires vacant dwellings and structures found unfit to have a deadbolt installed above the existing lock on the front exterior door, plus secured openings and debris…

Placing a roll-off dumpster on an Atlanta street or right-of-way requires a Department of Transportation permit, proof it can't fit on private property, and compliance with strict…

Atlanta requires recyclables to go loose into city-issued bins, never bagged, and randomly inspects routes for contamination: a bin tagged three times for food, diapers or household…

Atlanta bans dumping garbage, trash or solid waste on any public or private property, with or without the owner's consent, unless disposed of under an authorized program; violators…

Atlanta requires single-family residents to bag yard trimmings separately from trash in city-approved paper bags or marked containers, with curbside pickup capped at 20 bags per…

Atlanta requires trash and recycling carts to sit between the sidewalk and curb, no more than ten feet out, and bars curbside placement before 7 p.m. the day before pickup or after 9…

Atlanta provides bulk item pickup service for residential properties through the Department of Public Works. Residents must schedule bulk pickup through Atlanta 311 in advance. Common…

Atlanta provides single-stream recycling collection for residential properties. The city's recycling program accepts paper, cardboard, glass bottles, metal cans, and plastics #1-7…

Atlanta provides curbside trash and recycling collection for single-family and small multi-family residences (1–3 units) through the Department of Public Works. Collection occurs…

In unincorporated Fulton County, registered haulers must provide weekly curbside collection of household solid waste under County Code § 70-87(a)(1). Only contractors registered with…

Atlanta's vegetation code names kudzu and Chinese wisteria as regulated "weeds" and bars letting them grow past 12 inches on abandoned or vacant lots, backed by notices, city…

Atlanta classifies Tree of Heaven as an invasive species under its tree ordinance. Removing one 6 inches DBH or larger still requires a city arborist permit, but skips the replacement…

New homes in Atlanta's floodplain must sit at least 15 feet horizontally and 2 feet vertically above the base flood elevation, or elevated structures must clear 3 feet above base flood…

Atlanta bars and nightclubs can't run amplified music or live entertainment on patios or outdoor areas after midnight, or at all within 500 feet of single-family zoning.

Atlanta bans loading and unloading noise from trucks that is audible more than 100 feet away in residential and mixed-use zones between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., with an exception for…

Atlanta exempts car alarms from its noise ordinance only while they run 15 minutes or less. An alarm that keeps sounding past that window loses the exemption and becomes a citable…

Unincorporated Fulton County requires portable generators and other internal combustion engines to run with a muffler that deadens explosion noise, treating unmuffled engine or blower…

Fulton County treats music or stereo noise audible 50 feet away between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. as automatic proof of a noise violation in the unincorporated county, covering bass-heavy car…

Student filmmakers in Atlanta qualify for reduced filming-permit fees, but must appear in person at the Office of Entertainment with a school enrollment letter, current student ID, and…

Closing a street for filming requires a CAOE permit, review under the city's street-closure fee code, and at least 5 business days' advance notice.

Atlanta filming permits require producers to comply with the citywide noise ordinance, which caps amplified sound and equipment noise at levels audible beyond 300 feet in daytime and…

Atlanta's Chapter 46 filming permit only covers motion-picture production, so still photographers don't need a CAOE permit citywide, but photo shoots inside a city park can trigger…

Atlanta's Housing Code sets minimum habitability standards for every rental unit: working bathroom and kitchen fixtures, hot water, smoke detectors, and heat kept at 68°F by day and…

Georgia eviction (a 'dispossessory' action) starts with a demand for possession under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50; for nonpayment, 2024's Safe at Home Act adds a written notice giving 3…

For a tenancy at will, O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 requires 60 days' notice from the landlord or 30 days' from the tenant to terminate. Fixed-term leases end on their stated date under their own…

Georgia has no statewide rent control and no limit on how much a landlord may raise rent. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19, no county or municipality may enact or enforce any ordinance that…

Since the 2024 Safe at Home Act (HB 404), Georgia caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1. The landlord must return the deposit, with an…

Adverse possession in Georgia requires 20 years of possession under O.C.G.A. § 44-5-163, or 7 years under written 'color of title' under § 44-5-164. Mere squatters are trespassers, and…

Atlanta uses traffic-control signal monitoring devices at intersections; running a red light caught on camera brings a $70 civil penalty, not a criminal citation.

Atlanta requires shared e-scooter operators to sign a city contract, cap motor speed at 15 mph, and honor no-ride zones set by city planning. Riders can't use sidewalks and must yield…

Atlanta bans parking or standing in designated bicycle lanes, bike routes, and multi-use trails citywide, with fines of $100 for passenger vehicles and $1,000 for large trucks blocking…

At Hartsfield-Jackson, Uber and Lyft drivers may load passengers only where the aviation general manager designates, staging first in the rideshare assembly area: cruising for airport…

Georgia does not have one cart law, it has three vehicle classes with different ceilings. A personal transportation vehicle, the class Georgia created for neighbourhood carts, may only…

Atlanta's Bureau of Code Compliance must schedule a housing inspection within ten days of a tenant's written or oral complaint, and filing one can't be used to justify ending that…

Atlanta residents file property and housing code complaints through ATL311, the city's non-emergency contact center, or directly with the Bureau of Code Compliance, which by ordinance…

Unincorporated Fulton County lists uncontainerized garbage, litter, exterior junk storage, and accumulated hazardous or putrescible waste as violations code enforcement can cite.

Fulton County's Board of Code Enforcement must issue a decision within 15 calendar days after the final hearing on a reported code violation closes.

Atlanta protects culturally significant buildings, sites and districts through five formal categories, from Landmark Building to Conservation District, administered by the Urban Design…

Atlanta bans camping, storing personal property, and blocking building or sidewalk entrances on any street, sidewalk, or public right-of-way; police must warn violators once before…

Atlanta Code of Ordinances § 106-12 makes camping, storing personal property, or blocking ingress and egress on any street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or area under a bridge unlawful…

Atlanta's Housing Code makes property owners responsible for exterminating insects, rodents and other pests in every rental dwelling unit, while tenants in single-family homes handle…

Atlanta sorts every business into one of eight NAICS-based tax classes for its occupation tax, with rates rising by class from $0.60 to $2.15 per $1,000 of gross receipts over $10,000…

Atlanta imposes an 8 percent occupancy tax on every hotel or motel guestroom rented in the city, collected by the operator and remitted monthly to the chief financial officer under…

New Atlanta buildings of 100,000 square feet or more must install exterior security-camera wiring at every entrance and exit so cameras can later plug into the city's Video Integration…

Atlanta requires new conveyor car washes built after January 1, 2011 to install a water recycling system that reuses at least 50% of wash and rinse water, cutting demand on city water…

Fulton County can shut off water to any property with a leaking pipe or fixture, giving the occupant 24 hours notice unless the waste needs to stop immediately.

Commercial developments in Atlanta must plant street trees along every public and private street frontage, spaced no more than 40 feet apart and set within 20 feet of the curb or…

Atlanta protects trees by size, not species: any tree 6 inches DBH or larger (12 inches for pines) needs a city arborist permit to remove, with replacement or recompense required…

Atlanta's tree conservation commission can designate any tree, public or private, as a historic tree for its age, size, or historic association, and once so listed it cannot be removed…

Atlanta bans letting trash and refuse pile up on a vacant lot to the point it threatens public health or safety. The accumulation is a nuisance per se under City Code § 74-173…

Atlanta's Building Code lets the Director of Buildings order any building found dangerous or unsafe to be repaired, secured, or demolished, with costs and penalties falling on the…

Atlanta bars door-to-door solicitors from entering any home posted with a "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" sign, and bans all door-to-door solicitation citywide between 8:00 p.m. and…

Door-to-door sellers in Atlanta must get a city permit before knocking on doors, show ID stating who they represent, and stay off private property between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Atlanta bars minors 16 and under from public streets, parks, and businesses from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weeknights and midnight to 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with listed exceptions.

Atlanta closes all city parks, park lanes, and park drives nightly from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., with narrow exceptions for permitted events.

Atlanta limits buildings in R-4 single-family districts, the city's standard medium-density residential zone, to 35 feet, the same cap used in the R-1 through R-5 districts.

Atlanta sets a separate front, side, and rear yard depth for every residential zoning district, 60/25/35 feet in R-1 down to 35/7/15 feet in R-4, under Code of Ordinances Chapter 16.

Atlanta caps building footprint at 50 percent of total lot area for the R-4 Single-Family Residential District, the city's most common single-family zone, alongside a 0.50 floor area…

Atlanta's Neighborhood Commercial zoning requires cutoff luminaires that block glare beyond a 90-degree cone and stand at least eight feet high wherever commercial lighting sits near…

In Atlanta's Neighborhood Commercial zoning districts, parking lot and structure lighting next to residential buffer areas must use cutoff-style fixtures capped at 90-degree…

Atlanta's zoning code lists solar panels and similar energy-generation devices as a permitted accessory use in every district's use table, from R-1 single-family lots to PD and SPI…

In conservation subdivisions in unincorporated Fulton County south of Atlanta, Subdivision Regulations § 6.7.1 makes HOA membership mandatory for every lot owner, assigns the…

If a community opts into the Georgia Property Owners' Association Act (O.C.G.A. § 44-3-220 et seq.), unpaid assessments become a lien under § 44-3-232 that the association may…

A Georgia property owners' association must hold a members' meeting at least once a year and give every lot owner 21 days' notice of an annual or regularly scheduled meeting, or seven…

Georgia gives homeowners few statutory protections against HOA covenants. There is NO Georgia statute barring an HOA from prohibiting solar panels: a 2022 bill (HB 483) to do so died…

A Georgia property owners' association may fine a lot owner only if its recorded instrument gives it that power, and since July 1, 2024 a fine can never affect voting rights. The…

A Georgia property owners' association whose neighborhood has been submitted to Article 6 of Chapter 3 of Title 44 may record a lien for unpaid assessments and foreclose it in court…

A Georgia property owners' association can adopt a leasing restriction, but only by a two-thirds vote of the association's voting power, and O.C.G.A. Section 44-3-226(a)(2)(B) protects…

Georgia restricts cannabis-related retail sales to state-licensed independent pharmacies and dispensary locations approved by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, with…

Georgia law prohibits home cultivation of marijuana for any purpose, including by registered low-THC oil patients, and this prohibition preempts any conflicting local ordinance…

Georgia law generally reserves authority over the operation of unmanned aircraft systems to the state, limiting cities and counties to property-based and time-place-manner rules…

Georgia prohibits local governments from setting minimum wages above state or federal levels under O.C.G.A. 34-4-3.1, a Title 34 preemption enacted in 2004 and broadened in 2017.

Georgia preempts local governments from requiring private employers to provide paid leave, sick time, or other employment benefits beyond state and federal law.

Georgia preempts local predictable scheduling and fair workweek ordinances, preventing cities and counties from regulating employer shift practices for private workers.

Georgia is a permitless concealed carry state under SB 319 (2022), allowing lawful weapons carriers to carry concealed handguns statewide subject to statutory location restrictions.

Georgia broadly preempts local firearms regulation under O.C.G.A. 16-11-173, reserving authority to the General Assembly while permitting limited local rules at government buildings…

Georgia permits lawful weapons carriers to openly carry handguns in most public places, with statewide preemption limiting local restrictions on open carry.

Georgia permits any lawful weapons carrier or eligible person to carry a handgun in a private vehicle without a permit under O.C.G.A. 16-11-126.

Georgia permits charitable gambling only through two licensed programs: nonprofit raffles licensed by the county sheriff under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-22.1, and nonprofit bingo licensed by…

Georgia allows roadblocks, and for the Georgia State Patrol the written rules sit in the Department of Public Safety Policy Manual at policy 17.16, last revised on October 6, 2025. A…

Georgia has never enacted a statute that expressly gives you the right to film a police officer. What it has is O.C.G.A. 16-11-62, the eavesdropping and surveillance offense, and every…

Georgia's duty to identify is written into the driver licensing code rather than the criminal code. Under O.C.G.A. 40-5-29 every licensee must have the licence in immediate possession…

Georgia has no statute obliging an officer to warn you that you may refuse a vehicle search. What binds the Georgia State Patrol is the Department of Public Safety policy manual at…

Georgia prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21, aligning state law with the federal Tobacco 21 standard.

Georgia counts extra lamps rather than describing them. O.C.G.A. section 40-8-29 allows a vehicle not more than one spotlight, not more than two foglights mounted 12 to 30 inches high…

Georgia is one of the few states whose obstruction statute names the mount and permits it. Since July 1, 2021, O.C.G.A. section 40-8-73(a) lets a driver run a mount for a wireless…

Georgia permits a license plate cover only where the covering material is colorless and transparent, and the same Code section separately forbids attaching any apparatus to the rear of…

No section of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated mentions radar detectors. A full-text search of the Code for the phrase returns zero documents, and searches for jamming and jammer…

Georgia does not run a winter tire calendar. The state's traction requirement lives in O.C.G.A. § 32-6-5 and it switches on only when the Department of Transportation closes or limits…

Georgia tightened its tint law on July 1, 2026. The front side and door windows must now pass at least 28 percent of light, plus or minus 3 percent, down from 32 percent, and for the…