Brookhaven, GA

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 17-207 bars stopping, standing or parking wherever an ordinance prohibits it and official signs or markings say so, and § 17-208 requires ten…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, the public works department decides where passenger and freight curb loading zones go and posts the hours on the signs (§ 17-215). In a marked…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 17-209 bars parking overnight on any city property. On streets, § 17-220 limits heavy vehicles and recreational vehicles to one hour at any…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Division 2 of Chapter 17 lets neighborhoods petition the director of public works for a residential permit parking area. The petition needs the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, parking in the front yard of a single family detached dwelling is prohibited except on a driveway, in a roofed carport or in an enclosed garage…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 27-900 prohibits parking commercial motor vehicles on R-zoned lots. Five exceptions apply: law enforcement vehicles, vehicles working on the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 27-901 prohibits parking or storing trailers and recreational vehicles outside an enclosed building in the front or street side yard, within ten…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, at least five percent of required off-street parking in new RM, commercial, employment, mixed use, master planned and Peachtree Road developments…

In unincorporated DeKalb County, an inoperable vehicle can sit on private property for at most 72 hours unless it is parked inside an enclosed structure, and no inoperable vehicle may…

DeKalb County Code § 17-148 reserves an 80-foot no-parking zone at bus stops in unincorporated DeKalb County. Every zone must be marked by signs, and in congested areas the curb itself…

Georgia caps what private-property tow companies can charge under DPS Rule 570-38-7-.13 and Statewide Maximum Rate Tariff No. 5. Removal fees top out at $228 for vehicles under 10,000…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 18-42 allows outdoor irrigation of ground cover, trees, shrubs and other plants only between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., with a list of exempt…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Section 14-54(c) requires a City tree removal permit for every non-emergency removal of a tree four inches DBH or larger. Single-dwelling detached…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-193(a) bars dead or hazardous trees, shrubs and weeds that restrict or impede access to or public use of adjacent sidewalks, paths, trails…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-122 makes it unlawful for the owner of improved or previously improved property to let grass, weeds or other undergrowth reach 12 inches or…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, composting landscape waste and food waste is an allowed accessory use in residential zoning districts under § 27-702. Compost piles are capped at…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 12-177 makes it unlawful to sell, use, explode, possess, manufacture or store consumer fireworks or fireworks inside the city, except as state…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 12-146 bars open burning anywhere in the city except for cooking food, approved flame devices, non-residential land clearing or construction…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-103(8) requires smoke alarms in multifamily rental units in accordance with IPMC section 704.2: outside each sleeping area, in each room…

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…

Georgia regulates propane storage statewide through the Safety Fire Commissioner under the Liquefied Petroleum Safety Act, adopting NFPA 58 standards for residential and commercial…

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

The City of Brookhaven, Georgia does not name leaf blowers, but Sec. 16-154 sets hours for landscaping power tools. Homeowner tools are barred from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and before…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-154(3) bars construction and demolition from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and all…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-154(4) bars domesticated animals from making any vocalization, including barking, baying, howling or crying, for more than ten minutes…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-154(6) bars playing any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument or similar device in or on a motor vehicle on a public…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-152 Table 1 caps sound at the receiving property by zone, day, time and distance from the source. Residential daytime limits run from 80 dB…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-152(b)(1) makes it unlawful to run a radio, television, stereo, musical instrument or amplifier so the sound is plainly audible at or beyond…

DeKalb County requires every aircraft using DeKalb-Peachtree Airport to keep takeoffs and landings over populated neighborhoods to a minimum and to climb out as quickly as its safe…

From 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., unincorporated DeKalb County bans any sound you own or control that is plainly audible inside a neighbor's sealed home. Code § 16-303 relies on an…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-33 makes it unlawful to transfer a dog, cat, or domestic rabbit for consideration at a roadside, public right-of-way, park, fair, flea…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven Code § 19-35(a) makes it unlawful to remove or disturb any living or dead native creatures in city parks, birds included, along with…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-4 requires every person to keep an animal at heel or on a leash at all times off the owner's property, and Sec. 5-5 makes it unlawful to let…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-9 does not require every pet to be microchipped. It requires a microchip, inserted by a licensed veterinarian, for an animal whose owner has…

The City of Brookhaven, Georgia classifies animals as dangerous or vicious by what they did, and Chapter 5 names no breed. Under Sec. 5-10 the police chief summons the owner to a…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-15 bars anyone from owning, keeping or harboring a hazardous animal without prior written approval from the police chief. Sec. 5-1 names pit…

The City of Brookhaven, Georgia runs a community cat program under Chapter 5: unowned free-roaming cats are captured, sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped and returned where they were…

Sec. 5-25 of the Brookhaven, Georgia Code targets specific groups instead of every pet. A dog or cat court-classified as dangerous or vicious must be sterilized within 30 days of the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-32(c) allows beekeeping with no more than four hives per one-quarter acre and no more than eight hives on any lot. Hives must sit at least…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 5-32(b) allows domestic fowl on a lot of at least 6,000 square feet, capped at 25 birds over four months old and one fowl per 1,000 square feet…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, animal hospitals and veterinary clinics staffed by veterinarians are an animal service use under Code § 27-621. Outside runs or kennels are limited…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, pet grooming is an animal service use under Code § 27-621. A grooming shop cannot have outside animal runs or kennels unless it sits in a district…

DeKalb County has no ordinance labeled hoarding, but its general Neglect ban covers hoarding-type conditions: exposing animals to unsanitary conditions or failing to provide food…

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.

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, fences and masonry walls stop at four feet in a front yard and eight feet in any other yard. Gates can reach six feet in front yards. On corner…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, every wall, fence, and retaining wall needs a permit from the community development department before installation. Wall and fence permits are…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, chain link fences are prohibited in the street yard of every lot. Fences on R-zoned lots cannot include barbed wire, spikes, similar devices, or an…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, retaining walls on RS-zoned lots cannot exceed four feet in height. The community development director can grant an administrative variance up to…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a home business that brings customers, clients or students to the house is a Type B home occupation under § 27-700. It needs a special land use…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a home day care is a small day care of six or fewer individuals under Code § 27-625, capped at 50 percent of the dwelling's floor area with no…

Unincorporated DeKalb County splits home businesses into no-contact Type I home occupations, approved administratively, and customer-contact Type II home occupations, which need a…

DeKalb County bans any exterior evidence of a home occupation, meaning no business signage, displays or visible business activity is permitted from outside the residence.

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…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, an accessory swimming pool can be approved only after written approval from the board of health. Section 27-705 treats pools as accessory…

Unincorporated DeKalb County requires every outdoor pool, in-ground or above-ground, to have a barrier at least five feet tall that keeps children and pets from wandering in…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a booking service that does not comply with Code § 27-629(3)(g) is fined $1,000.00 per incident. Platforms cannot collect fees on unpermitted…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 27-629(3)(d)(3) makes all short-term rentals subject to the nuisance and noise regulations of chapter 16. The person in charge of a party…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, every short-term rental permit application must include proof of insurance for the property under Code § 27-629(3)(c)(8). The application goes to…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a permitted short-term rental cannot be listed or rented for more than 180 days per calendar year under Code § 27-629(3)(b)(2). Short-term rentals…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, short-term rentals of 30 consecutive days or less carry an excise tax of eight percent of the rent. Code § 24-143 makes the operator collect it from…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a short-term rental permit goes only to an owner-occupier who has owned the property for more than a year and holds a current DeKalb County…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, short-term rental permits renew annually, and the City manager checks the property's record before renewal. Two or more citations or violations of…

Under Sec. 4.2.15.A of the DeKalb County zoning code, the operator of a bed and breakfast or home stay establishment in the unincorporated county must reside on site, and a home stay…

Unincorporated DeKalb County requires short-term rental permit applicants to state the number and location of on-site parking spaces, though the zoning code sets no fixed per-bedroom…

No one may rent out a dwelling unit as a short-term rental in unincorporated DeKalb County without an annual permit from the county's business license division, and the permit is…

Section 27-133(g) of the Brookhaven Code requires an owner with at least a 50 percent interest to occupy either the house or the accessory dwelling unit as a permanent residence for a…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, section 27-133 allows accessory dwelling units only on lots occupied by a detached house. One detached ADU and one attached ADU are allowed per lot…

Section 27-696 of the Brookhaven Code exempts one accessory building or structure of up to 120 square feet on each lot used or zoned for detached single dwellings in the City of…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 17-6 makes it unlawful to place or keep anything in a public road, street or easement right-of-way that blocks a motorist's clear view or the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, building, moving or removing a driveway, sidewalk, curbing, bike lane or multi-use trail in the city's public roads requires an encroachment permit…

In unincorporated DeKalb County, keeping the sidewalk clean and keeping it repaired are two different jobs. Code § 18-38(d) makes owners and tenants of abutting property responsible…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 17-298 bars pedestrians from crossing any street or roadway in a business district, or any designated street or highway, except in a…

Sec. 18-11 makes it unlawful in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia to appear on a street, in a public place or in a place of business patronized by the public in a state of intoxication…

Sec. 18-10 makes it unlawful in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia to be in a place at a time or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant…

Sec. 18-73 bars soliciting money in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia by accosting someone or forcing oneself upon their company, and it bans solicitation within 15 feet of public…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 13-20 prohibits smoking, including e-cigarettes, in outdoor recreational public places such as parks, playgrounds, sports fields and trails, as…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-209 makes it an offense to keep a disorderly house or to let boisterous, noisy, drunken or riotous people remain on your property after a…

Unincorporated DeKalb County bars anyone on roller skates or riding coasters, toy vehicles or similar devices from roadways except at a marked crosswalk, treating them as pedestrians…

It is a straight misdemeanor in unincorporated DeKalb County to urinate or defecate on or near any street or sidewalk, in a public building's halls, elevators or stairways, or anywhere…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Code § 17-362 makes it unlawful to hold or take part in a parade without a parade permit from the city. Applications go to the police department at…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, vendors at a street fair or festival work under the event producer's authority: the producer authorizes each vendor in writing, controls vendor…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a park area or picnic shelter is reserved for group activities by application to the parks and recreation department on a form the city prescribes…

Unincorporated DeKalb County lets restaurants and coffee shops set up outdoor seating on public or private sidewalks in commercial zones, as long as it's next to the building and…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 17-430 bars motor vehicles and motorcycles from operating in a bike lane or path for any purpose, and it bars anyone from driving, stopping or…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, shared dockless scooters and e-bikes operate under Article XII of Chapter 17: an annual permit, a 15 miles per hour speed limit built into each…

Unincorporated DeKalb County parks let Class I and Class II electric assisted bicycles, capped at 20 mph, use paved county bicycle and shared-use paths, but bar every electric bike…

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…

Sec. 18-36 bans camping and storing personal property in any park or greenspace owned or maintained by the City of Brookhaven, Georgia. Camp is defined by conduct: erecting tents or…

Sec. 18-36(c) makes it unlawful in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia to camp, sleep, store personal property, or sit or lie down on any street, sidewalk, or public or railroad…

Sexually oriented businesses in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia cannot locate within 100 feet of each other or within 300 feet of a residential district, place of worship, park, or…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, operating a massage establishment without a license is unlawful, and so is letting an unlicensed therapist give massages on the premises. The…

A wrecker or tow truck cannot do nonconsensual towing in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia without a nonconsensual towing license from the city, and the license is not transferable…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 15-189 requires every pawnshop operator and every pawnshop employee to file with the police department and hold an annual permit, and no…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, repairing cars or other engine-powered equipment at home is not an allowed home occupation. Section 27-700(d)(1) expressly prohibits any assembly…

Inside the unincorporated Emory Village Overlay District near Emory University, DeKalb County Code § 27-3.22.5(D)(28) flatly bans smoke, tobacco, or vape shops, including cigar bars…

DeKalb County Code § 13-300 does not run its own tattoo ordinance: it adopts Georgia's body art rules, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 511-3-8, wholesale for every tattoo and piercing…

Unincorporated DeKalb County requires an annual police department permit before anyone can buy precious metals or gems for resale, per Code Section 15-191.

Anyone selling, canvassing, or taking surveys door to door in the residential areas of the City of Brookhaven, Georgia must first obtain a solicitor's permit from the Brookhaven Police…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, door-to-door selling and soliciting that requires a permit is unlawful between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. A solicitor cannot make more than one call at…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, any filming on public property needs a film production permit from the Community Development Department. On private property a permit is required…

Student filming by a student or students duly enrolled in an educational institution is exempt from the film production permit article in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia. Section…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a residential film shoot with full or partial lane and street closures requires a meeting with the city at least one week before the permit…

DeKalb County treats film-production sound as a permit element, requiring producers to disclose it and comply with the county's separate noise ordinance during shoots.

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-29 requires a permit from the community development department before any land-disturbing activity, with an erosion and sedimentation…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Article IV of Chapter 14 applies to development adding 5,000 square feet of impervious surface or disturbing one acre. Section 14-83 requires…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-792 bars development in the future-conditions floodplain that raises the base flood or future-conditions flood elevation by 0.01 foot or…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-815 sets the lowest floor of new residential construction and substantial improvements no lower than three feet above the base flood…

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…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Section 14-52 protects specimen trees by size and species, charges recompense of $240.00 per DBH inch by one and one-half for removal outside the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, the Section 14-52(a) specimen tree table sets a protection threshold by species group and trunk diameter, from 28 inches for most pines and 24…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-364 restricts street planting strips to trees on a list kept by the city arborist. The arborist also maintains spacing specifications and…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-152 bars stereos, amplifiers and other sound machines that cause vibrations to property or person at or beyond the specified distances, and…

DeKalb County's nighttime noise ordinance bars sound that's plainly audible inside a neighbor's sealed home between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., but Code § 16-303(c)(14) specifically excludes…

Unincorporated DeKalb County treats delivery-truck noise the same way it treats construction noise. Under DeKalb County Code § 16-304(d), deliveries may only be made between 7:00 a.m…

Unincorporated DeKalb County exempts car alarms from its nighttime noise curfew only if the alarm shuts off within 5 minutes of continuous sounding, or 10 minutes if it beeps…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 15-42 classifies every business owing occupational tax by its major line of business under NAICS, with profitability classes drawn from IRS…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-203 declares a public nuisance any dwelling, building or structure that violates applicable codes, is unfit for habitation, or is abandoned…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-193 bars dead or hazardous trees, shrubs, ground cover and weeds that harbor vermin or insects, block sidewalks, paths, trails and streets…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-816 puts the lowest floor of a new principal residential building next to the future-conditions floodplain at least three feet above base…

DeKalb County amends the International Residential Code to require that roof framing on residential construction in the unincorporated county be tied securely to wall framing with…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 7-118 requires a permit before construction, alteration or repair to a plumbing system, other than ordinary repairs. Stopping leaks, clearing…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, electrical work other than ordinary repairs needs a permit under § 7-118, and § 7-26 adds local rules to the state-adopted National Electrical Code…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 7-118 requires a permit before any construction, erection, alteration or repair to a building or structure, other than ordinary repairs. Detached…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 7-170 requires permitted work to stay exposed until the building official approves each stage. Building inspections run from foundation and slab…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 12-62 requires all new or substantially rehabilitated multifamily dwellings to be fully sprinkled under NFPA 13 or 13R, and all high-rise…

Section 27-625 of the Brookhaven Code sets the rules for day care in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia. Outdoor activity areas need a fence or wall at least four feet high, new day cares…

DeKalb doesn't mandate green construction, but in the RSM zoning district, developers who certify buildings for LEED or EarthCraft accreditation earn a 50% density bonus above the base…

Hotels, motels, and extended-stay hotels permitted for construction after March 16, 2018 in unincorporated DeKalb County must fit every public-facing entry point with a magnetic or…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, § 16-36(c)(7) makes it unlawful to light or use any open fire, smoker or grill in a city park, trail or greenspace except in permanent installations…

In unincorporated DeKalb County, it's illegal to ignite any fire, including a grill, within four feet of a combustible building, covering charcoal and propane BBQs used under balconies…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, parks and greenspaces are open daily from dawn to dusk, local time. Brookhaven Code § 16-36(c)(1) makes it unlawful to enter or remain in a park at…

In unincorporated DeKalb County, Code § 16-44 makes it unlawful for a minor under 17 to remain in a public place or establishment unsupervised by a parent or guardian during curfew…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven Code § 21-62 bans strings and rows of lights within 150 feet of a street and visible from it, but exempts holiday lights and decorations…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, a window sign is any sign inside a window, within two feet of a window, or on the glass, and Brookhaven Code § 21-2 says window signs shall not…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven Code § 21-74 allows electronic signs as part of a lawfully permitted sign only in the C-1, C-2, M and M-2 zoning districts, with a six…

DeKalb County's zoning ordinance allows exactly two temporary signs for a yard sale, both on private property with the owner's permission, never in the public right-of-way or on a…

DeKalb County bans political posters, signs and advertisements in public rights-of-way and on public property, and requires the property owner's written permission before placing them…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven Code § 22-4 makes it unlawful to dump garbage, refuse, litter, junk, appliances, lumber, trees or brush anywhere in the city except at…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, residential units receive refuse collection once each week, and commercial establishments receive it as often as six times a week. Code § 22-20 sets…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, residents cannot set refuse at the curb before 5:00 p.m. on the day before collection and must return containers to the storage location by 7:00…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, dumpsters of 1.5 cubic yards or more must be screened by a masonry wall at least six feet and no more than eight feet high on three sides, with a…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, residential cans cannot be placed more than 150 feet from the curb or road edge, and crews skip cans behind locked or tied gates, in yards with…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, heavy brush and branches are cut to no more than four feet and stacked at the curb, and logs or limbs over four inches in diameter or four feet long…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, yard trimmings cannot go in or be mixed with municipal solid waste, and they cannot go in plastic bags. Code § 22-24 makes each occupant or owner…

Georgia prohibits disposing of yard trimmings in municipal solid waste landfills. Grass, leaves, and limbs may only go to construction-and-demolition landfills, inert-waste landfills…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-51 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code as the property maintenance code for all property, buildings and structures, including…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, owners who receive income from four or more multifamily rental units owe an occupational tax under Chapter 15 and must give the city a code…

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…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-103 sets the interior inspection list for multifamily rental units, measured against the International Property Maintenance Code, the Life…

A DeKalb County investigation into a dwelling charged as dangerous and unfit for human habitation begins once a public authority files the charge, a homeowners association board votes…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, outdoor lighting must aim away from abutting lots, hide the light source from neighbors at five feet above grade, and use cutoffs so that no more…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, light trespass along a lot line cannot exceed 0.5 foot-candles next to an R-zoned lot or 3.0 foot-candles next to any other district or a public…

DeKalb County's sign code bars any sign, including illuminated advertising signs, from casting light that glares or blinds or adversely affects traffic or neighbors, and forbids…

The City of Brookhaven, Georgia levies an excise tax at the rate of eight percent on rooms, lodgings and accommodations furnished for value. The code names bed and breakfast houses and…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Table 2-3 of Brookhaven Code § 27-67 caps maximum impervious coverage at 35 percent for a detached house in every RS district, RS-100 through RS-50…

Table 2-3 of Brookhaven Code § 27-67 caps a principal detached house at 40 feet in every RS district of the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, and caps an accessory building at 20 feet or…

Table 2-3 of Brookhaven Code § 27-67 sets minimum principal building setbacks for detached houses in the RS districts of the City of Brookhaven, Georgia. Front street is 35 feet in…

In the Buford Highway Overlay of the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, section 27-386 entitles developers as of right to one additional story of building height for each ten percent of…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, data processing uses, which the code says are also called data centers, server farms and cryptocurrency mines, must keep all equipment and…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, the zoning code's agricultural use division regulates community gardens as principal or accessory uses. Equipment must be stored in an enclosed…

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.

DeKalb County food service establishments must employ a Certified Food Safety Manager; skipping that requirement can bring court action or suspension of the food service permit.

DeKalb County Code § 13-162 makes every business building owner in the unincorporated county ratproof their structure and keep it that way, under Chapter 13's rodent control article…

DeKalb County can designate a building, structure, site, object or work of art, including monuments, as a protected historic property through its Historic Preservation Commission.

DeKalb County does not regulate home security cameras, but it forces convenience stores and police-designated "monitored businesses" to run a 24/7 video surveillance system meeting…

Unincorporated DeKalb limits sidewalk food-cart vending to noon-8 p.m., pre-packaged snacks and drinks only, a displayed state license, and 15-minute stops on public rights-of-way.

Unincorporated DeKalb County limits street-level mobile food vending: pushcarts and food vehicles may sell only between noon and 8:00 p.m., only pre-packaged snacks and drinks, and…

DeKalb County requires all food service operations, including mobile units, to hold an annual permit from the county Board of Health that expires every June 30.

DeKalb County Code § 25-56 makes it unlawful to let water go to waste through leaks, breaks or malfunctions in any pipe or fixture on premises you own or occupy. Owners have 2 business…

Yard sales in unincorporated DeKalb County are capped at three consecutive days and no more than once every six months per Table 4.3, and unlike other temporary outdoor uses they need…

Unincorporated DeKalb exempts rooftop solar panels under six feet tall from the zoning height limit and from the roofing-material restrictions.

In DeKalb's RNC conservation subdivisions, a homeowners' association used to maintain shared greenspace must have mandatory automatic membership, lien authority to collect dues, and…

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…