Animal Ordinances in Brookhaven, GA (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Brookhaven, Georgia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
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 of lot area. No roosters are allowed, coops sit at least seven feet six inches from any property line, and birds are kept as pets or for eggs, not slaughter.
Brookhaven, GA Backyard Chicken and Fowl Rules
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-32
(b)Domestic fowl.(1)The minimum fenced yard area for domestic fowl shall be 25 square feet per fowl.(2)Each domestic fowl shall be provided with a minimum four square feet floor or ground area in the coop where it is kept per fowl over four months old. For Bantams, a variety of chickens defined as miniature, each coop shall have one square foot of floor area per fowl over four months old.(3)Dom...
Dog Leash Laws
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 an animal run at large unattended on streets, in city parks, on apartment common property or on another person's land. Only fenced, signed off leash park areas are exempt.
Brookhaven, GA Dog Leash and At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code §§ 5-4, 5-5
It shall be the duty of any person to keep an animal under restraint and control, at heel or on a leash, at all times while the animal is off the real property limits of the owner. Such areas shall not include areas of city parks that are specifically designated by appropriate signage and fencing as off leash areas. In the absence of such signage and fencing, an animal must be under restraint a...
Breed Restrictions
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 hearing before a judge of the City of Brookhaven Municipal court or DeKalb County magistrate court, and a classified animal then needs an annual certificate of registration, insurance and a classified animal pen.
Brookhaven, GA Dangerous and Vicious Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-10
(a)Pursuant to the city's Charter, section 1.03(b)(1), if the police chief learns of the existence of a dangerous animal or vicious animal, the police chief, or his designee, which may include county animal control officers, shall then cause a summons to be issued requiring the owner of the animal to appear before a judge of the City of Brookhaven Municipal court or DeKalb County magistrate cou...
Beekeeping
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 seven feet six inches from every property line and in the side or rear yard when a principal building exists.
Brookhaven, GA Beekeeping Hive Rules
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-32
Domestic fowl, bees, and potbellied pigs may be kept within the city subject to the following regulations: ... (c)Bees.(1)No more than four hives are allowed per one-quarter acre (as measured by the plat on file with the Superior Court of DeKalb County with any fractional amount rounded down to the nearest whole number), and no more than eight hives are allowed on any lot.(2)Hives must be setba...
Exotic Pets
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 vipers, coral snakes, poisonous spiders, frogs, large reptiles, Nile monitors, caiman, alligators, crocodiles and large constricting snakes greater than ten feet in length.
Brookhaven, GA Hazardous Animal Ownership Rules
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code §§ 5-1, 5-15
Hazardous animal means an animal that may be harmful to humans or other animals by virtue of its ability to produce poison or, due to its size and feeding habits, could prey on humans as a food source. Hazardous animals include, but are not limited to, pit vipers (genus Crotalidae), coral snakes (genus Micrurus), poisonous spiders, frogs, large reptiles, Nile monitors, caiman, alligators, croco...
Cat Rules
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 captured. Under Sec. 5-19 a healthy community cat is impounded only if it damages the property of a person seeking impoundment or creates unsanitary conditions, offensive or objectionable odors.
Brookhaven, GA Community Cat and Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code §§ 5-1, 5-19
Community cat means an unowned, free-roaming cat that has been marked by surgical ear-tip pursuant to the community cat program. Community cat program means a comprehensive process whereby unowned free-roaming cats are captured humanely, transported to a veterinarian for evaluation, spay/neuter surgery, rabies vaccination and marking by surgical ear-tip, and returned to the area or location whe...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
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 final order, and a dog or cat adopted from the city must be sterilized within six months for puppies and kittens or 30 days for adults.
Brookhaven, GA Spay and Neuter Requirements
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-25
(a)It shall be the duty of the owner of a dog or cat declared to be a classified animal by a court of competent jurisdiction to have the animal sterilized. Such sterilization must be performed by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of a final order of a court of competent jurisdiction finding that the dog or cat is a classified animal.(b)It shall be the duty of the owner and/or qualified ado...
Microchipping
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 been convicted of abandonment, cruelty or neglect of an animal, or for any classified (dangerous or vicious) animal, and the chip must be registered with the chip parent company and the police chief.
Brookhaven, GA Microchip Rules for Classified Animals
Light RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-9
It shall be the duty of every animal owner who has been convicted, in a court of competent jurisdiction, of abandonment, cruelty or neglect of an animal, or who owns a classified animal, to have the animal permanently identified by insertion of a microchip by a licensed veterinarian. Said chip must be registered with the chip parent company and the police chief.
Pet Store Rules
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 market, outdoor market, or commercial or retail parking lot. Licensed shelters and rescues are exempt. Code enforcement officers, DeKalb County Health Department inspectors and police can impound the animal.
Brookhaven, GA Rules on Selling Dogs, Cats and Rabbits
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 5-33
(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in a transfer at any roadside, public right-of-way, parkway, median, park, other recreation area, fair, flea market, outdoor market, commercial or retail parking lot, or similar transient or outdoor location, regardless of whether such activity is otherwise authorized by any person or entity.(c)This section shall not apply to:(1)A transfer by a p...
Pet Groomer Rules
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 that permits boarding, and § 27-700(d)(9) bars grooming businesses from operating as home occupations.
Pet Groomer Zoning Rules in Brookhaven, Georgia
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 27-621
Uses that provide goods and services for care of animals, including the following specific use types: ... b.Grooming. Grooming of companion animals, including dog bathing and clipping salons and pet grooming shops. No outside animal runs or kennels are allowed unless located in a zoning district that permits boarding, in which case the regulations that apply to animal boarding shall be met.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
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 to boarding districts, and every clinic must file an animal waste management plan reviewed during permitting.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Brookhaven, Georgia
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 27-621
c.Veterinary. Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics staffed by veterinarians. No outside animal runs or kennels are allowed unless located in a zoning district that permits boarding, in which case the regulations that apply to an animal boarding shall be met.(2)Development standards.a.All animal service uses shall provide animal waste management plans to ensure animal waste is properly discha...
Bird Protection
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 their parts or progeny such as nests and eggs. The prohibition is written for city parks and is punished through the Code's general penalty in § 1-11.
Brookhaven, Georgia Park Bird and Wildlife Protection
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 19-35
(a)It shall be unlawful to remove or disturb any living or dead native creatures in city parks, including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, or the parts or progeny thereof, such as nests, eggs, or antlers.
Looking for DeKalb County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Brookhaven city rules.
Animal Ordinances in DeKalb County →