Barrow County, GA Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

The nuisance abatement process starts with a filing threshold: the request has to come "from a public authority" or from "at least five residents of the unincorporated area of the county," charging that a specific dwelling, building, structure or property is unfit for habitation or business use and code-noncompliant, is a vacant structure used in drug crimes, or endangers public health or safety through unsanitary or unsafe conditions (§ 22-147(a)). Once that request reaches the county marshal, the marshal "shall make an investigation or inspection of the specific dwelling, building, structure or property to determine if the alleged conditions exist," and has authority to enter the premises for that purpose.

The marshal is directed to first try to get the owner's permission; if permission is withheld, the marshal "may seek the assistance of the county attorney's office to obtain an inspection warrant from the magistrate court" rather than being blocked outright. Where drug-crime use is alleged, the marshal makes that determination "after consultation with the county sheriff's department" (§ 22-147(a)). If the investigation substantiates the complaint, the marshal files an in rem complaint in magistrate court and must serve notice within three days by conspicuously posting a copy on the property and mailing a copy to any occupants, in addition to personal or certified-mail service on other parties in interest (§ 22-152).

Separately, reporting through this five-resident nuisance process is not the only avenue: § 22-151 preserves the marshal's and other county employees' authority to issue ordinary citations for violations of the state minimum standard codes, fire and life-safety codes, or general nuisance conditions, and that citation path does not require filing an in rem complaint first.