Barrow County, GA Code Violation Reporting: Response Times (2026)

The Barrow County Marshal's office handles habitability and nuisance-building complaints under Chapter 22, Article III of the county code. A case starts when a public authority, or at least five residents of the unincorporated area, files a request with the marshal alleging a dwelling or structure is unfit for habitation or business use, is being used for drug crimes, or endangers public health or safety through unsanitary or unsafe conditions. The marshal then investigates, with authority to enter the premises; if the owner withholds permission, the marshal can seek an inspection warrant from the magistrate court through the county attorney's office.

Once the marshal's investigation confirms one of the three statutory conditions, the marshal files an in rem complaint against the property in magistrate court and serves the owner and other parties in interest. A notice of lis pendens is filed with the clerk of superior court at the same time. From there the clock runs on the hearing itself: the summons must set a magistrate court hearing no sooner than 15 days and no later than 45 days after the complaint is filed, extending to no sooner than 30 days after service on the probate judge when that service is required, though still capped at 45 days overall.

Parties in interest may answer, appear with an attorney, and offer testimony at that hearing. If the court finds the property meets one of the nuisance standards, it can order repair to code compliance or, if repair costs exceed the property's value, demolition and removal, with a lien for abatement costs attaching to the property and collected like ad valorem taxes.