Animal Ordinances in Barrow County, GA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Barrow County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Unincorporated Barrow County ties livestock and poultry keeping to lot size rather than banning it outright. Keeping cattle, poultry or other non-domestic animals requires at least five acres, feedlots and hog parlors need ten acres, and kennels need a full acre with a six-foot fence. Outside the agricultural district, any other animal needs 5,000 square feet of fenced lot area unless the property is a bona fide farm.
Backyard Chickens and Livestock Rules in Barrow County
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 89-157(b)
(b)Raising and breeding of animals.(1)Acreage restrictions.a.The keeping of cattle, poultry and other non-domestic animals other than feedlots and hog parlors shall require not less than five acres in area.b.Feedlots and hog parlors shall be conducted on tracts of land not less than ten acres in area.c.Commercial and noncommercial kennels (shelters) shall be located on a site of not less than o...
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Barrow County it is unlawful for the owner of any dog, or any domesticated animal other than a cat, to let it run at-large, per Sec. 14-38. Sec. 14-39 layers on a duty to keep the animal restrained and prevent it from leaving the owner's property unattended. Animal control officers enforce both sections and can impound a loose dog under Sec. 14-91.
Dog At-Large and Restraint Rules
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code §§ 14-38, 14-39
With the exception of felines, it shall be unlawful for the owner of any domesticated animal, or anyone having a domesticated animal in his possession or control, to permit such domesticated animal to be at-large. ... It shall be the duty of every animal owner or custodian of any domesticated animal to ensure that such animal is kept under proper restraint and that reasonable care and precautio...
Breed Restrictions
Barrow County does not ban dogs by breed. Instead Sec. 14-111 classifies a dog as "dangerous" or "vicious" by what it actually does: a bite that breaks skin without serious injury, an aggressive attack that puts someone in reasonable fear of serious injury, or killing a pet off the owner's property. A dog causing broken bones or disfiguring lacerations is instead classified vicious.
Dangerous and Vicious Dog Classification Rules
Significant RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 14-111
Dangerous dog means any dog that: (1)Causes a substantial puncture of a person's skin by teeth without causing serious injury; provided, however, that a nip, scratch, or abrasion shall not be sufficient to classify a dog as dangerous under this subparagraph;(2)Aggressively attacks in a manner that causes a person to reasonably believe that the dog posed an imminent threat of serious injury to s...
Cat Rules
Cats get lighter treatment than other pets in unincorporated Barrow County. Sec. 14-38 exempts felines from the at-large ban that binds dogs, and Sec. 14-39's duty-to-restrain rule likewise does not apply to felines. Stray and feral cats without ID are instead routed through animal control's "community cat" trap-neuter-release program defined in Sec. 14-31.
Community and Feral Cat Rules in Barrow County
Light RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 14-31
Community cat means any stray or feral cat (unowned and free-roaming) that has been impounded by the animal control unit and marked by surgical ear-tip in accordance with the community cat program. Community cat program means a program of the animal control unit whereby stray or feral cats (unowned and free-roaming) are impounded by the animal control unit, spayed or neutered, rabies vaccinated...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Barrow County does not require every pet to be fixed, but it does for any cat that leaves home. Sec. 14-40(9) makes it a public nuisance offense for an unspayed or unneutered feline to roam off its owner's property, tying an animal's fertility status directly to whether it may legally be at-large.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter for Roaming Cats
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 14-40
It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain or keep in such a manner or in such conditions that it is a public nuisance or otherwise allow an animal owned or maintained by such a person to act so as to constitute a public nuisance animal. Any animal will be deemed a public nuisance animal if such animal: ... (9)Is any feline that is allowed to roam off of its owner's property unless such fe...
Microchipping
Get your dog or cat back from the Barrow County shelter and you leave with more than you brought in: Sec. 14-92(e) requires every domesticated animal that is impounded and reclaimed to have a microchip implanted, at the owner's expense, before animal control will release it.
Microchip Requirement for Impounded Pets
Light RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 14-92
(e)Any domesticated animal that is impounded and reclaimed shall be required to have a microchip implanted at the animal owner's expense.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in unincorporated Barrow County must sit at least 200 feet from any residential property or structure and provide enough sound- and odor-proofing that the practice doesn't become a nuisance. Boarding is off-limits unless it's tied to medical treatment, and clinics in a neighborhood commercial district or planned center can't have outside runs or kennels at all.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules in Barrow County
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 89-159
All structures shall be located and activities conducted at least 200 feet from any property or structure zoned or used for residential purposes.(a)Adequate sound- and odor-proofing shall be provided so the use does not create a nuisance.(b)No boarding shall be allowed unless required in connection with medical treatment.(c)No outside runs or kennels shall be allowed when such facilities are lo...
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