10 rules for unincorporated Clayton County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens and other poultry are 'farm animals' under Clayton County's zoning ordinance. A 'farm' means at least three acres, and chickens are generally allowed for personal use only in the Suburban Agricultural district, not in standard residential districts.
Clayton County Zoning Ordinance, App. A (Definitions)
Farm animals include, but are not limited to, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, mules, donkeys, ... rabbits, mink, fox, buffalo, chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasants, and other animals or fowl of similar characteristics. Farm means an area of at least three (3) acres.
In unincorporated Clayton County, a dog off its owner's property must be leashed and under the direct control of a person able to restrain it. Confinement by fence, pen, cage, trolley, or secure enclosure counts as 'under control' on the premises.
Clayton County Code Sec. 14-3
Under control means any animal shall be considered under control if it is confined by fence, pen, cage, trolley system, or secure enclosure on the premises of its owner or is secured by a leash when not confined or off the premises of the owner.
Clayton County has no breed-specific dog ban. Dangerous and vicious dogs are regulated by behavior under Georgia's Responsible Dog Ownership Law (O.C.G.A. 4-8-21) and the county's Article VI, which requires secure confinement, a muzzle, and a four-foot leash off the premises.
Clayton County Code Sec. 14-146
Tethering with a wire, rope, leash, chain or any other type of leader as the sole means of confinement of a vicious dog is not permitted... the dog shall be muzzled and on a collar and leash of sufficient strength to restrain the vicious dog and such leash shall not exceed four feet in length.
Clayton County's animal chapter sets no specific beekeeping ordinance. Beekeeping is governed statewide by Georgia's Bee Law (O.C.G.A. 2-14-40 et seq.), which the Department of Agriculture administers, and by right-to-farm protection under O.C.G.A. 41-1-7.
Clayton County Code Chapter 14, Article III (Wild and Exotic Animals) prohibits keeping listed wild and exotic species, including primates, big cats, wolves, bears, venomous and constrictor reptiles, and others. Georgia also requires a state wild-animal license from the DNR.
Clayton County Code Ch. 14, Art. III
Wild and exotic animals include any monkey or other nonhuman primate, raccoon, skunk, wolf, squirrel, fox, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx, ferret, bear, wild rabbit, wild rodent and reptiles, including crocodiles, alligators, snakes, caiman and gavials, and any other animal designated by the animal control unit.
Clayton County's animal chapter has no standalone ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife. Feeding that creates a nuisance or effectively maintains wild animals can be reached through the county's wild-animal and nuisance provisions, and Georgia DNR rules govern many species.
Horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and similar livestock are 'farm animals' under Clayton County zoning. A 'farm' means at least three acres, so livestock is limited to agricultural-zoned parcels, not typical residential lots in this built-up metro county.
Clayton County Zoning Ordinance, App. A (Definitions)
Farm animals include, but are not limited to, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, mules, donkeys, miniature horses, miniature donkeys, camels, emu, ostrich, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, mink, fox, buffalo, chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasants, and other animals or fowl of similar characteristics.
Clayton County has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but its five-animal private-kennel threshold and confinement rules limit accumulation. Severe neglect and overcrowding are prosecuted under Georgia's animal-cruelty statute, O.C.G.A. 16-12-4.
Clayton County treats a household with more than five dogs or five cats (or a combination of five) over four months old as a 'private kennel.' Keeping animals above that threshold moves the property into kennel regulation rather than ordinary pet keeping.
Clayton County Code Sec. 14-3
Private kennel means any person, excluding commercial kennels, pet shops and veterinary clinics or hospitals, who keeps, harbors or knowingly permits to remain on or about his premises, more than five dogs or five cats or more than a combination of five dogs and cats over four months of age.
Clayton County treats cats as animals that must be kept 'under control' and current on rabies vaccination. Cats count toward the five-animal private-kennel threshold, and Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 31-19) mandates rabies vaccination for cats as well as dogs.
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