6 rules for unincorporated Columbia County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Columbia County zoning allows up to six chickens on parcels under one acre as small-scale agriculture, bars commercial poultry houses, and requires livestock to be fenced with a 25-foot barn setback. R-A farming lots need 2½ acres.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 90-147(d)(4)
Operation of poultry houses, dairies, ranges, and feedlots for the commercial sale of meat or eggs is prohibited. ... On parcels smaller than one acre, residential gardening and the keeping of no more than six chickens may take place. The nuisance provisions of chapter 34, article II shall apply.
Columbia County bars animals from running at large in the unincorporated county under Code Sec. 14-6 and requires a dog off its owner's property to be leashed, crated, or securely enclosed. Rabies vaccination is mandatory at three months.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 14-6(a), (d)
It shall be unlawful for any owner or possessor of an animal to allow such animal to run at-large within the unincorporated areas of the county, whether or not such animal is wearing a collar and tag. ... It shall be the duty of the owner or custodian of any dog to keep such dog under restraint and control at all times while the dog is off the real property limits of the owner, possessor or cus...
Columbia County has no breed-specific ban. Dangerous and vicious dogs are handled by behavior under Code Sec. 14-14, which defers to Georgia's Responsible Dog Ownership Law (O.C.G.A. § 4-8-20 et seq.). Classification appeals go to Probate Court.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 14-14
All matters pertaining to the control of dangerous or vicious dogs shall be investigated in accordance with O.C.G.A. tit.4, ch. 8, and in accordance with jurisdiction provided by the state law. Should an owner of a classified dog wish to appeal the classification of a dog as dangerous or vicious, that appeal shall be heard by the Probate Judge of Columbia County or his designee.
Columbia County treats beekeeping as an agricultural pursuit and sets no hive limits or beekeeping setbacks. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 2-14-41.1) bars a county from prohibiting honeybees, leaving oversight to the state Department of Agriculture.
Columbia County refers wild-animal matters to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources under Code Sec. 14-7. Keeping exotic or wild animals requires a state DNR Wild Animal License, and many species are prohibited outright.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 14-7
All complaints and matters concerning wild animals, not of a domestic nature, and complaints involving game animals or protected species and/or hunting, shall be forwarded to the game and fish division of the state department of natural resources or the United States Department of Agriculture, Law Enforcement Division.
Columbia County has no ordinance prohibiting the feeding of deer, coyotes, or other wildlife. Under Code Sec. 14-7, wild-animal matters are handled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, not county Animal Services.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 14-7
All complaints and matters concerning wild animals, not of a domestic nature, and complaints involving game animals or protected species and/or hunting, shall be forwarded to the game and fish division of the state department of natural resources or the United States Department of Agriculture, Law Enforcement Division.
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