Newton County, GA Ordinances (2026)

Unincorporated Newton County adopts the state plumbing code by reference under Newton County Code § 10-54, filing a copy with the county clerk/treasurer. The building and inspections…

Unincorporated Newton County enforces the National Electrical Code with eleven local amendments under Newton County Code § 10-55. Wire-gauge minimums, GFCI zones and residential…

Unincorporated Newton County requires a building permit before anyone builds, alters, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a structure, or installs electrical, gas, mechanical…

Newton County adopts NFPA 13 and Appendix B of the International Fire Code by reference, mandating sprinklers in multifamily buildings of 3,600 square feet or three stories or more…

Every permitted construction job in unincorporated Newton County must pass building official inspections at required stages, including a mandatory final inspection before a certificate…

Newton County caps dogs and cats by lot size in the unincorporated area: six of each on lots over three acres, down to three of each on lots under 0.75 acres, and just two of each in…

A grooming shop counts as an 'animal establishment' under Newton County's animal code, so it needs a county occupational tax permit and a state license before opening, plus a separate…

Owning a wild or exotic animal in unincorporated Newton County requires a county certificate of registration, granted only after proof of state or federal licensing and a housing…

Newton County requires every cat to be vaccinated against rabies, but unlike dogs a cat does not have to wear a collar and tag; a cat in heat may not roam and must be confined until…

Newton County sends chicken and livestock numbers to the zoning code, but Sec. 8-81 sets its own limits for outdoor small mammals like rabbits: one per 1,000 square feet of high…

Unincorporated Newton County requires dogs to be confined by fence, enclosure or building, and any dog off its owner's property must be on a leash unless within sight and immediately…

Newton County does not ban dog breeds; instead it classifies individual dogs as dangerous or vicious after an incident. Animal control issues a nontransferable registration…

Newton County does not require every pet to carry a microchip, but animal control will not release an impounded dog or cat back to its owner, or place it for adoption, unless the…

In unincorporated Newton County, any noise audible more than 75 feet from its source that unreasonably disturbs a person's comfort or peace violates Sec. 36-106. Sec. 36-107(2) adds a…

Newton County Code § 36-107(4) makes it a violation to keep an animal or bird that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's comfort with frequent or long continued noise, once the keeper has…

Newton County Code § 36-107(3) bars using a radio, musical instrument, phonograph, loudspeaker or sound amplifier to cast sound upon the public, and requires that any advertising…

Newton County Code § 36-107(5) bars building erection, excavation, demolition, alteration or repair work that causes unreasonably loud noise between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.; that work…

Newton County Code § 36-107(6) treats an unmuffled, noise-creating blower, power fan or internal combustion engine as a noise violation unless it is fitted with a muffler sufficient to…

In unincorporated Newton County, the noise ordinance singles out vehicle horns and unmuffled engines as prohibited noise. Sec. 36-107 bans sounding a horn or signaling device on any…

Unincorporated Newton County requires a separate adult entertainment establishment license from Development Services on top of a business license, and Sec. 4-34 bars these businesses…

Every tattoo, piercing and other body craft studio operating in Newton County must hold a permit from the county board of health's director, applied for at least 30 days before…

Operating a massage or spa establishment in unincorporated Newton County requires a massage/spa establishment license from development services, on top of an occupation tax…

Retailers in unincorporated Newton County who sell bongs, hookah pipes, or other non-traditional tobacco paraphernalia must obtain an annual license from the Department of Development…

Unincorporated Newton County lets residents file anonymous code enforcement complaints under Sec. 2-268 of the county code. Each violation location needs its own form, and staff must…

Sec. 42-100 of the Newton County Code lists nine specific conditions the county's public officer can use to declare a dwelling, building or property unfit for habitation or business…

Newton County Code § 36-107(1) makes it a noise violation to sound any horn or signaling device on an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle on a county street or public place for an…

Newton County Code § 36-107(8) bars unreasonably loud and excessive noise in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. connected with loading or unloading a vehicle or…

Unincorporated Newton County requires every homeowners' association to register with the development services department, listing the HOA's officers, management company and registered…

In unincorporated Newton County, no one may grade, fill, build or otherwise develop land inside a special flood hazard area without first getting a development permit from the…

For streams in unincorporated Newton County's flood hazard areas where FEMA has not published base flood elevation data, Sec. 26-57 bars encroachments within 35 feet of the stream bank…

Newton County requires a land-disturbance permit before most development in the unincorporated area under Sec. 50-148(a). Projects that create 5,000 square feet or more of impervious…

Anyone disturbing land in unincorporated Newton County outside narrow exemptions must follow Sec. 22-22's minimum erosion, sedimentation, and pollution control standards using best…

Newton County's only sharps-disposal ordinance covers licensed tattoo and body craft studios, not a general household or needle-exchange program. Used needles cannot be bent, broken or…

Unincorporated Newton County's rat infestation control ordinance requires business owners to ratproof buildings and orders occupants of homes and apartments to store garbage in…

Where FEMA base flood elevation data exist, unincorporated Newton County requires new construction and substantially improved structures, including manufactured homes, to have the…

Rooftop and building-integrated solar panels are an allowed accessory use with no discretionary permit in unincorporated Newton County. Ground-mounted systems need an administrative…

Unincorporated Newton County bans drinking any alcoholic beverage on a street, alley, sidewalk or other public way, and inside any public building. Sec. 36-53 traces to Code 2001 §…

Unincorporated Newton County makes it an offense to be present at a time or in a manner unusual for law-abiding people under circumstances that create justifiable, reasonable alarm for…

In unincorporated Newton County it is unlawful to stand or enter a highway or public street to solicit money, business, or contributions from vehicle occupants or pedestrians without a…

Unincorporated Newton County bans tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, in every county-owned or -operated park and recreation facility, indoors and outdoors, at…

In unincorporated Newton County, every household must clear its trash at least once a week under County Code Sec. 42-65(e)(2): haul it to a public landfill or compactor yourself…

Dumping, depositing or throwing solid waste on any road, street or public or private property in unincorporated Newton County is unlawful under Code Sec. 42-66(a)(2) unless it goes…

Newton County Code lets residents compost yard trimmings, leaves and branches on their own property, or requires the owner to remove and dispose of them properly. Sec. 42-69(b)…

Newton County treats recycling as voluntary, not curbside-mandated: unincorporated residents can separate recyclable material for storage at county disposal sites, and centralized…

For unincorporated Newton County households on curbside pickup, section 42-65(e)(2) fixes a strict set-out window: trash containers cannot go to the curb more than 24 hours before the…

Newton County does not run a curbside bulk pickup program: under section 42-66(i), property owners must remove their own normal household furniture and appliances, such as sofas…

Newton County Code Article IV of Chapter 42 lets the county force repair or demolition of dwellings and buildings that are unfit for human habitation or business use, including…

Every property in unincorporated Newton County, including unimproved and vacant lots, must meet the standards of the county's property maintenance article. Sec. 42-21 requires an owner…

Newton County residents can force an inspection of a suspected unfit dwelling by filing a complaint request with code enforcement, so long as it comes from a public authority or at…

Newton County classifies every business for occupation-tax purposes by its dominant line, the type of business generating the greatest income, under Code Sec. 44-149(b)(2). Businesses…

Every dwelling unit in unincorporated Newton County must have an approved, listed smoke detector installed per the manufacturer's instructions and tested to UL 217. The requirement…

Temporary consumer fireworks retail sales stands in unincorporated Newton County must be licensed through the county fire service under Sec. 24-114, which the county adopted to align…

In unincorporated Newton County, burning hand-piled natural vegetation needs a permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission, while machine-piled vegetation needs a commercial burning…

In unincorporated Newton County, no one may kindle a bonfire or rubbish fire without a burn permit from the county fire department. Sec. 36-133 requires any fire to sit at least 50…

Commercial motion picture, television and photo shoots need county notification plus a permit to use public property or right-of-way, or an authorization to use private property…

Newton County exempts student filming from its motion picture, television and photographic production permit article, alongside news crews, government productions and licensed studios…

Newton County sets no fixed decibel cap for film shoots, but every filming permit application must describe the type of sound equipment to be used and the timing of amplified sound…

A Newton County filming application must detail any planned lane or road closures, detours and traffic control plans. Closures require on-duty POST certified officers directed by the…

A detached, one-story tool or storage shed on a lot in unincorporated Newton County needs no building permit if its floor area is 120 square feet or less. Larger accessory structures…

Unincorporated Newton County requires a building permit for a residential swimming pool unless it is a prefabricated pool less than 24 inches deep. Anything deeper, including an…

Unincorporated Newton County requires every swimming pool to have a four-foot barrier around it. Sec. 42-26 ties that standard to the county board of health's swimming pool regulations…

Newton County's housing code sets minimum habitability standards for every dwelling unit in the unincorporated county, covering working plumbing, heat of at least 70 degrees, a smoke…

Unincorporated Newton County bans abandoning any motor vehicle under state law, and its own code adds two property-level rules: no inoperable vehicle can sit outside an enclosed…

Newton County bars parking any commercial, industrial, or heavy vehicle or equipment on residentially zoned property in the unincorporated county, unless the county otherwise permits…

Newton County's definition of 'recreational vehicle' in section 42-23 sweeps in boats, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, and trailers of any type, not just campers and motor…

Anyone operating a food truck, ice cream truck, pushcart, or temporary food stand in unincorporated Newton County must first obtain a mobile food vendor license under Chapter 12…

Mobile food vendors in unincorporated Newton County cannot set up on public streets or in the right-of-way except at a county-sponsored or special event. Sec. 12-162 confines them to…

In unincorporated Newton County, trees, shrubs and other vegetation cannot be allowed to block safe vision on a sidewalk, driveway or road. Sec. 42-28 is short but absolute: any plant…

Unincorporated Newton County bars letting grass or weeds grow past ten feet on residential, commercial or vacant property meant for such use once the growth becomes a breeding ground…

Unincorporated Newton County allows residents to compost vegetative materials on their property. Sec. 42-30 requires all exterior property to stay sanitary and free of trash and…