Paulding County, GA Ordinances (2026)

Paulding County expects owners to keep lots clear of overgrown, combustible brush. With subdivisions pushing into the pine and hardwood around Paulding Forest WMA, defensible space is real wildfire protection here.

Paulding County is one of 54 Georgia counties under the EPD summer open-burning ban from May 1 to September 30. Outside that window, burning hand-piled natural yard debris needs a Georgia Forestry Commission permit.

Paulding County allows small, attended recreational wood fires kept well back from structures. Propane and gas pits stay legal year-round; wood fires stop during a Georgia Forestry Commission burn ban.

Paulding County has no California-style mapped fire zones, but new subdivisions ringing the 26,000-acre Paulding Forest WMA sit in a real wildland-urban interface. Defensible space and Firewise construction cut genuine risk.

Consumer fireworks have been legal statewide in Georgia since 2015, and Paulding County cannot ban them. State law sets the days and 10 AM to 11:59 PM hours; the county can only limit them through a general noise ordinance.

Paulding County has no dedicated short-term rental ordinance, registration, or STR permit — a search of the county code returns no vacation-rental rules. Operators instead need a county occupation tax certificate (business license) and must follow residential zoning.

Paulding County sets no short-term-rental-specific parking rules. STR guests follow the same residential parking and zoning standards as any home; the county has no STR ordinance requiring off-street spaces or capping guest vehicles.

Paulding County requires no short-term rental insurance. With no STR ordinance, there is no proof-of-coverage condition, and Georgia sets no statewide STR insurance mandate. Coverage is left to the host, insurer, lender, and any HOA requirements.

Paulding County sets no short-term-rental occupancy cap. There is no STR ordinance limiting guests per bedroom. Only general building and fire code occupancy standards, septic capacity, and any HOA covenants constrain how many people a rental can hold.

Paulding County levies no county hotel/motel excise tax; its tax code (Chapter 30) contains none. A short-term rental stay owes Georgia's combined 7% state and local sales tax, and the operator needs a county occupation tax certificate under § 30-93.

Paulding County sets no STR-specific noise rules, so short-term rental guests follow the same county noise ordinance as everyone else: Code § 46-62 bars sound plainly audible 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Paulding County does regulate leaf blowers. Under Code § 46-62(14), blowers, mowers, trimmers, and chainsaws may run only 6 a.m.–10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m.–8 p.m. weekends in residential subdivisions, and equipment must have a working muffler.

Unincorporated Paulding County bans unreasonably loud, disturbing noise under Code § 46-61. Between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., a sound device plainly audible 50 feet away, or yelling and shouting near a home, is a violation. The Marshal's Bureau and Sheriff enforce.

In unincorporated Paulding County, a persistently barking dog is treated as a private civil nuisance under Code § 14-15. The neighbor sues the owner in magistrate court; Animal Control cannot abate the barking itself, though the Marshal may serve the claim.

Unincorporated Paulding County limits construction, demolition, and street excavation in residential areas to 6 a.m.–9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday under Code § 46-62(12). Loud material deliveries follow the same hours.

Amplified music in unincorporated Paulding County falls under Code § 46-62. A radio, instrument, or sound device plainly audible 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. is a violation, and loudspeakers cast onto public streets for advertising are prohibited.

Paulding County requires vehicles to sit on an improved driveway, not on the grass. Front-lawn and unpaved parking draws code-compliance action, and adding or widening a driveway onto a county road needs a permit.

Paulding County's zoning ordinance regulates where residents store RVs, boats, and trailers at home. Front-yard and street storage is restricted; screened side or rear placement is the norm. HOAs are usually stricter.

Paulding County zoning limits parking large commercial trucks, semis, and heavy equipment overnight in residential neighborhoods. A work pickup or van is fine; storing a rig at home is not.

Paulding County prohibits leaving abandoned, wrecked, or unregistered vehicles on public streets or in view on private property. Code enforcement tags them and, after a notice period, has them towed at the owner's expense.

Paulding County has no blanket countywide overnight street-parking ban, but many subdivisions restrict or prohibit it by covenant, and vehicles left too long can be tagged as abandoned. Registered, operable cars can otherwise sit on public streets.

Installing a home EV charger in Paulding County means pulling an electrical permit for the 240-volt circuit. New commercial projects increasingly add EV-ready spaces, and public chargers must meet ADA access rules.

Georgia sets no statewide street-parking time limit, so Paulding County controls the curb through local ordinance and posted signs. State law still bans parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant and blocking intersections or driveways.

Paulding County requires a building permit only for fences taller than seven feet; ordinary residential fences below that need none. UDO Section 240-160 still governs corner visibility, and HOAs run separate approval.

Georgia has no good-neighbor fence statute, so Paulding County neighbors do not have to split fence costs. Each owner builds and pays for their own fence, and boundary disputes are settled in civil court.

Paulding County requires a building permit and engineered plans for retaining walls over four feet; shorter walls are typically exempt. Drainage and setbacks matter, and a wall that floods a neighbor creates civil liability.

Paulding County enforces the Georgia-adopted building code, which requires a barrier at least four feet high around residential pools, with self-closing, self-latching gates. Inspection occurs at permitting.

Paulding County's zoning code sets no general residential fence-height limit. UDO Section 240-160 regulates only corner sight-triangles: nothing over three feet within 15 feet of a street intersection. Building permits apply above seven feet.

No Georgia statute and no Paulding County zoning rule restricts residential fence materials. Wood, vinyl, chain-link, aluminum, and wrought iron are all allowed. Only HOA covenants typically dictate approved materials and styles.

Beekeeping is legal across Paulding County and no county permit exists. Georgia law, O.C.G.A. Section 2-14-41.1, bars any county from prohibiting honeybee hives, though it preserves zoning setback authority. Hobbyists need not register with the state.

Paulding County has no ordinance banning the feeding of wildlife, and Georgia sets no general feeding prohibition. Backyard bird feeding is unrestricted, but feeding that draws nuisance or rabies-vector animals near homes creates liability.

Paulding County Code Section 14-86 makes it unlawful to keep any wild animal without a written license from Animal Control, which also requires notice to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. State wildlife law applies on top.

Paulding County ties poultry and livestock keeping to zoning. Chapter 14 Section 14-11 bars any livestock or fowl enclosure not authorized by the county's zoning ordinances. Rural A-1 and ER acreage permits them; suburban lots do not.

Paulding County Code Section 14-12 requires every animal off its owner's property to be on a leash and under a person's control, and bars leaving any animal unattended on a tether. Rabies vaccination is required by three months.

Paulding County bans no dog breed. It regulates dogs by behavior under Georgia's Responsible Dog Ownership Law, O.C.G.A. Section 4-8-20 et seq. A dog is classified dangerous or vicious for what it does, not its breed.

No Georgia statute or Paulding County ordinance restricts native or drought-tolerant landscaping. You may replace lawn with native Piedmont plants and pollinator beds freely; only HOA covenants can require a conventional grass lawn.

Under Georgia's Water Stewardship Act, Paulding County allows landscape watering any day but only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. As a Metro North Georgia Water District member, the county tightens to a two-day odd/even schedule when Georgia EPD declares a drought.

No Georgia statute or Paulding County ordinance governs artificial turf. Homeowners may install synthetic lawns without a county permit; HOA covenants are the main limit, and large installations on sloped or creek-side lots may face drainage review.

Paulding County requires no permit to prune or cut back trees on your own residential lot. Its tree rules live in zoning buffers and subdivision landscaping, not homeowner yard work. Right-of-way trees and HOA covenants are the real limits.

Removing trees on your own Paulding County lot needs no permit. The county regulates trees only when land is developed, through zoning buffers and subdivision landscaping. Street trees are county-managed and off-limits to residents.

Rainwater harvesting is legal and effectively unregulated in Paulding County. Georgia places no restriction on collecting rain, and rain barrels and cisterns for lawn and garden use are allowed countywide without a permit.

Paulding County sets a 24-inch limit on grass and vegetation, enforced by the county Marshal as a litter nuisance. It covers platted subdivision lots and any lot holding a structure; agriculture-zoned land is exempt, and only unincorporated areas are covered.

Paulding County folds weeds and overgrowth into its litter ordinance. Vegetation over 24 inches, dead trees, and debris on platted subdivision lots are Marshal-enforced nuisances; agriculture-zoned land is exempt and much of the rural county lies outside the rule.

Georgia dropped its statewide cottage food license, so you can bake and sell non-hazardous foods from a Paulding County home kitchen with no state permit and no revenue cap. Sales must go straight to the end consumer.

Home child care in Paulding County is licensed by the state, not the county. Georgia's Bright from the Start (DECAL) licenses a family child care learning home for three to six children; watching one or two needs no license.

You can run a business from a Paulding County home, but the zoning ordinance keeps it low-impact: the office fills no more than one room, only residents plus one incidental outside employee may work there, and you hold a county occupation tax certificate.

A home business in unincorporated Paulding County stays invisible from the street. The zoning ordinance requires that a home occupation not be visibly evident from outside the dwelling, so no exterior business sign is allowed.

Paulding County caps client visits to a home business at two per hour, with up to four per hour during a peak season like tax time. The point is to keep a home from becoming a commercial destination.

Paulding County issues no tree-removal permit. Its official code-enforcement guide lists none and the county has no tree-preservation ordinance. Trees are regulated only through zoning buffers and subdivision landscaping when land is developed.

Paulding County imposes no tree-replacement duty on homeowners who remove yard trees. Replacement-style planting appears only in development: platted subdivisions must plant yard trees at a set caliper, and required buffers must be kept vegetated.

Paulding County has no heritage, landmark, or specimen tree ordinance. Georgia sets no statewide heritage-tree law either, so even large or historic trees on private land carry no special county protection. HOA covenants are the only possible limit.

A food truck serving Paulding County needs a Georgia mobile food service permit from Paulding County Environmental Health plus a county occupation tax certificate. State rules require the truck to work from a permitted base of operation or commissary.

Georgia has no statewide law shielding food trucks, so where a truck may set up in Paulding County turns on county zoning and private-property permission. Most vending happens on private commercial lots with the owner's consent.

Commercial door-to-door sellers in unincorporated Paulding County are regulated through the county code and business licensing. Religious, political, and charitable canvassing is constitutionally protected and treated differently from commercial sales.

A posted no-soliciting sign is a homeowner's simplest tool in Paulding County. A commercial solicitor who ignores a clearly posted no-soliciting notice can be asked to leave and reported to the county or sheriff.

Growing marijuana at home is a felony in Paulding County. Georgia permits no home cultivation, even for registered low-THC-oil patients, and growing plants is manufacturing marijuana under state law, punishable by one to ten years in prison.

Paulding County has no cannabis dispensaries because Georgia authorizes none for plant marijuana. The state's only legal outlet is low-THC oil, sold to registered patients through state-licensed producers and pharmacies, not retail marijuana stores.

Georgia has no statewide ADU mandate, so accessory dwellings in Paulding County are governed entirely by the county Zoning Ordinance. Whether a second dwelling or in-law suite is allowed depends on your residential zoning district.

A carport is a roofed accessory structure, so it needs a Paulding County building permit and must keep the 10-foot side and rear setback. Pre-fabricated metal carport kits are permitted the same as site-built ones.

Turning a garage into living space is a change of occupancy that needs a Paulding County building permit. The converted room must meet the state residential code for egress, insulation, and smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.

A tiny home's status in Paulding County turns on its foundation. On a permanent foundation it is a dwelling under the state building code; on wheels it is a titled RV that zoning does not treat as a permanent home.

Sheds and outbuildings in Paulding County must sit at least 10 feet off the side and rear property lines and cannot stand in a required front yard. Small sheds may skip a building permit, but never the zoning setbacks.

Paulding County requires a building permit before any in-ground or pre-manufactured above-ground pool goes in. The Building & Permitting Division reviews sealed pool location plans and inspects the work under Georgia's state minimum standard codes.

An above-ground pool in Paulding County still needs a permit and a barrier. The pool wall counts as the barrier only when it stands at least 48 inches high and the access ladder is secured, locked, or removable.

A hot tub gets the one real break in Georgia's pool code. Under Section 305.1, a spa or hot tub fitted with a lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is exempt from the 48-inch barrier rules in Paulding County.

Pool safety in Paulding County runs on Georgia's adopted Swimming Pool and Spa Code plus the federal VGB Act. Gates must self-close and self-latch, drains need anti-entrapment covers, and pool wiring needs GFCI protection and bonding.

Every residential pool in Paulding County must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high. Georgia's State Minimum Standard Swimming Pool and Spa Code, Section 305.2.1, sets that height, enforced through the county building permit.

Measurable snow is rare in Paulding County, and the county has no snow-removal ordinance. Residents are not required to shovel sidewalks; icy days are handled by state and county road crews treating priority routes.

Paulding County has no curbside cart-screening rule because it runs no curbside collection. Container areas must be kept clean under Section 40-8(2), and garbage cannot accumulate in disorderly piles visible as litter.

Paulding County has no yard-sale permit, but sale goods and signs cannot linger by the road. Section 40-5(5) makes storing merchandise within six feet of a right-of-way beyond 24 hours unlawful permanent storage.

Paulding County requires every residential, commercial, and vacant property to be kept free of litter, junk, and overgrowth. The Marshal's Office enforces Chapter 40 against disorderly accumulations, junk vehicles, and blight in the unincorporated county.

In Paulding County, grass, weeds, and uncultivated vegetation may not exceed 18 inches on subdivision properties that hold a building. Undeveloped platted lots must be kept clear along their right-of-way frontage.

Paulding County controls building bulk mainly through large minimum lot sizes, not a single lot-coverage percentage. A-1 lots must be five acres, R-2 suburban lots 20,000 square feet, and R-2 with sewer 15,000 square feet.

Paulding County zones unincorporated land and sets real yard setbacks by district. Its primary R-2 suburban residential district requires a 35-foot front yard, 15-foot side yards, and a 25-foot rear yard under the zoning ordinance.

Paulding County's zoning ordinance caps building height at 45 feet across its residential districts, including A-1 agricultural and both R-2 suburban residential categories. Height is measured from grade to the roof under Article VIII.

Paulding County runs no curbside garbage collection in the unincorporated area. Residents either subscribe to a private hauler or self-haul household waste to the county transfer station and landfill.

Recycling is voluntary in Paulding County. Georgia has no residential recycling mandate, and the county offers a free drop-off recycling center on County Services Lane in Dallas rather than curbside recycling.

Paulding has no county bulk-pickup day. Residents haul large items to the county landfill; appliances with freon carry a $10 removal fee. Dumping bulky waste on roadsides or vacant land is unlawful under county code and state law.

With no county curbside program, Paulding's rules focus on keeping garbage containers clean and off the road edge. Container areas must be maintained in a clean condition, and waste cannot accumulate in disorderly piles.

The unincorporated county requires no permit for a yard or garage sale. Only a continuous, ongoing sale triggers county attention, handled by Planning and Zoning as an unpermitted business. Dallas and Hiram set their own rules.

Paulding County sets no numeric cap on yard sales per year in the unincorporated area. There is no per-household limit; the only trigger is a continuous, ongoing sale, which Planning and Zoning treats as an unpermitted business.

Paulding County sets no fixed yard-sale hours, but sale goods and signs cannot linger. Under Section 40-5(5), merchandise stored within six feet of a right-of-way beyond 24 hours becomes unlawful permanent storage subject to the litter code.

Paulding County enforces no general juvenile curfew, and Georgia sets no statewide curfew for minors. A teen out late on a public road commits no curfew offense in the unincorporated county, though trespass and teen-driving laws still apply.

Paulding County parks close at posted hours set by Parks & Recreation, and being in a park after closing is treated as trespassing. After-hours presence can be prosecuted as criminal trespass under O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.

Unlike Florida or California, Georgia has no law voiding HOA solar bans. In Paulding County's HOA-governed subdivisions, a homeowners association may restrict or even prohibit rooftop solar, and those covenants are enforceable in court.

Paulding County requires a building and electrical permit for rooftop solar. Systems must meet the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes, and interconnection runs through the local utility, GreyStone Power or Georgia Power, which sets the buyback rate.

Paulding County requires a land-disturbance permit for significant grading and enforces the state's stream buffers. Drainage cannot be redirected onto neighboring property, and retaining walls over four feet need engineered plans and a separate permit.

Paulding County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and enforces floodplain standards along Pumpkinvine Creek, Sweetwater Creek, and Raccoon Creek. New buildings in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas must sit above base flood elevation with added county freeboard.

Paulding County requires a land-disturbance permit and post-development stormwater controls for new construction. As a Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District member, it enforces runoff-reduction standards to protect Pumpkinvine and Sweetwater creeks.

Paulding County is landlocked in the northwest Atlanta metro, roughly 250 miles from the Atlantic. Georgia's coastal statutes do not apply here. What governs waterfront lots instead are the county's stream buffers, watershed setbacks, and floodplain rules.

Any land disturbance in Paulding County requires erosion and sediment controls under Georgia's Erosion and Sedimentation Act. A 25-foot undisturbed buffer applies along state waters, widening to 50 feet on trout streams. Red-clay Piedmont soil makes this critical.

No Georgia statute and no Paulding County ordinance regulate holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays on private property. A homeowner decorates without a county permit; HOA covenants are the main limit in deed-restricted subdivisions.

Paulding County's Chapter 67 sign ordinance regulates yard signs content-neutrally, so political signs sit under the same size and placement limits as other temporary signs. Off your property, O.C.G.A. §32-6-51 makes it unlawful to stake any sign in a public road right-of-way.

Paulding County's Chapter 67 sign ordinance allows a yard-sale sign on your own property as a temporary sign, within size and placement limits. Off your land, O.C.G.A. §32-6-51 makes it unlawful to place a sign in any public-road right-of-way.

Georgia has no just-cause eviction law, and Paulding County cannot add one. A landlord first demands possession under O.C.G.A. §44-7-50, then files a dispossessory action in Paulding County Magistrate Court. A tenant leaves only on a court order.

Paulding County runs no registration program for long-term rentals — a landlord needs no county rental permit or inspection to lease a house. The county has adopted no dedicated short-term rental license, though STR operators still owe zoning compliance and hotel/motel tax.

Rent control is illegal in Paulding County. Georgia's O.C.G.A. §44-7-19 bars every county and city from regulating the rent charged on private residential property. Neither the county nor Dallas or Hiram may cap rent, so landlords set and raise rents at market.

Georgia law O.C.G.A. § 6-1-4 preempts Paulding County from regulating drones, so recreational flights follow FAA rules under 49 U.S.C. § 44809: register drones over 250 grams, pass the TRUST test, stay below 400 feet, keep visual line of sight.

Commercial drone pilots in Paulding County follow FAA 14 C.F.R. Part 107: hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, register the aircraft, stay below 400 feet, keep line of sight. Georgia's O.C.G.A. § 6-1-4 bars the county from adding its own drone license.

Paulding County has no residential dark-sky ordinance, and Georgia has no statewide dark-sky law. The zoning code instead limits glare from parking and commercial lighting, requiring it be aimed away from neighboring homes.

Paulding County sets no residential foot-candle light-trespass limit. The zoning code controls glare from parking and commercial fixtures, and the airport overlay requires lighting near the airport to prevent spillage and glare toward aircraft.