Fair Oaks, GA
111 local rules on file · Pop. 9,028 · Cobb County
Showing ordinances that apply to Fair Oaks, GA
Fair Oaks is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 9,028 in Cobb County, Georgia. Because Fair Oaks is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Cobb County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Cobb County may have different rules.
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🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🔥 Fire & Safety
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
🔥 Fire Regulations
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Some RestrictionsA legal recreational fire in unincorporated Cobb County can hold no more than three feet of fuel across and two feet high, burning only clean wood or logs: no garbage or yard waste.
Propane Storage
Some RestrictionsCobb County exempts small residential propane tanks entirely from its tank ordinance: a container used only for heating or cooking at a detached one- or two-family home escapes…
Fireworks
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, a temporary consumer fireworks retail stand must obtain a temporary business license and post a conspicuous notice listing the hours when igniting…
Outdoor Burning
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County bans burning petroleum products, tires, garbage, and any fire in a barrel outright under Code Section 54-114, and forbids all outdoor burning whenever…
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, trees inside a lot's protected zone (the land outside the buildable area, required open space, and any designated buffer or tree-save area) cannot be cut…
Water Restrictions
Some RestrictionsCobb County limits outdoor irrigation of lawns, gardens, and landscaping to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. year-round in unincorporated Cobb County, under Code Section 122-262…
Weed Ordinances
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County bans weeds and grass over 12 inches tall on any property, with code enforcement issuing notice, then a Magistrate Court citation for continued violations.
🏠 Short-Term Rentals
Extended Home Share
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires a short-term rental certificate from the business license division before anyone rents a residential property in the unincorporated area to transient guests for 30…
Repeat Violator Strikes
Significant RestrictionsCobb County fines short-term rental violations $500 for a first offense and $750 for a second, then revokes the certificate for 12 months after a third violation within a year.
Short-Term Rental Permits
Significant RestrictionsRenting a house or room to guests for stays under 30 days in unincorporated Cobb County requires an annual short-term rental certificate from the business license division before any…
Occupancy Limits
Some RestrictionsCobb County short-term rentals must follow the county's single-family dwelling occupancy standard of at least 390 square feet of living space per adult occupant, and the resulting…
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County caps overnight vehicle parking for every short-term rental in the unincorporated area at one vehicle per 390 square feet of the dwelling's living space, the same standard…
Taxes & Fees
Some RestrictionsCobb County makes every short-term rental owner responsible for collecting and remitting all required hotel/motel occupancy taxes, tourism fees, and other state and local lodging taxes…
Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsEvery short-term rental in unincorporated Cobb County must disclose the county's noise rules to guests, not just register for a permit. Code § 78-407(h)(7)-(8)e requires that both the…
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Aircraft Noise
Light RestrictionsCobb County Code § 14-74(4) requires every pilot using Cobb County Airport, McCollum Field, to follow published federal, state, and local noise abatement procedures. The rule sits…
Leaf Blower Rules
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County bans noisy landscaping equipment, mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, pressure washers, and leaf blowers, gas or electric, between 9:00 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. on any…
Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsCobb County's unincorporated areas cap loud noise at 70 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10:59 p.m. and 65 dBA overnight, measured at the complaining property's location.
Vehicle Noise
Some RestrictionsCobb County makes it unlawful, in the unincorporated county, to let exhaust escape without an effective muffler or to drive a vehicle so out of repair or loaded that it grates, grinds…
Quiet Hours
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, sound that disturbs a neighbor's comfort or repose breaks the noise ordinance once it tops 70 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 10:59 p.m., dropping to a…
Barking Dogs
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, keeping an animal or bird whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs a neighbor's comfort or repose is a noise-ordinance violation under Code §…
Construction Hours
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, noisy construction work, excavation, demolition, alteration or repair of a structure, and equipment like pile drivers, pneumatic hammers, saws and…
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, playing a radio, musical instrument, phonograph or other sound-producing device so it disturbs neighbors' peace and quiet is a noise-ordinance violation…
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires every cat be vaccinated for rabies by four months of age and, once past that age, to wear a collar with a valid vaccination tag whenever it's off the owner's…
Pet Limits
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County defines a hoarder as anyone who collects animals without adequate care or keeps them in filthy, unsanitary conditions, and lists hoarding as a form of criminal animal…
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsCobb County caps backyard hens at one per 5,000 square feet on lots under two acres and requires a fenced rear-yard coop 25 feet off property lines.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Heavy RestrictionsEvery dog, cat, or other animal adopted from the Cobb County Animal Control and Services (CCAS) shelter must be spayed or neutered under Cobb County Code § 10-69(e). Adopters sign a…
Breed Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires owners of dogs classified dangerous or vicious to obtain a nontransferable certificate of registration, secure the dog in an approved enclosure, post warning…
Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires every animal off its owner's property to be on a chain, leash, or tie no longer than six feet in the hands of someone able to control it; voice command alone does…
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Significant RestrictionsIn Cobb County's NRC neighborhood retail commercial district, animal hospitals are allowed only as a special exception use and must carry a 35-foot landscaped buffer against…
Coyote Management
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County makes it unlawful to purchase, sell, own, possess, harbor, or breed a coyote, along with foxes, raccoons, skunks, wolves, hybrid wildlife, and exotic cats, anywhere in the…
🚗 Parking Rules
EV Charging
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires four-or-fewer EV charging stations on multifamily or nonresidential property to sit at least 20 feet from side or rear lines, out of front setbacks and buffers.
Abandoned Vehicles
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County Code Section 134-277 bans junk, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, abandoned or unregistered vehicles, mobile homes and trailers from sitting on any zoned property in the…
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County bars any truck or freight vehicle over 12,500 pounds gross weight from parking or standing on a public street or highway for more than one hour, day or…
Overnight Parking
Some RestrictionsIn Cobb County business districts, on-street parking is capped at two hours between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., with shorter limits where the traffic engineer posts signs.
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsCobb County restricts freight curb loading zones to actual loading and unloading of materials; a passenger vehicle may only stop briefly and must not block a waiting freight vehicle.
RV & Boat Parking
Some RestrictionsIn most single-family districts, Cobb County caps rear- and side-yard parking to one vehicle, one boat, and one RV, combined, on a hardened surface.
Curb Color Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, the county's traffic engineer, the director of the Department of Transportation, is the only official who may designate a bus stop, and every bus stop so…
Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County bans parking on unhardened ground countywide, and front-yard parking in residential districts must sit on a paved driveway, carport, or garage.
💼 Home Business
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsCobb County allows home occupations as a zoning-permitted accessory use only if they stay inside the dwelling, employ just residents, and use no more than 25 percent of the home.
Signage Rules
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County's zoning code bans any exterior sign or evidence of a home-based business in unincorporated areas, including identifying signage of any kind.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsCobb County's zoning code bars home-based businesses in unincorporated areas from hosting clients or customers, except for one-on-one instruction like tutoring or music lessons.
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County allows in-home day care as a permitted use in every single-family residential zoning district, from R-80 through RA-5. The zoning code caps paid enrollment…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsCobb County caps residential retaining wall height at six feet when built within five feet of the property line, letting height grow five feet for every additional five feet of setback.
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsCobb County caps fences and freestanding walls at eight feet, cutting the limit to six feet where a fence sits along a road right-of-way or in a front or side yard.
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires every permitted residential hauler working the unincorporated area to collect household trash at least once a week under Code of Ordinances section 102-70. During…
Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County requires every permitted residential collector to offer recyclable-materials pickup on a regular monthly basis to enrolled customers, not just advertise it…
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Some RestrictionsCobb County doesn't cancel trash pickup for holidays: it shifts it. Code of Ordinances § 102-70(2) requires every permitted residential hauler in the unincorporated county to alternate…
Yard Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsSince September 1, 1996, Cobb County has banned mixing yard trimmings with municipal solid waste anywhere in unincorporated Cobb County. Residents must sort, stockpile, chip, compost…
Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County limits how long garbage carts can sit streetside: no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before pickup, gone by 11 p.m. on collection day.
Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County limits homeowners to one temporary dumpster, placed on a hardened surface, for up to 30 days per year in unincorporated areas.
Illegal Dumping
Heavy RestrictionsDumping, throwing, or leaving litter on public or private property in unincorporated Cobb County is a misdemeanor under County Code section 102-92(a). A load of ten pounds or 15 cubic…
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires residential customers to bag and tie trash before setout, while recyclables must go loose into the recycling container, not bagged.
🛴 Mobility & Curb Rules
Bike Lane Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires bicyclists on Columns Drive, the corridor leading to the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, to stay on the paved multi-use…
E-Bike Classes
Significant RestrictionsCobb County bans Class II and Class III e-bikes from every park trail and limits Class I e-bikes to just three named trails countywide.
🚷 Public Conduct
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County Code § 90-63(b) bans smoking and vaping throughout every county-owned, leased, or operated park, sports complex, and recreation facility, including open outdoor areas, not…
Public Alcohol Use
Significant RestrictionsCobb County bans selling, possessing, or drinking alcohol in county parks and on school grounds, with narrow exceptions for permitted closed functions, county golf courses, and areas…
Public Urination
Some RestrictionsCobb County lists urinating or defecating in public as banned disorderly conduct within any county park or recreation facility.
Loitering Rules
Significant RestrictionsCobb County's disorderly conduct ordinance bars loitering, prowling or remaining in a place in a manner unusual for law-abiding people once county police have ordered the area cleared…
Aggressive Panhandling
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County bans panhandling, soliciting or distributing materials to occupants of vehicles stopped on arterial and collector roads, medians included, whenever those…
📢 Noise from Specific Sources
🎬 Filming & Production
Location Permits
Some RestrictionsFilming that impacts public property in unincorporated Cobb County requires a film permit from the county manager's office before work begins.
Student Filming
Light RestrictionsCobb County lets students obtain film permits but requires a school certificate proving current, bona fide enrollment before approval.
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Adult Entertainment
Heavy RestrictionsCobb County bars sexually oriented businesses from locating within 750 feet of homes, 1,500 feet of schools or churches, 1,000 feet of another such business, or 500 feet of alcohol…
Towing Companies
Significant RestrictionsAny wrecker service operating on unincorporated Cobb County streets, zone-holder or not, must comply with the county's wrecker ordinance (Chapter 126, Article II) or risk citation. The…
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Heavy RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County does not treat auto repair as a customary home occupation. Zoning Code § 134-1(3) bars home occupations from using equipment beyond household and hobby…
Secondhand Dealers
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires anyone buying gold, silver, platinum, or gems from the public in the unincorporated county to register with the business license office, obtain a Chapter 78…
Pawnbrokers
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires every pawnshop in the unincorporated area to hold a license issued by the business license office. Applicants must be at least 25 years old, file a sworn written…
Massage Establishments
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires anyone operating a health spa or massage business in the unincorporated area to hold a county license, and every therapist must carry a state massage license.
Tattoo & Body Modification
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires tattoo, piercing, and semi-permanent makeup businesses to comply with the county board of health's Rules and Regulations for Body Art, adopted by reference in…
🔧 Building Safety
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires a permit before any building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, or gas work begins on unincorporated property, issued by the Development and Inspections Division…
Green Building Code
Some RestrictionsCobb County adopts the International Energy Conservation Code as the county's energy code for the unincorporated area, codified at County Code Section 18-326 under authority of…
Electrical Permits
Some RestrictionsCobb County has adopted the National Electrical Code as its electrical code, and Sec. 18-27 requires a permit before any electrical work begins in the unincorporated county.
Plumbing Permits
Some RestrictionsCobb County has adopted the International Plumbing Code as its plumbing code, and Sec. 18-27 requires a permit before any plumbing work begins in the unincorporated county.
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Some RestrictionsNew apartment buildings two stories or taller in unincorporated Cobb County must install a supervised fire protection sprinkler system, with NFPA 13R allowed up to four stories and…
Door Locking Hardware
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, every exterior door must carry proper hardware kept in working condition, fit its frame tightly enough to keep out rain and wind, and have jambs, stops…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires best management practices on all land-disturbing activity in the unincorporated area, and treats stormwater discharge that raises receiving-water turbidity above…
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County requires stormwater management measures designed to the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual on qualifying development, combining structural and…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, new residential development in the floodplain must keep at least 12,500 square feet of contiguous buildable land 18 inches above the base flood…
Flood Zones
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County requires a development permit before any grading, filling, or construction inside an area of special flood hazard, and won't approve work unless it meets the…
💧 Water Use Rules
Recycled Water Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County requires new conveyor car washes built after January 1, 2011 to install operational recycled water systems that reuse at least half of the water they use.
Leak Reporting Duty
Some RestrictionsCobb County treats a visible, unrepaired outdoor leak of more than one gallon a minute as water waste, subjecting the property owner to the same penalties as illegal watering.
🚶 Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Encroachment Permits
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires anyone doing pavement cuts, curb cuts or utility work in a county right-of-way to get Department of Transportation approval first.
Obstruction Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, sidewalks and other rights-of-way must stay clear of unnecessary obstructions. Placing any structure or material there, including junk or debris, without…
🪧 Sign Regulations
Digital Billboards
Some RestrictionsCobb County caps electronic sign brightness at 0.30 footcandles above ambient light and requires static messages held at least ten seconds.
Garage Sale Signs
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, a garage-sale sign posted at your own residence is exempt from the sign permit process only if it is six square feet or smaller and the total of all…
Window Signs
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County caps window signage at 50 percent of the glass surface on each individual pane, whether the sign is permanent or temporary, under Zoning Code § 134-314(o)…
🎪 Special Events & Permits
Parade Permits
Significant RestrictionsCobb County requires a parade permit for any parade of 25 or more people or five or more vehicles on county streets, with exceptions for funerals and school groups.
Street Fair Rules
Some RestrictionsCobb County zoning treats street fairs as a temporary use limited to 30 days, requiring adequate off-street parking for the event in unincorporated areas.
🚪 Soliciting & Door-to-Door
Solicitor Permits
Significant RestrictionsDoor-to-door salespeople in unincorporated Cobb County must apply, pass a police background check, and hold a permit from the police department before soliciting house to house.
No-Knock Registry
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, a door-to-door salesperson cannot cross the threshold without the occupant's express invitation, and a posted "no soliciting" sign bars any solicitation…
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
Food Truck Permits
Some RestrictionsMobile food vendors in unincorporated Cobb County need both a county business license and a food service permit from the Cobb and Douglas Public Health Department before selling.
Vending Zones
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, mobile food vendors cannot operate in the public right-of-way at all. Vending is allowed only at organized mobile food vendor events, at private events…
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Heavy RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, mobile food vendors cannot sell from sidewalks or any public right-of-way. County Code § 78-97(a) prohibits operating there outright unless a specific…
🗺️ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses
Density Bonus Law
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, condominiums or townhomes built to replace demolished multifamily housing in the RM-8 or RM-12 districts can add up to 15 percent more units than were…
Downtown Design Guide
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County regulates redevelopment in old Downtown Mableton under County Code Section 134-286, a form-based code tied to the boundaries mapped in Table 1C of the South…
🏚️ Property Maintenance
Vacant Lot Maintenance
Some RestrictionsVacant and abandoned lots in unincorporated Cobb County that violate the 12-inch weed limit get mowed by the county at the owner's expense instead of a court citation.
Property Blight
Significant RestrictionsProperty owners in unincorporated Cobb County must maintain buildings and lots in compliance with applicable codes, keep them free of health and safety hazards, and properly maintain…
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cobb County, principal residential structures are capped at 35 feet under the zoning code's single-family district rules. Height runs from the mean ground elevation…
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cobb County fixes minimum yard setbacks by zoning district in the Chapter 134 bulk-regulations table, with each district's own code section applying the numbers. On a…
Cities in Cobb County
Other Communities in Cobb County
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Cobb County ordinances.