Chatham County, GA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Chatham County Article 21-502
- Applies to
- Residential and abutting zones
- Enforcement
- Building Safety & Regulatory Services
- Notice period
- 10 days to abate
- Max penalty
- $500 and/or 30 days
Summary
Chatham County's Property Maintenance Ordinance (Code of Chatham County Article 21-502) makes it unlawful for an owner or occupant to allow accumulations of litter, debris, garbage, or animal excrement anywhere on the premises. It applies to residential zones and abutting zones, and is enforced by Building Safety & Regulatory Services
It shall be unlawful for the occupant of premises or the owner of premises to have, to place, or to allow any of the following on the premises... Any accumulation of litter, debris, garbage or animal excrement on any front, side or rear yard or on any porch, or underneath any building or in any accessory building.
Full Breakdown
Under Article 21-502 of the Code of Chatham County, owners and occupants must keep premises clean and may not allow litter, debris, garbage, or animal excrement on any yard, porch, or accessory building, nor visible junk objects, in a manner that threatens public health or impairs neighboring property values. Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services administers the ordinance in unincorporated Chatham County. Inside Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Tybee Island, and the other cities, each municipality's own code-compliance office enforces its blight and nuisance rules. Enforcement is complaint-driven: owners get written notice with ten days to abate before the county may act.
Violations & Fines
Owners get written notice to abate within ten days (21-504/505). Unabated violations may be abated by the county at the owner's cost (21-506) and carry a fine up to $500 and/or 30 days (21-509).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as blight in unincorporated Chatham County?
Does the county handle blight inside Savannah?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
Compare Chatham County to another location·View the Georgia property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.