Cobb County, GA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Cobb County Code § 86-2(a) and (h)
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Cobb County only
- Trigger
- Only after a police order to disperse
- Obstruction ban
- Blocking public ways after officers order clearing
- Penalty basis
- Code § 1-10, capped by O.C.G.A. § 15-10-60
- Enforcing agency
- Cobb County Police Department and Sheriff's Office
- Adopted / amended
- Ord. of 8-23-77, last amended 2-26-19
Summary
Cobb 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. The same section, Code § 86-2, separately bans blocking a public way by congregating there after officers order the crowd to disperse or where posted signs prohibit it.
(a)No person shall remain, loiter or prowl in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant a justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity, after having been ordered to clear such place by the county police. ... (h)No person shall congregate with another or others, or cause others to congregate, in or on any public way or place so as to halt or impede the flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic after having been directed to clear such public way or place when ordered by the county police or where signs are placed that prohibit such activity.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53).
Full Breakdown
Cobb County enforces loitering and obstruction rules through Code of Ordinances § 86-2, the county's disorderly conduct section, which applies only in unincorporated Cobb; Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs and Austell each enforce their own municipal codes within city limits. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to remain, loiter or prowl in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals, under circumstances creating justifiable and reasonable alarm for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity, but only after county police have ordered the person to clear the location; standing or waiting on its own is not the offense, refusing a lawful dispersal order is.
Subsection (h) targets street and sidewalk obstruction: it bars congregating, or causing others to congregate, on any public way or place so as to halt or impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic, once officers have directed the group to clear the area or where the county has posted signs prohibiting the gathering. 5-1, and was last amended February 26, 2019. § 16-11-43 (obstructing public passages), § 16-11-30 (riot) and § 16-11-31 (inciting to riot) as the parallel state offenses. This provision is distinct from the county's separate sex-offender residency and loitering restriction at Code § 86-9, which bars registered offenders from loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, libraries and other places minors congregate.
Violations & Fines
A refusal to disperse after a police order under § 86-2(a) or (h) is charged as disorderly conduct. The section sets no fine of its own, so violations are punished under the county's general penalty provision, Code § 1-10: a fine and/or jail time and probation not to exceed the maximum a Georgia court may impose for a county ordinance violation under O.C.G.A. § 15-10-60, plus court costs. Cobb County Police and the sheriff's office enforce the section, and continuing violations can also be treated as a nuisance subject to injunctive relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Cobb County police arrest someone just for standing around?
Does this loitering ban apply inside Marietta or Smyrna?
What counts as illegally blocking a public street or sidewalk in Cobb County?
What is the penalty for violating Cobb County's disorderly conduct section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cobb County
Compare Cobb County to another location·View the Georgia public conduct overview
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