Floyd County, GA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty on
- Owner of every dwelling, building or structure
- Enforcers
- Code enforcement officer, fire marshal, police chief, building inspector
- Complaint hearing
- 15 to 45 days after filing, Magistrate Court
- Remedy
- Court-ordered repair or demolition
- Cost recovery
- Lien on property, taxed like delinquent ad valorem taxes
Summary
Owners of dwellings in unincorporated Floyd County must construct and maintain them in conformance with applicable codes, and it is unlawful to let a dwelling become unsafe, unsanitary or dangerous, under Floyd County Code § 2-9-106(a). The rule sits in the county's Unsafe Buildings article and backs code enforcement action against substandard rental housing.
(a)It is the duty of the owner of every dwelling, building, structure, or property within the jurisdiction to construct and maintain such dwelling, building, structure or property in conformance with applicable codes in force within the city, or such ordinances which regulate and prohibit activities on property and which declare it to be a public nuisance to construct or maintain any dwelling, building, structure or property in violation of such codes or ordinances. It shall be unlawful for such owner to allow a dwelling, building, structure, or property within the jurisdiction to become unsafe, unsanitary, dangerous or detrimental to the health, safety or welfare, or otherwise inimical to the welfare of the residents of the city or otherwise become a nuisance as set forth under this Code or the laws of this state.
Full Breakdown
Article VI of Chapter 2-9 declares that dwellings unfit for human habitation are illegal and finds that such conditions endanger public health and safety under § 2-9-103. Section 2-9-106(a) places the maintenance duty squarely on the owner: a dwelling must be kept in conformance with applicable codes, and letting it become unsafe, unsanitary, dangerous or detrimental to health, safety or welfare is unlawful. 'Applicable codes' is defined in § 2-9-105 to reach any state minimum standard housing or fire code adopted by ordinance, plus any local building code in effect when the structure was built.
Enforcement runs through a public officer, jointly the county code enforcement officer, city fire marshal, Floyd County Police Chief, and the Chief Building Inspector of the Rome/Floyd County Building Inspection Department, appointed under § 2-9-106(c). A complaint can be triggered by a public authority or by at least five residents, and the public officer investigates and may file an in rem complaint against the property. The Floyd County Magistrate Court holds a hearing between 15 and 45 days after filing, and if it finds the dwelling unfit it orders repair or, if repair is not reasonable relative to the property's value, demolition, per § 2-9-106(d) and (e). Costs of county-performed abatement become a lien on the property under § 2-9-110.
Violations & Fines
Failure to repair or demolish as ordered lets the public officer perform the work and place a lien on the property that carries the same interest and penalties as delinquent ad valorem taxes under § 2-9-110; violators are also subject to punishment under Code § 1-9 for maintaining a nuisance the court finds they refused to abate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for keeping a rental habitable in unincorporated Floyd County?
How does Floyd County force repair of an unfit rental dwelling?
What happens if a rental owner does not comply with a repair order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Floyd County
Compare Floyd County to another location·View the Georgia rental property rules overview
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