Macon-Bibb County, GA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Rental sign authority
- Health dept. posts 'do not occupy' sign (Sec. 12-243)
- Only remover
- Only the health department may remove the sign
- Structural standard
- Dwelling 'unfit for human habitation' is a nuisance (Sec. 15-79)
- Complaint trigger
- 5+ residents or a public authority can file (Sec. 15-80)
- Enforcer
- Dept. of Code Enforcement as public officer
- Sanitation penalty
- Up to $300 fine, 60 days jail, per day
Summary
Macon-Bibb County Code Section 12-243 lets the health department post a conspicuous sign on rental housing that violates sanitation rules, barring occupancy until the violation is fixed, while a separate dilapidated-structure ordinance lets the county order repair or demolition of any dwelling found unfit for human habitation.
Sec. 12-243. - Health department's authority to post signs on rental housing. Upon violation of any provision of this Chapter relating to sanitation of rented housing, the health department shall have authority to post a conspicuous sign on the premises advising that the premises must not be occupied for dwelling purposes. No person other than the health department shall remove or deface a sign posted under the authority of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Comprehensive Land Development Resolution: Supplement 4 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Section 12-243, in Chapter 12's general health and sanitation code, is the rental-specific tool: when a violation of the chapter's sanitation rules is found in rented housing, the health department may post a conspicuous sign declaring the premises must not be occupied for dwelling purposes, and only the health department may remove or deface that sign. That authority sits alongside the chapter's broader powers: Section 12-241 prohibits maintaining any condition that creates a substantial or unreasonable risk of injury to health, Section 12-244 lets the department enter, inspect, condemn, and quarantine, and Section 12-245 allows the department to order correction of a menace to public health within 15 days of notice, with unpaid repair costs becoming a lien on the property.
A. Section 41-2-7, codified at Chapter 15, Sections 15-75 through 15-86. Section 15-79 declares it a public nuisance for any dwelling to be unfit for human habitation due to dilapidation, to have defects that increase fire or collapse hazards, or to lack adequate ventilation, light, or sanitary facilities. ' Unpaid abatement costs become a lien enforced the same way as delinquent property taxes.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 12's sanitation rules for rented housing, including removing a posted health department sign, is punishable under Section 12-249 by a fine up to $300.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, per day of violation. Under the separate dilapidated-structures ordinance, an owner who ignores a court repair-or-demolish order faces county-performed demolition billed back as a real property lien enforced like delinquent ad valorem taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my landlord be forced to fix an uninhabitable rental in Macon-Bibb County?
What does the health department sign on a rental house mean?
Who can I complain to about an unsafe rental property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Macon-Bibb County
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