Georgia Ordinances (2026)

Georgia incorporates IRC Appendix Q tiny house provisions through its statewide minimum standard codes, providing uniform construction rules for dwellings under 400 square feet.

Georgia criminalizes animal cruelty and neglect statewide under O.C.G.A. 16-12-4, applying uniformly regardless of local ordinances and covering hoarding situations.

Georgia regulates livestock and poultry through the Department of Agriculture, but generally allows municipalities to set local zoning rules for backyard chickens and other animals.

Georgia has no statewide leash law but the Responsible Dog Owner Law sets statewide standards for dangerous and vicious dogs, preempting some local classification rules.

Georgia statewide law prohibits possession of most exotic and inherently dangerous wild animals without a special permit, preempting local rules that would allow them.

Georgia's Zoning Procedures Law (O.C.G.A. 36-66) requires local governments to adopt zoning, including setbacks, through specific notice and hearing procedures. The state itself does not impose universal…

Georgia's State Minimum Standard Codes (O.C.G.A. 8-2-20) adopt the International Building Code statewide, setting height and area limits by construction type and occupancy that cities must enforce, though…

Georgia restricts cannabis-related retail sales to state-licensed independent pharmacies and dispensary locations approved by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, with caps on the number of…

Georgia law prohibits home cultivation of marijuana for any purpose, including by registered low-THC oil patients, and this prohibition preempts any conflicting local ordinance attempting to authorize personal…

Georgia defers to FAA Part 107 rules for commercial drone operations and preempts local licensing or operation requirements, while still allowing privacy and trespass laws to apply to commercial flights.

Georgia law generally reserves authority over the operation of unmanned aircraft systems to the state, limiting cities and counties to property-based and time-place-manner rules consistent with federal…

Georgia prohibits local governments from setting minimum wages above state or federal levels under O.C.G.A. 34-4-3.1, a Title 34 preemption enacted in 2004 and broadened in 2017.

Georgia preempts local governments from requiring private employers to provide paid leave, sick time, or other employment benefits beyond state and federal law.

Georgia preempts local predictable scheduling and fair workweek ordinances, preventing cities and counties from regulating employer shift practices for private workers.

Georgia's Coastal Marshlands Protection Act and Shore Protection Act require state permits for development affecting marshes, beaches, and dunes, with authority concentrated in the Coastal Resources Division.

The Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act sets minimum land-disturbing-activity standards, certified-personnel requirements, and stream buffers that apply statewide whether or not a local issuing authority has…

Georgia coordinates with FEMA so participating local governments must adopt minimum floodplain management ordinances meeting federal NFIP standards, and state law authorizes safety building requirements in…

Georgia delegates Clean Water Act stormwater authority to the Environmental Protection Division, which issues NPDES permits and minimum standards that all municipal separate storm sewer systems must follow.

Georgia adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) and International Residential Code Appendix G statewide, mandating minimum 48-inch barriers around residential swimming pools with…

Since July 1, 2021, Georgia no longer requires a Forestry Commission permit or notification to burn hand-piled natural vegetation where it was cut, though statewide safety rules, local ordinances, and the…

Georgia legalized consumer fireworks statewide in 2015 and preempts most local bans, though cities retain limited authority over time-of-day restrictions and noise ordinances.

Georgia regulates outdoor burning through O.C.G.A. 12-6-90 and EPD air rules, banning open burning in 54 metro Atlanta counties each summer; hand-piled yard debris no longer needs a Forestry Commission permit.

Georgia regulates propane storage statewide through the Safety Fire Commissioner under the Liquefied Petroleum Safety Act, adopting NFPA 58 standards for residential and commercial tanks.

The Georgia Forestry Commission has statewide wildfire suppression authority and may declare burn bans, restrict outdoor activities, and recover suppression costs from negligent parties.

Georgia is a permitless concealed carry state under SB 319 (2022), allowing lawful weapons carriers to carry concealed handguns statewide subject to statutory location restrictions.

Georgia broadly preempts local firearms regulation under O.C.G.A. 16-11-173, reserving authority to the General Assembly while permitting limited local rules at government buildings and parks.

Georgia permits lawful weapons carriers to openly carry handguns in most public places, with statewide preemption limiting local restrictions on open carry.

Georgia permits any lawful weapons carrier or eligible person to carry a handgun in a private vehicle without a permit under O.C.G.A. 16-11-126.

Georgia requires statewide mobile food service permits issued by county health departments under uniform Department of Public Health rules.

If a community opts into the Georgia Property Owners' Association Act (O.C.G.A. § 44-3-220 et seq.), unpaid assessments become a lien under § 44-3-232 that the association may foreclose only by court action…

The Georgia POAA addresses the association's powers but leaves most meeting, quorum, voting, and record-access procedures to the declaration/bylaws and, by O.C.G.A. § 44-3-231(f), the Georgia Nonprofit…

Covenants in a community that opts into the Georgia POAA are effectively perpetual: O.C.G.A. § 44-3-234 exempts them from the 20-year covenant limit of § 44-5-60. The association may control architectural…

Under O.C.G.A. § 44-3-223, a Georgia property owners' association may impose fines and temporarily suspend voting rights and common-area use only 'to the extent provided in the instrument.' No statute caps the…

Georgia gives homeowners few statutory protections against HOA covenants. There is NO Georgia statute barring an HOA from prohibiting solar panels—a 2022 bill (HB 483) to do so died in committee. The 1978…

Since July 1, 2025, Georgia no longer requires a cottage food license or caps sales. HB 398 lets home producers sell nonperishable foods directly to consumers and through retailers, subject to statewide…

Georgia law requires registration or licensure of family day care homes through the Department of Early Care and Learning and limits how strictly local zoning can ban these uses in residential areas.

Georgia requires private employers with 11 or more employees to use E-Verify under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6, with annual affidavit certification tied to business licenses.

Georgia prohibits sanctuary policies under O.C.G.A. 36-80-23 and HB 1105, requiring local governments and law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Georgia state plumbing code expressly authorizes rainwater harvesting for outdoor non-potable uses, preempting any local prohibition on residential rain barrels and cisterns.

Georgia's Water Stewardship Act sets a uniform statewide outdoor watering schedule, allowing daily landscape irrigation between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. without local override.

Aircraft noise in Georgia is governed by federal FAA regulations, not state or local ordinances. Georgia airport zoning law allows compatible land use planning around airports but cannot restrict in-flight…

Georgia regulates industrial noise primarily through O.C.G.A. 12-7 (Erosion and Sedimentation), 12-8 (Solid Waste), and EPD permits, but does not impose statewide decibel limits. Local governments retain…

Georgia has no statewide dark-sky or outdoor lighting statute. Light pollution control is left entirely to local ordinances, and several metro Atlanta counties have adopted their own full-cutoff and shielding…

Georgia has no statewide light trespass statute. Excessive light spilling onto a neighbor's property is addressed under Georgia nuisance law and local outdoor lighting ordinances, which cities may adopt freely.

Georgia's Abandoned Motor Vehicle Act sets uniform procedures for removing abandoned vehicles from public and private property, requiring owner and lienholder notice and a magistrate court lien foreclosure…

Georgia requires public electric vehicle charging stations to comply with statewide measurement and disclosure rules administered by the Department of Agriculture, ensuring uniform pricing units and accuracy…

Georgia eviction (a 'dispossessory' action) starts with a demand for possession under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50; for nonpayment, 2024's Safe at Home Act adds a written notice giving 3 business days to pay or vacate…

Since July 1, 2024, the Safe at Home Act (HB 404) added an express duty to O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13 that landlords keep rental premises fit for human habitation. Georgia still has no rent-withholding or…

Georgia law uniformly governs landlord-tenant evictions through dispossessory proceedings without any just-cause requirement, and local just-cause ordinances are unauthorized.

Georgia has no statute requiring a landlord to give advance notice before entering a rental unit. Entry rights and any notice period are governed entirely by the written lease. Where the lease is silent…

Georgia's Landlord and Tenant chapter has no late-fee statute and no cap on late-rent charges. A late fee is enforceable only if the written lease provides for it; if the lease is silent, none may be charged…

For a tenancy at will, O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 requires 60 days' notice from the landlord or 30 days' from the tenant to terminate. Fixed-term leases end on their stated date under their own terms. The unequal…

Georgia has no statewide rent control and no limit on how much a landlord may raise rent. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19, no county or municipality may enact or enforce any ordinance that regulates the amount of…

Georgia has no rent control and no statute that caps rent increases or sets a notice period for raising rent. On a fixed-term lease the rent is lease-governed; on a tenancy at will, a landlord effectively…

Since the 2024 Safe at Home Act (HB 404), Georgia caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1. The landlord must return the deposit, with an itemized statement of any…

Adverse possession in Georgia requires 20 years of possession under O.C.G.A. § 44-5-163, or 7 years under written 'color of title' under § 44-5-164. Mere squatters are trespassers, and the 2024 Squatter Reform…

Georgia counties retain zoning authority for agricultural operations, balanced against the Right to Farm Act's nuisance protections for established farms.

Georgia's Right to Farm Act in O.C.G.A. 41-1-7 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors and changing land uses.

Georgia law authorizes a statewide hotel-motel excise tax that applies to short-term rentals under 30 days, with collection obligations imposed on hosts and marketplace facilitators.

Georgia state law restricts placement of political and outdoor advertising signs on state highway rights-of-way and regulates them under the Outdoor Advertising Control Act, while local sign regulation must…

Georgia does not prohibit plastic carryout bags statewide and has not enacted express preemption barring local action, though local bag restrictions remain rare.

Georgia imposes no statewide ban on polystyrene foam food service containers, leaving foam cups, plates, and clamshells widely available across the state.

Georgia has no statewide ban or upon-request rule for plastic straws, leaving food service operators free to provide single-use straws under standard health rules.

Georgia's primary solar-rights statute is the Solar Easements Act of 1978 (O.C.G.A. 44-9-20 et seq.), which authorizes voluntary easements protecting access to sunlight but does not bar HOAs from restricting…

Georgia requires charitable organizations and paid solicitors to register annually with the Secretary of State before soliciting donations, applying uniformly across all municipalities.

Georgia adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code statewide, requiring four-foot barriers around residential pools and spas with self-closing gates.

Georgia requires building permits for pool construction statewide under the adopted state minimum codes, issued through local building departments.

Georgia prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21, aligning state law with the federal Tobacco 21 standard.

Georgia does not impose a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or flavored vapor products, leaving sales lawful subject to age, licensing, and federal restrictions.

Georgia regulates vape and alternative nicotine retail sales under Title 16 Chapter 12 Article 8, requiring licensing, age verification, and product compliance for retailers.