Talahi Island, GA

Georgia has no statewide ADU mandate. In unincorporated Chatham County, accessory dwellings and accessory buildings are governed by the Chatham County Zoning Ordinance administered by the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC). Accessory structures are regulated under Section 3-6 (Location of Accessory Buildings on Residential Lots) and Section 3-6.1, with allowances tied to the underlying residential zoning district. Building permits are issued by the Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services. The City of Savannah administers a separate ADU framework inside city limits.

Chatham County enforces the Georgia State Minimum Standard Swimming Pool and Spa Code (based on the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code) and the residential pool barrier provisions of the Georgia State Minimum Standard Residential Code (based on the IRC), as adopted under O.C.G.A. § 8-2-20 et seq. Any residential pool deeper than 24 inches must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high on the outside. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching with the release at least 54 inches above the ground. Public pools are additionally regulated by Georgia DPH Rule 511-3-5.

Unincorporated Chatham County does not set numeric quiet hours. Code §11-101(h) bans amplified sound audible beyond the premises, and §11-109 caps vehicle traffic noise at 55 dB. Disorderly noise is a misdemeanor.

Code §22-103(b) makes it unlawful to permit a dog to run at large in unincorporated Chatham County. Dogs must be under manual control off the owner's property, including in parks and on county facilities.

Chatham County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5-1.3 limits residential fences to 6 feet in front and side yards and 8 feet in rear yards. Business district fences may reach 8 feet; industrial up to 10 feet. Permits required.

Chatham County is a low-lying coastal county on the Atlantic Ocean and Savannah River with extensive FEMA-designated A, AE, and VE flood zones and significant hurricane storm-surge exposure. Unincorporated Chatham County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and is a Class 5 community in FEMA's Community Rating System, providing a 25% flood insurance premium discount in high-risk zones and a 10% discount in moderate-risk X zones. The County's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (FDPO) requires a permit for any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, requires the lowest finished floor of new and substantially improved structures to be elevated at least 3 feet above Base Flood Elevation, and applies a 50% substantial-improvement rule based on the structure's Fair Market Value.