Cobb County Chicken Ordinance: Limits, Coop Placement, and HOA Rules

The Cobb County chicken ordinance, set out in Section 134-290 of the county code, lets residents in unincorporated Cobb County keep hens on residential lots at a ratio of one bird per 5,000 square feet, provided the coop sits 25 feet from every property line and the owner registers with the Community Development Agency before bringing birds home. Roosters are not allowed. If your address falls inside Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, Acworth, or Powder Springs, a separate city ordinance applies instead.

Check Your Jurisdiction First

Section 134-290 covers unincorporated Cobb County only. Properties inside an incorporated city follow that city’s own poultry rules, which use different setbacks and flock limits. Marietta, for example, allows chickens in its R-1 through R-4 zoning districts under its own standards.

The county’s online zoning viewer will confirm whether your address is unincorporated and show your zoning classification.¹ Everything below applies to unincorporated parcels.

How Many Hens You Can Keep

Section 134-290 applies to lots smaller than 80,000 square feet, or roughly 1.84 acres. On those lots, you can keep one hen per 5,000 square feet of total lot area. A 10,000-square-foot lot supports two hens. A 15,000-square-foot lot supports three.²

Only hens qualify. The ordinance makes no exception for bantam or silkie roosters, and it does not authorize peacocks, guinea fowl, or other non-chicken poultry. On-site slaughter is prohibited, so the birds are for eggs and companionship only.²

Parcels of 80,000 square feet or larger fall under separate agricultural provisions in the county code, which carry their own rules, including a 100-foot setback from property lines for animal buildings.

Where the Coop Has To Sit

Chickens must be kept in a fenced area behind the house. Any coop or structure used for the birds has to be at least 25 feet from every property line.² On a narrow lot, that setback can be the hardest requirement to satisfy, so measure before you buy materials.

The ordinance does not specify construction materials or ventilation details. It does require you to maintain the property so it does not produce odors, attract insects or rodents, or otherwise become a nuisance.² A predator-resistant coop and sealed feed storage are the practical side of that requirement, since rodent activity and smell are what usually generate neighbor complaints.

Registering With the County

You cannot just build a coop and add birds. Section 134-290 requires anyone keeping chickens to submit a completed application to the Community Development Agency before the birds arrive on the property. The form is developed by the Community Development Director or a designee.²

Applicants typically submit a site plan showing lot dimensions, the coop’s location, and its distance from every property line.³ Staff then checks the application against each requirement of the ordinance. The ordinance itself does not fix a fee or processing time, so contact the Community Development Agency for the current form and cost.

Your HOA Can Still Say No

A county approval does not override private restrictions on your property. Section 134-290 states plainly that the ordinance “does not authorize persons to violate applicable restrictive covenants and/or homeowners’ association rules and regulations.”²

The county will process and approve an application without checking your CC&Rs. If your subdivision’s covenants ban poultry and you build a coop anyway, the HOA can fine you, demand removal, and take you to court. That fight is between you and the association; the county plays no role in it. Pull your CC&Rs and check with your HOA management before spending money on the application, coop, or birds. Many Cobb County subdivisions carry blanket livestock prohibitions in their original declarations.

Penalties for Violations

Zoning violations in Cobb County, including breaches of the chicken rules, can carry fines up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both. That ceiling comes from Georgia state law capping county ordinance penalties.⁴ The common violations are keeping roosters, exceeding the hen-per-square-foot ratio, coops too close to a property line, and skipping registration.

Enforcement is largely complaint-driven, so an investigation usually starts with a neighbor’s call. Inspectors typically issue a notice with a compliance deadline. Financial exposure grows if you keep operating in violation after that notice, because each day of noncompliance can count as a separate offense. Getting the setup right the first time is much cheaper than relocating a coop or rehoming birds later.

Reporting Sick Birds

Watch your flock daily for sudden drops in egg production, respiratory symptoms, swelling, or unexplained deaths. If you suspect avian influenza, call the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s AI Hotline at (770) 766-6850. Testing through the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network is free.⁵ After hours and on weekends, the federal Foreign Animal Disease hotline is 866-536-7593.⁶

1
Cobb County Georgia. Zoning Maps
2
Cobb County Community Development Agency. Ordinance Amending Chapter 134 – Zoning Article II, Sec. 134-290
3
Cobb County Community Development Agency. Preliminary Variance Analysis
4
Justia Law. Georgia Code 36-1-20 – Ordinances for Governing and Policing
5
Georgia Department of Agriculture. Avian Influenza
6
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). National List of Reportable Animal Diseases