Backyard chickens in Atlanta, Georgia

Yes. The City of Atlanta's Municipal Code, Chapter 18 (Animals), allows residents to keep chickens within city limits. Under Sec. 18-7 ("Enclosures for keeping small animals"), chickens and similar fowl may be kept subject to housing, spacing, and setback rules, with a maximum of 25 turkeys, chickens, bantams or similar fowl per premises. No permit is required under this section for a backyard flock. For properties in the Fulton County portion of the city, an additional provision (Sec. 18-129, added by Ord. No. 2017-30, 6-14-17) allows up to 75 chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, pigeons, or similar fowl outside agricultural zones, with a smaller 25-foot setback from occupied buildings other than the owner's dwelling. Properties in the DeKalb County portion of the city instead fall under DeKalb County's animal code (Chapter 5) by reference. Roosters are not explicitly banned by name in the fowl-keeping sections, but persistent crowing can be enforced as a noise nuisance under the city's general nuisance/noise provisions.

Atlanta sits in the Piedmont region of North Georgia with hot, humid summers (frequently 90-95°F, June through September) and mild winters (typically 20-30°F lows, with only occasional hard freezes). Heat and humidity stress is the bigger seasonal challenge for flocks compared to cold, so shade, ventilation, and extra water in summer matter more than winter cold-proofing.

Atlanta-area flocks commonly face raccoons (persistent and dexterous coop raiders), red-tailed and Cooper's hawks, foxes, increasingly common suburban coyotes, rat snakes and other snakes that target eggs and chicks, and opossums that raid at night. Hardware cloth (not just chicken wire), secure raccoon-proof latches, and a covered run are standard defenses recommended for the metro Atlanta area.