A decision on backyard chickens on less than two acres is expected Tuesday by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners during a second public hearing.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the second floor Board of Commissioners meeting room, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

The change would require requests for backyard chickens to come to the county’s Planning Commission for recommendations and the commissioners for final decisions instead of bypassing them by having the final decision made by the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

Regulations for two-year permits would involve:

  • One hen, no roosters, would be allowed for each 5,000 square feet of lot area.
  • Coops or fenced areas have to be behind the house at least 30 feet from any property line.
  • Owners must eliminate odors, pollution, noise, insects, rodents and other wild animals.
  • On-site slaughter is prohibited.
  • Initial fees would be $150 for a land use permit with $100 for renewal fees every two years.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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