FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — An ordinance passed on Wednesday by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners bans the sale of common household pets in county-governed territory, including but not limited to flea markets.
This measure is partly symbolic, also encouraging the cities within Fulton County to pass similar legislation - the board of commissioners governs unincorporated Fulton County, which is now limited to a roughly one-and-a-half square mile area around Fulton County Airport.
The legislation is meant to aid in regulating animal services and ensuring the welfare of animals, commissioners said. It provides exemptions for shelters licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, nationally sanctioned events or fair shows, and prearranged purchases to be conducted at a "police department, sheriff's office or other similar peace officer facility during daylight hours."
Outside of those exemptions, the legislation reads that any outdoor sales, adoptions, or trades of dogs, cats and domestic rabbits are illegal on/at:
- Any roadside
- Public right-of-way
- Parkway
- Median
- Park or other recreation area
- Fair
- Flea market
- Outdoor market
- Commercial or retail parking lot
The commissioners added that selling these animals in temporary or outdoor locations is against the law, even if someone has given permission. Commissioners wrote that they hope other cities within the county adopt similar ordinances, citing that it would help regulate animal services and the wellbeing of animals.
The ordinance addresses these concerns, citing that according to a University of Georgia School of Law report, pet overpopulation has reached a crisis within the state. It also states that many outdoor locations where pet sales are conducted lack "state and federal regulatory oversight," leading to harmful breeding practices, "including backyard breeders and puppy mills.
(Correction: An initial version of this article did not include reference to the exemptions that apply to shelters and some other situations.)
