Common Violations of Cobb County Code in Subdivisions

Update:  12-17-2011 - Be sure to read my other (12-17-2011) blog post about registering your alarm system at your residence and business - Here is the Cobb County Code on the definition and registration - http://www.cobbcounty.org/downloads/alarm-ordinance.pdf 

There are some violations of the Cobb County Ordinances with respect to residential housing. The common violations found in subdivisions are listed below, but feel free to look through the entire code (which is searchable) at the bottom of this post.

As we all know from the recent poultry craze, Cobb County Codes are not set in stone and are subject to change - so please help me keep informed and update this post from time to time when the code does change - thanks.

Before I get to the common violations, I found a few ordinances of interest:

• Personal property sales means sales of personal property such as estate sales, yard sales, bakery sales, garage sales, bazaars and the like, three weekends per calendar year, not to exceed three days per sale.
  
• Home Based Business - Customary home occupation means those occupations, which are customarily performed in a small area of a residence due to the low intensity nature of such uses, subject to the following requirements:
  
  1. There shall be no exterior evidence of the home occupation, including but not limited to any type of identifying signs.
     
  2. No article, product or service used or sold in connection with such activity shall be other than those normally found on the premises.
     
  3. No mechanical equipment shall be used for such occupation except such equipment as is customary for purely household and hobby purposes.
     
  4. Such use shall be conducted entirely within the dwelling unit and only persons living in the dwelling unit shall be employed in such occupation.
     
  5. No more than 25 percent of the dwelling unit may be used for the operation.
     
  6. No materials, equipment or business vehicles may be stored or parked on the premises except that one business vehicle, used exclusively by the resident may be parked in a carport, garage, or rear or side yard. The off-site employees of the resident shall not congregate on the premises for any purpose concerning the business of home occupation.
     
  7. There shall be no deliveries of supplies for use in the home occupation or pickups of the items produced by the occupant by commercial carrier.
     
  8. No clients or customers are allowed on the premises, except for individual instruction, such as tutoring, musical lessons and the like, for the purpose of supplementing an income.
     

Some of the most common code enforcement topics are:

• Dead Trees
• Dwelling Unit
• Door-To-Door Solicitations
• Exterior Attachments
• Fences/Walls
• Grass and Weeds
• Garbage Collection
• Group Home
• Gutters and Shutters
• Home Business
• In-Home Day Care
• Junk Cars
• Leash Law
• Livestock and poultry
• Outside Storage Limitations
• Parking
• Personal Vehicle Sales
• Temporary Signs
• Windows and Exterior Doors
• Yard Sales

Dead trees shall not be allowed to exist or to be maintained on any premises which are hazardous to persons on adjacent property. A finding by a registered forester or certified arborist (as contracted by a person on adjacent property) shall constitute prima facie evidence that a tree is in danger of falling upon adjacent lots or public streets due to the death of the tree. In the event that the tree is found to be dangerous by the registered forester or certified arborist, the property owner shall be responsible for 50 percent of the cost of such registered forester or certified arborist.
A dwelling unit consists of one or more rooms which are arranged, designed or used as living quarters for one family or two or fewer unrelated adults and their children and/or grandchildren. A dwelling unit may also be occupied by a family and up to two persons who are not family members.

1. A dwelling unit shall have an interior bathroom and complete kitchen facilities, permanently installed.
   
2. A dwelling unit shall have at least 390 square feet of total building square footage (as determined and maintained in the records of the Cobb County Tax Assessor) per each adult occupant.
   
3. No more than one vehicle per 390 square feet of total building square footage may be parked regularly overnight at or within the right of way adjacent to a dwelling unit. “Regularly” means a majority of nights in any seven day period. Family means one or more persons related by blood, legal adoption, or marriage occupying a dwelling where such persons are all related to each other within the fourth degree, which includes parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brother and sisters.
   

Adult means any person over the age of 18 years old or legally emancipated in the State of Georgia.
The county permits door-to-door solicitations only if the person has registered with the county’s business license office. A registration badge must be worn by solicitors and will include their name, address, organization and a photograph. Solicitation without a registration badge is prohibited. Police will respond to reports of unregistered solicitors.
Exterior stairways, decks, porches and balconies, and all appurtenances attached thereto, of building shall be maintained so that they are structurally sound, in good repair with proper anchorage and capable of supporting the imposed loads.
Any fence or wall adjacent to a public road right-of-way and within a residential front yard cannot be more than six feet in height. Fences or walls shall be maintained in structurally sound condition. Fences or walls at the rear of a residence cannot exceed eight feet in height. The height limitation includes posts and ornaments on top of the fence or wall.
Grass & WeedsIt shall be unlawful for the owner of any property less than 40,000 square feet or property within any platted and recorded subdivision, to allow grass/weeds over 12 inches in height on at least ten percent of the size of the property tract, excluding the portion of the property where permanent structures exist. After 20 day notice, the County shall cause the condition to be remedied at the expense of the property owner.
Garbage collectors may not operate between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Garbage cans filled with garbage can only be placed at the curb the evening before collection and should be removed by 11 p.m. on the day of collection.
Dwelling can only be shared by four or less persons, excluding resident staff, who live together as a single housekeeping unit. The managing care giver must reside at the group home. Said home shall not allow use of the dwelling as a home for individuals on parole, probation or convicted or released from incarceration for crimes of child molestation, aggravated child molestation, or child sexual abuse, as defined in O.C.G.A. 16-6-4 or individuals required to register as sex offenders pursuant to O.C.G.A. 42-1-12.
Gutters and shutters and all appurtenances attached thereto, of buildings shall be maintained so that they are structurally sound, in good repair with proper anchorage and attachment.

• No signs, products or equipment are permitted around the exterior of the home.
• All business activities must occur inside home.
  
• No outside employees are permitted to work in the home or to gather at the home for work purposes.
  
• No more than 25 percent of the home may be used for the business.
  
• No commercial deliveries are permitted to home businesses.
  
• No customers or clients are permitted to visit home
  Child care in a single-family home is limited to a maximum of six children for whom compensation is received.
  
• The child care cannot create a nuisance to immediate adjacent property owners.
  
• Parking must be provided for child pick up and drop off on the property.
  
• No employees are permitted.
  

Any junk, abandoned or inoperative vehicle that remains on a property for longer than 30 days after due notice of violation has been provided per Sec. 2-102 (2) of the Cobb County Code, may be removed by Cobb County or its duly authorized designee. Any expenses incurred in remedying the condition shall become payable within 30 calendar days, after which a special assessment lien and charge shall be attached to the property, which shall be payable with interest at the rate of 8 percent per annum from the date of such certification until paid. Such lien shall be in favor of Cobb County, Georgia, and may be satisfied at any time by payment thereof including accrued interest. Notice of such lien shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court and recorded among the public records of Cobb County, Georgia.
Leash Law Animals are required to be on a leash when outside unless contained by a fence. Pet owners are responsible for collecting animal waste and disposing of it properly. Contact Cobb County Animal Control at (770) 499-4136 to report violations.
Livestock and poultry animals are only permitted on a lot of two acres or larger. All animals will be maintained at least 10 feet from any residential property line.
No outside storage is permitted, with the exception of firewood and lawn furnishings.
Vehicles must be parked along the curb, facing in the direction of traffic flow, have a valid tag and be operational. Vehicles may not be parked in designated No Parking areas, where they block access to private driveways or where they restrict the safe flow of traffic. There are no county restrictions on the length of time a vehicle may be parked on a residential street. (The above is enforced by police)
Vehicles may not be parked in the grass or unimproved surface between the roadway and the home’s front setback. In the R-30, R-20, R-15, R-12, RD, RA-4, RA-5 zoned districts, parking allows only one vehicle, one boat, and one recreational vehicle (or any combination of such totaling three) in the rear or side yard on a hardened surface.
In the R-40, R-80, RR zoned districts, any combination of boats and recreational vehicles exceeding three must be screened from public roadways via a buffer (approved by the Cobb County Landscape Architect) or fencing. No materials, equipment or business vehicles may be stored or parked on the premises, except for one business vehicle used exclusively by the resident. A business vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight greater than 12,500 pounds is not allowed to be parked on residential property.
No more than three personal vehicle and/or equipment sales are allowed per calendar year on any one parcel of property.
The Temporary Local Directional sign code allows temporary signs to temporary events such as church or community gatherings, yard sales, moving sales, estate sales or the sale of an individual house. The code does not include off-premise outdoor advertising signs or signs defined under weekend subdivision directional signs. All temporary local directional signs must be located off the right-of-way. Windows of buildings shall be fully supplied and maintained with glass window panes or with a substitute approved by the designated Cobb County Building Official, which are without open cracks or holes. Screens, if provided, shall be securely fastened to the window. Exterior doors of buildings shall be maintained so that they fit reasonably well within their frames so as to substantially prevent rain and wind from entering a building. Exterior door jams, stops, headers and moldings shall be securely attached to the structure and maintained in good condition without splitting or deterioration. Additionally, exterior doors shall be provided with property hardware and maintained in proper working condition.
Link to Common Cobb County Code Violations in Subdivisions 
Complete Cobb County Code
Each post is intended to be information about, or for the benefit of, Village North Subdivision including events, garage sales, or affecting us in some way. I welcome any news or information about the neighborhood and will share what I think might be of some use, benefit, or just to let you know what is going on.