In May of 2007, control of the Clayton County Code Enforcement Unit was transferred from Community Development to the Clayton County Police Department. The Code Enforcement Unit is staffed by fifteen full time and four part time Code Enforcement Officers and is a sub-division of the Special Services Division of the police department. The unit is located on the ground floor of police headquarters at 7911 N. McDonough Street, Jonesboro, Georgia and operates Monday - Saturday from 7:30 AM - 6:30 PM. Complaints concerning housing code violations can be reported to the unit at (678) 610-4755 or by e-mail at code.enforcement@co.clayton.ga.us.

The Clayton County Police Department Code Enforcement Unit responds to concerns from citizens that affect the quality of life within the county such as overgrown lots or yards, inoperative or unregistered vehicles, maintenance of structures, illegal signs and public nuisances. Systematic inspections are also performed throughout the county to ensure properties are in compliance with county code and the International Property Maintenance Code (2003 edition) which the Clayton County Board of Commissioners has adopted (with ammendments) as the standards for enforcement action under Sec. 18-431.1, Clayton County Code of Ordinances.

The mission of the Code Enforcement Unit of the Clayton County Police Department is to preserve and improve the physical, social and economic health of our neighborhoods, support neighborhood self-reliance, and enhance the quality of life for residents through community-based problem solving, neighborhood-oriented services and public/private cooperation.

Code Enforcement for Clayton County operates under Clayton County Code Chapter 18, Article VII which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code as a standard for residential property in the County. In addition, the Clayton County Board of Commissioners has adopted a "Quality of Life Code," which addresses the majority of problems found with property maintenance. Some of the most commonly used of these are listed below.

Quality of Life

Sec. 62-202. Maintaining property and vacant structures, nuisance and abatement thereof.

(a) It shall be unlawful for the owner, occupant or person in possession of any real property to utilize such real property for the outside storage of any ice box, refrigerator, stove or other appliance, furniture, clothing, machinery, equipment, glass, iron, paper, cordage, or other waste material, including building rubbish, trash, garbage or similar items.
(b) It shall be unlawful for the owner, occupant or person in possession of any real property to allow grass, weeds, and similar plants to grow on said property to a height in excess of ten inches. It shall be the duty and responsibility of every such owner, occupant or person in possession to keep the property clean and to remove from the premises all such abandoned or prohibited items listed in the Quality of Life Code, including but not limited to dead trees, trash, rubbish, garbage, and the like.
(c) It shall be unlawful for the owner, occupant or person in possession of any real property to allow a swimming pool, wading pool, hot tub or any similar structure to be in disrepair such that water can stand in the pool or structure and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. All pools and similar structures must be in good operating condition with the water filtered and chlorinated or fully covered and any exposed water in the pool, structure or on the cover must be treated to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

Sec. 62-203. Abandoned or vacant buildings to be secured.

(a) The owner or person in possession of any abandoned or vacant buildings or structures shall secure and board up such buildings or structures to prevent entry by animals, vermin or trespassers.

Sec. 62-204. Parking or storage of commercial vehicles, buses, trailers, trucks or equipment.

(a) In all residential zoning districts the parking of the following commercial vehicles is prohibited: Limousines, flat bed trucks, dump trucks, tow trucks, transport wreckers, tandem axle trucks, cab-on-chassis trucks, tractor trailers, wheeled attachments or trailers, buses, earth-moving machinery, semi-trailers, and any vehicle over 20 feet in length, or seven feet in height, or seven feet in width. Vehicles or equipment used for agricultural purposes on agricultural zoned property with five or more acres are permitted if parked outside the required front yard setback.
(b) In all residential zoning districts, the parking of the following commercial vehicles is permitted: (1) An automobile, pick-up truck, van or SUV used to provide daily transportation to and from work. (2) A commercial vehicle that is parked temporarily in conjunction with a commercial service, sale, delivery or pick-up.
(c) In all residential zoning districts recreational vehicles or equipment, including non- commercial trailers, may be parked or stored only in the side yard or rear yard or in an enclosed building. No such recreational vehicle or equipment shall be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes when parked or stored on a residential lot, or in any location not approved for such use.
(d) With the exception of recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles parked temporarily in conjunction with a service, sale, delivery or pick-up, no vehicle with more than six wheels or two axles or that weighs more than 14,000 pounds or that is over 20 feet in length, or seven feet in height, or seven feet in width shall be parked in a residential district.

Sec. 62-205. Off-road parking or storage of unlicensed or inoperable vehicles, trailers or equipment.

(a) The owner, occupant or person in possession of real property within a residential zoned district shall not allow vehicles or trailers of any kind to be parked thereon without current license plates, unless such vehicle is parked within a fully enclosed garage or carport attached to the residence.
(b) The owner or occupant of real property within a residential zoned within a fully enclosed garage or carport attached to the residence.

Sec. 62-207. Basketball goals and courts.

(a) Basketball goals attached to the principal residential structure or erected adjacent to and abutting the driveway of the principal residential structure shall be allowed in the front yard but not within the right-of-way of a public street or sidewalk. No such basketball goal shall be erected in such a manner that the play area for the basketball goal is located within any portion of a public right-of-way.
(b) Portable goals are allowed in the front yard but must be relocated to the side yard after use.
(c) No goal, including portable goals, shall be placed in the public street or right-of-way, nor will a goal, including a portable goal, be placed so that the public street or sidewalk is the court or playing surface for the basketball goal.
(d) Any basketball goal or portable goal located within the public street or right-of-way is declared a nuisance. After giving notice of the violation by posting a notice on the basketball goal and sending a copy thereof by certified mail with return receipt requested to the address where the basketball goal is located and giving ten calendar days after the notice has been posted on the basketball goal to correct the deficiencies, the county shall have the authority to remove the nuisance basketball goal and take it to the county landfill. The expense of such county action shall be charged against the property owner, become a lien on the property, and be collected by the same means, process and manner by which taxes are collected by the county.

Other Codes

Sec. 94-60. Prohibited parking of a vehicle within the front yard.

(a) The parking of a vehicle on grass within the front yard or in front of the principal building within a residential district is prohibited. The parking of a vehicle within the front yard or in front of the principal building within a residential district is prohibited, except on a driveway or other hardened surface made of concrete, asphalt, tar and gravel mix, or the like, or in a carport or garage.

Code Enforcement has also been authorized to enforce portions of the Sign Ordinance (no signs to be placed within the public right-of-way) and littering laws.

Penalties

The violation of these Codes may be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or six months imprisonment, or both, except as otherwise provided by general law.

Force Cleans

In addition to these penalties, the County may correct the property code violations through the use of a contracted vendor. The cost of this abatement is then placed as a lien against the property which must be satisfied before sale of the property.

The entire Code of Clayton County may be viewed by clicking: HERE