Decatur Will Vote To Specifically Allow Pygmy Goats and Pot-Bellied Pigs This Month

DM has learned that the Decatur City Commission will take up a vote at its next meeting on Monday, January 20th to allow residents to keep up to two pygmy goats and/or pot-bellied pigs on their property inside the city limits.

Decatur’s animal ordinance has long been unclear when it comes to these animals that straddle the line between pets and livestock.  (Allison wrote a great piece here on the issue back in 2011.)

Decatur Planning Director Amanda Thompson explains that the clarity and change to the animal ordinance was developed during the just-completed, very involved Unified Development Ordinance process, but because it isn’t a “development” issue, it will be voted on separately at the January 20th Commission meeting.

We should receive a copy of the actual ordinance tomorrow, which will detail weight limits and other details.  Stay tuned.

Goat photo courtesy of picbot via Flickr, Pig photo courtesy of daniel_sh via Flickr

23 thoughts on “Decatur Will Vote To Specifically Allow Pygmy Goats and Pot-Bellied Pigs This Month”


  4. Why not allow Nigerian Dwarf goats as well? They are the same size and weight as Pygmys just a different breed. Only allowing Pygmys is like allowing Yellow Labs but not Golden Retrievers. It simply doesn’t make sense. A better approach would be to put a 75lb weight restriction on ‘goats’ with no mention of the breed. Then, people would be free to keep whichever dwarf breed they are most fond of.

    1. This may be the case. Presumably the draft ordinance to be considered, which DM mentioned is coming tomorrow, will include the necessary definitions. And if not, seems a reasonable issue to bring up at the commission’s meeting.

    2. How many people tasked with enforcing the ordinance will be able to tell the difference?

    3. I think the problem with Nigerian goats is that they’re from Africa, so we’d have to screen them for Ebola.

  6. Why not allow Anacondas, Lions, Tigers, and Republicans as well? OK. OK. Leave one of those out.

    2. The law is very clear on this point, actually:

      Not to eat meat, that is the law.
      Not to go on all fours, that is the law.
      Not to spill blood, that is the law.

      Oh yeah, who breaks the law goes back to… the House of Pain (which I think is off Memorial by the DMV).

      1. Here’s my favorite current animal ordinance. I just enjoy the phrase “run at large”…

        Sec. 14-2. – Running at large.
        No animals, including horses, mules, cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, chickens or other fowl shall be permitted to run at large upon any street or public place or elsewhere within the city. Any person owning or controlling any such animals or fowl who shall allow any of such animals or fowl to run at large in the city in violation of this section shall, on conviction, be punished as provided in section 1-12.

        (Code 1967, §§ 5-1, 5-20)

        State law reference— Livestock running at large, O.C.G.A. § 4-3-1 et seq.; permitting dogs in heat to run at large, O.C.G.A. § 4-8-6.

  14. The goats are cute!!! Pygmies are people too! Gooo Gooooaaats! (the new Decatur lawn mowing team cheer)

  18. Livestock running at large shall be drawn and quartered and frozen for use at the annual , ” At Large Livestock Feast” held on Decatur square. At Large Mules will simply be used as transportation to and from the event.

    My heavens! Imagine downtown Decatur run amok with farm animals running willy nilly! I can see it now, municipal buildings with “green” turf roofs being grazed by free range pigmy goats.

  24. We’ll now have to specify when giving directions. “Veer left past Dancing Goats – the coffee shop, not the animals – to get to the post office.”

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