POLICY DATABASE
Policy Summary

This uncodified law amended Atlanta's several provisions in the city's zoning code to define and allow “urban gardens and market gardens” as a permitted use and to provide conditions for where and when that use would be permitted.

Background Information

State Georgia
Jurisdiction Name Atlanta
Jurisdiction Type City,
Population Size 200,000-800,000
Legal Strategies
  • Expressly allows something
  • Requires something, sets standards
Reach Community-wide
Food System Category Grow; Get;
Evidence for Health

This policy may correspond to diet-related strategies identified by the County Health Rankings’ What Works for Health tool, including:

For research on the potential effectiveness, please review the category links above.

We understand that this information is not comprehensive. It also does not include other important forms of evidence such as community members’ lived experiences and practice-based evidence.

Policy Details

Refers to priority populations?
Unclear

Whereas clauses include a reference to increasing access to affordable food (second "whereas" clause, page 1).

Health-related goal?
Yes

"increase access to healthy local food" and "public health, safety and general welfare" (page 1).

Environmental goal?
Yes

"the Mayor's Office of Sustainability seeks to promote policies for a sustainable future growing, developing and consuming with the least possible impact on nature" (third "whereas" clause, page 1).

Economic goal?
Yes

The city desires to " support local agriculture and economic development" (second "whereas" clause, page 1).

Includes findings?
Yes

"the City finds it to be in the public health, safety and general welfare to adopt zoning regulations governing the definition, location and operation of urban gardens and market gardens within the various zoning districts of the Atlanta Zoning Ordinance" (page 1).

Has a stated intent or purpose?
Unclear

Whereas clauses include the following: "the City desires to increase access to healthy, local, and affordable foods; encourage community-building; and support local agriculture and economic development;" and " the Mayor's Office of Sustainability seeks to promote policies for a sustainable future growing, developing and consuming with the least possible impact on nature;. . ." (page 1).

Includes definitions?
Yes

Section 1--adding definitions for "urban garden" and "market garden" to Sec. 16-29.001 of Atlanta's zoning code.

Addresses implementation?
No

Enforcement provisions?
No

Evaluation component?
No

Requires extra investment?
No

Code context and ordinance history

An uncodified ordinance amending various sections of the Atlanta Zoning Ordinance. Atlanta's codified version of its zoning laws can be found at https://library.municode.com/ga/atlanta/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIICOORANDECO_PT16ZO_CH1IN. We did not compare the uncodified ordinance with the current codified version because multiple code sections were involved.

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