Whitfield County planning commission hears hours of public comment on proposed poultry rules; approves 60‑day moratorium on new commercial chicken‑house permits

The Whitfield County Planning Commission on a crowded evening advanced a proposed amendment to the county’s Unified Zoning Ordinance addressing commercial poultry operations and separately approved a 60‑day moratorium on new poultry permits, excluding projects with permits already filed or properties under contract.

The amendment under consideration would change setback rules and limit the scale of future commercial poultry houses. Planning‑staff presentations and public testimony focused on two issues: setbacks and how many poultry houses a parcel may hold.

Supporters from the local poultry industry said the draft ordinance was a reasonable compromise. “A 200‑foot setback is a vast difference from what it is currently,” Heath Oaten, a Whitfield County poultry farmer and member of the Whitfield County Farm Bureau board, told the commission. “Limiting down to eight on a parcel … anymore it’s not a large farm.”

Opponents described off‑site impacts they attribute to nearby poultry operations including odors, sediment‑laden runoff into private lakes…