Classified Ads Guidelines

The guidelines listed here apply to specific Classified categories. Follow the link above to see a full listing of all our Classified categories. All categories are published in every issue. Ads in all categories are limited to 30 words and run for two consecutive issues.

Animals in General

  • All animals offered for sale in the Market Bulletin must be healthy and apparently free of any contagious, infectious or communicable disease.
  • All animals advertised must be individually and specifically identified.
  • Ads for free or unwanted livestock will not be published.
  • PLEASE NOTE:  Individuals may sell their own animals; however, livestock dealers are required to have a Livestock Dealer License from GDA. For more information, please call the Animal Protection Division at (404) 656-4914.

Aquaculture & Supplies

  • Advertisers selling sterile triploid grass carp must submit a current Wild Animal License from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Ads submitted without this license will not be published. In addition, entities producing and selling or reselling domestic fish in Georgia are required to obtain a free Aquaculture Registration permit. For more information on aquaculture rules and licensing in Georgia, including a listing of domestic fish and other fish species requiring a Wild Animal License, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/aquaculture or call (770) 761-3044. 

Boarding Facilities

  • The Georgia Animal Protection Act requires boarding and breeding facilities to be licensed. A current license number must be submitted with notices for publication in the “Boarding Facilities” category. Notices submitted without this information will not be published. For more information, please call the GDA Equine Health Division at (404) 656-3713.

Employment

  • Farm Help Needed and Seeking Farm Employment ads must be related to agricultural farm work.
  • Ads submitted for domestic help, companions, baby sitters, housekeepers, etc. will not be published.

Equine

  • Advertisers in the Equine or Equine Stud Services categories must submit current negative Coggins tests for each equine advertised. This includes horses, ponies and donkeys. Buyers are urged to request verification of a negative Coggins from the advertiser before purchasing any equine. Generalized ads, such as those selling “many horses” or “variety to choose from,” will not be published. For more information, please call the GDA Equine Health Division at (404) 656-3713.

Farm Machinery

  • Please indicate if machinery advertised is in running condition.

Farm Supplies

  • Please indicate if machinery, power tools or equipment advertised is in running condition.

Firewood

  • Firewood must be cut from the advertiser’s personal property. Ads for firewood must use the cord when specifying the amount of firewood for sale.

Goats and Sheep

  • All goats and sheep offered for sale must be individually identified in compliance with the USDA Scrapie Program. For more information, please call the GDA Animal Protection Division at (404) 656-4914.

Heavy Equipment

  • Please indicate if equipment advertised is in running condition.

Lawn and Garden

  • Please indicate if machinery, equipment or power tools advertised are in running condition.

Non-traditional Livestock

  • Advertisers selling fallow deer, axis deer, sika deer, elk, red deer, reindeer and caribou must submit a current deer farming license with their ads.
  • Farmed deer greater than 12 months old are required to have a negative Brucellosis test within 30 days and a negative TB test within 90 days to move intrastate. Ads submitted without a copy of the license and negative sample results (if applicable) will not be published. For information about deer farming licenses, contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture Livestock and Poultry Section at (404) 656-3665. For information on other hoofed stock, excluding llamas and water buffalo, contact the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at (770) 761-3044.
  • Camelids (llama, alpaca) must be individually identified; bison (some people mistakenly call them buffalo) and water buffalo must meet the same requirements as cattle.
  • Antelope must be individually and officially identified, and 6 months of age and older are required to have a negative Brucellosis test within 30 days and a negative TB test within 90 days prior to entering Georgia. 
  • PLEASE NOTE:  Importation of any cervid into Georgia requires a special permit from the GDA State Veterinarian and DNR. At this time, cervids are not permitted into the State.   

Out-of-State Animals

  • All out-of-state animals offered for sale in the Market Bulletin must meet all Interstate Animal Health Movement Requirements including appropriate testing for the species and a current official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) or NPIP 9-3 for poultry. For more information, please call the GDA Animal Protection Division at (404) 656-4914.

Plants/Flowers

  • Advertisers selling officially protected plants must have a permit to sell such plants. Ads submitted without this permit will not be published. For information on the sale or shipment of protected plants, visit https://www.fws.gov/Endangered/permits/index.html or call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (404) 679-7097.
  • For questions about ginseng, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/ginsengprogram or call the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Ginseng Management Program at (706) 557-3213.

Poultry/Fowl for Sale

  • Any person engaged in buying live poultry of any kind for resale, or in selling live poultry of any kind bought for resale, must be licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.  Possessing such a license does not by itself disqualify an individual from advertising poultry in the Market Bulletin.
  • Chicks, ducklings, etc., must have been raised by the advertiser before offering them for sale in the Market Bulletin.
  • Mallard ducks must be at least three generations from the wild before they can be advertised in the Market Bulletin. Advertisers must include this information in notices submitted for publication.
  • PLEASE NOTE:  Out-of-state poultry must have a negative Avian Influenza test and negative pullorum test within 21 days of entering Georgia. For more information, please call the GDA Animal Protection Division at (404) 656-4914.

Poultry/Fowl Requiring Permit/License

  • Advertisers selling wood ducks must submit a Waterfowl Sale permit with the ad. Ads for wood ducks that do not have this permit will not be published. For permit information, email permitsR4MB@fws.gov or call the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at (404) 679-7070.
  • Advertisements selling pen-raised Bobwhite quail must be accompanied by a copy of the Commercial Quail Breeder's License. Ads for quail that do not have this license will not be published. For information on this license, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/licenses-permits-passes/commercial or call the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division at (706) 557-3244.
  • PLEASE NOTE:  Canada Geese may not be sold. Please direct questions regarding Canada Geese to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.  

Real Estate

  • All farm property listed within this category (for sale or rent/lease) must consist of 10 acres or more. Out-of-state subscribers owning farm property within Georgia are allowed to advertise in this category. Real estate agents, businesses, brokers or dealers that sell land on a commission basis are not eligible to advertise.

Seeds

  • Advertisers must submit a current state laboratory report (fewer than nine months old) for purity, noxious weeds and germination for each seed lot advertised. Ads submitted without this information will not be published. For information regarding certified seed, call the GDA Seed Division at 229.386.3557.

Stock Dogs

  • Ads in this category are limited to breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club as herding and/or working dogs (in an agricultural context). Ads for breeds that do not meet those definitions will not be published.
  • Advertisers must submit a copy of a current Rabies Vaccination Certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian for dogs 12 weeks and older and include the age of all dogs being advertised. Ads submitted without this information will not be published.

Swine

  • Advertisers submitting swine ads must submit proof of a negative brucellosis and pseudorabies test from within the past 30 days. Exceptions are swine from a validated brucellosis-free herd and/or qualified pseudorabies-free herd; these operations must submit proof of those certifications. Buyers are urged to request proof of a negative brucellosis and pseudorabies test prior to purchase. PLEASE NOTE:  Feral hogs may not be offered for sale or advertised in the Market Bulletin. For further information on the transportation and holding of feral hogs, please refer to Agriculture Rule 40-13-15 (Transportation and Holding of Live Feral Hogs).

Things to Eat

  • Advertisers producing and offering for sale shell eggs at retail to the end consumer must obtain an egg candling certificate from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The department offers in-person training classes on egg candling. Call (470) 656-3627 or email candling@agr.georgia.gov for more information.

Timber

  • Timber must be individually owned and produced by the advertiser on his personal property. No companies or businesses are permitted to advertise timberland in this category.
  • Timberland advertised must be at least one acre.
  • Timber wanted ads will not be published.

Vehicles

  • Please indicate if vehicles advertised are in running condition.

Advertising Guidelines

  • All advertisements published in the Market Bulletin must relate directly to the agricultural industry or be a product of the industry. Any item submitted for sale through the Bulletin must meet at least one of the following criteria:
    1. The item must be produced or raised by the advertiser on his or her own farming operation;
    2. The item must be made by the advertiser from materials on his or her own farm; or
    3. The item must be owned and used by the advertiser on his or her own farming operation and must not be part of a commercial entity’s inventory.
  • Business and Real Estate Professional Restriction – Classified notices are not permitted for businesses or real estate professionals. A person connected with a business or real estate profession may only advertise items that he or she owns and that are not directly associated with the business or commercial operations.
  • Submission Requirements – Each classified notice submitted for publication must meet the following requirements:
    1. The notice must be in writing or be submitted online via agr.georgia.gov;
    2. The notice must be legible;
    3. The notice must appear on a single sheet of paper separate from any other notice;
    4. The notice must be accompanied by the category name and the name, mailing address, street address, telephone number, and subscriber number of the person submitting the notice; and
    5. The notice must be followed by the below certification statement and the signature of the person submitting the notice. “I hereby certify that the above notice meets all necessary requirements for publication in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin.”
  • Legal Requirements – Any item for sale or service offered in a classified notice must conform to all applicable laws and regulations regarding sale and movement. The Editor may summarize any known legal requirements or requirements imposed by the Commissioner in each category’s headnote; however, this summary will not be deemed exclusive should the Editor become aware of other laws or regulations.
  • License and Permit Requirement – An advertiser must hold all required licenses and permits for any product or service advertised, and all applicable licenses and permits must remain valid throughout the advertising run.
  • Testing Requirement – An advertiser must appropriately test any product which requires testing, and the results of this test must remain valid throughout the product’s advertising run.
  • Documentation Requirement – An advertiser must appropriately document any product which requires documentation, and the documentation must remain valid throughout the product’s advertising run.
  • Additional Restrictions – The following restrictions apply to Classified Notices:
    1. Handicrafts – All items advertised in the Handicrafts column must be made by the advertiser and not purchased for resale. These items must be usable in the home or on the farm.
    2. Farm Labor – Only farm work wanted or farm help wanted notices are allowed in the Farm Employment column. Commercial or domestic employment will not be published or advertised.
    3. Farm Land – Advertisements for the sale, purchase, or rental of farm land may be published in issues specifically designated by the Editor. Commercial or city properties will not be published or advertised. The Editor will determine if property to be advertised can be classified as a farm.
    4. Farm Machinery and Equipment – Only farm machinery and equipment owned by the advertiser and used in his or her own farming operation can be advertised. A person advertising for machinery and equipment wanted must seek those items for his or her own farming operation.
    5. Farm Services – Any farm service advertised must be performed by the advertiser personally on the farm of the individual desiring service.
    6. Livestock – All livestock must have been in the advertiser’s possession for a minimum of 90 days before they can be advertised.
    7. Pets – Pets are not eligible for advertisement in the Bulletin, with the following exceptions:
    8. Stock dogs – Advertisers must submit a copy of a current Rabies Vaccination Certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian for dogs 12 weeks and older.
    9. Fish – Aquatic animals, including catfish and trout, which are recognized by Georgia’s aquaculture industry.
    10. Timber – Timber must be individually owned and produced by the advertiser on his or her own property. Timber wanted advertisements will not be published.

Authority: O.C.G.A. Sec. 2-2-7.

Publication of Classified Notices

Without the Editor’s advance special authorization, each subscriber may only run one classified notice in an issue of the Bulletin.

Following approval, classified notices will be published in only two issues per submission; however, a person may make a written request for publication of a classified notice in up to four consecutive issues. If extended publication is permitted, a new classified notice must be submitted after the four-issue publication period to continue publication of the classified notice.

Authority: O.C.G.A. Sec. 2-2-7.