The Cobb County Commission has unanimously approved a measure to limit the number of adults who can live under one roof.
Cobb County's new rule prohibits more than two unrelated adults and their children or grandchildren from sharing a home, and defines family as parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters.
County officials say the measure is needed to curb falling property values, but immigrant rights groups say the county is violating federal law.
Elise Shore is Atlanta regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). She says the measure strikes at the heart of extended families.
"They have restricted family only to the fourth degree under Georgia law. And we made a Constitutional argument the Supreme Court has recognized that sanctity of the family is recognizable under substantive due process in the Constitution," she said.
The County Commission also approved a measure limiting the number of ears that can be parked in front of a home at one time. Later this summer, Cobb County officials will vote on a proposal to govern the hiring of day laborers.
MALDEF has already filed its opposition to that measure, saying it violates the freedom of speech provision of the First Amendment.
