Georgia Dangerous Dog Law

What happens right after a bite?

Georgia leaves rabies control to county boards of health, which must adopt their own rules (O.C.G.A. § 31-19-1)¹⁴. The owner or custodian of a dog that has bitten a person must notify the county board of health and confine the dog under the board's rules¹⁴. The state Rabies Control Manual (eighth edition, December 2024) calls for a 10-day observation of any dog, cat or ferret that bites a person, whatever its vaccination status¹⁴. The local rabies authority sets the place, which may be the owner's home, a veterinary hospital or an animal control facility, and the dog must have no direct contact with people or other animals during that time¹⁴. If it develops signs of rabies, it is euthanized and tested¹⁴. See dog bite quarantine for how other states handle this.

A law enforcement officer or dog control officer must impound a dog at once if the officer believes it poses a threat to public safety²⁵.

Dangerous dog or vicious dog: what is the difference?

The Responsible Dog Ownership Law, in force since July 1, 2012, uses two classes¹⁵:

• A dangerous dog has caused a substantial puncture of a person's skin with its teeth without serious injury, has attacked in a way that made someone reasonably fear imminent serious injury, or has killed a pet animal while off the owner's property. A nip, scratch or abrasion is not enough, and neither are barking, growling or bared teeth¹⁵.
• A vicious dog has inflicted serious injury on a person, or caused serious injury to someone reasonably trying to escape it¹⁵. Serious injury includes broken or dislocated bones, lacerations needing multiple sutures, disfiguring avulsions, injuries needing plastic surgery or hospital admission, and transmission of an infection¹⁵.

No dog can be classified for injuring someone who was trespassing, abusing the dog or committing a crime against a person, or for acts done as a police or military dog on duty¹⁵. Dogs classified under older local rules were carried over in 2012: “potentially dangerous” became dangerous, and “dangerous” or “vicious” became vicious²⁷.

How is a dog classified, and can the owner appeal?

Each county and city designates dog control officers¹⁶. After a report, the officer investigates; if the dog qualifies, the officer must mail the owner a dated notice within 72 hours¹⁶. The owner then has 7 days from the date on the notice to request a hearing before the local animal control board or board of health, or the probate court where no such board exists¹⁶. Without a request, the officer's decision takes effect¹⁶. The hearing is held within 30 days, and a written decision follows within 10 days of it¹⁶. Further court review is available; the review provisions were updated by a 2022 act effective July 1, 2023¹⁶. If the owner cannot be found within 10 days, the dog may go to a shelter or be euthanized¹⁶.

What must the owner of a classified dog do?

It is unlawful to keep a classified dog without a certificate of registration from the dog control officer, renewed every year¹³. Both classes need a secure enclosure and warning signs at every entrance; a vicious dog also needs a microchip and at least $50,000 of liability insurance¹³. A person may own only one vicious dog, and certain felons, and anyone living with them, cannot register one¹³. Off the property, a dangerous dog must be on a leash no longer than six feet under someone's physical control or in a locked crate; a vicious dog must also be muzzled and may never be left unattended with minors¹⁹. The owner must report within 24 hours if the dog gets loose, attacks a person or dies, and must re-register within 10 days after moving to another Georgia jurisdiction²¹. A vicious dog cannot be sold or given away except to be euthanized²¹.

When can a dog be euthanized?

A dog found, after notice and hearing, to have caused serious injury to a human on more than one occasion must be euthanized; injuries before July 1, 2012 do not count¹⁸. A superior court may also order euthanasia of a dog that has seriously injured a person or cannot be controlled under the law, but only if the owner was convicted of a dog-related crime or a local government has sued¹⁷. A classified dog is confiscated after any violation; if the owner does not comply within 14 days, it goes to a shelter or is euthanized, and the owner may pay the costs²². See dog bite euthanasia laws.

What are the criminal penalties?

Most violations are misdemeanors²³. Breaking the vicious-dog confinement rules is a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature¹⁹. If an owner with an earlier conviction under the law lets a classified dog seriously injure someone in another violation, the owner commits a felony punishable by one to ten years in prison, a $5,000 to $10,000 fine, or both, and the dog is euthanized at the owner's cost¹⁹. Irregularities in the classification are no defense if the owner had actual notice and did not challenge it¹⁹.

Are breed bans allowed?

Yes. State law sets only minimum standards and lets counties and cities adopt stricter dog ordinances²⁰, and no statute stops them from naming breeds. Check your city and county code. A local government cannot be sued for failing to enforce the state law²⁶.

Rules for a declared dog in Georgia

Georgia rules in brief

Reporting. O.C.G.A. § 31-19-4 makes the owner or custodian of any animal that has bitten a person responsible for notifying the county board of health and confining the animal under that board's rules; a person bitten by an animal reasonably suspected of being rabid must notify the board immediately¹⁴. Owners of dogs already classified as dangerous or vicious must also tell the local dog control officer within 24 hours of any attack on a human²¹.

Euthanasia. A dog found after notice and hearing to have caused serious injury to a human on more than one occasion must be euthanized¹⁸. A superior court may order euthanasia of a dog that seriously injured someone or cannot be controlled under the law, if the owner was convicted of a related crime or a local government sued for it¹⁷. The owner can request a hearing within 7 days of the dog control officer's notice¹⁶.

Criminal penalties. Most violations of the law are misdemeanors²³. Letting a vicious dog out unmuzzled or unleashed, or leaving it unattended with minors, is a high and aggravated misdemeanor¹⁹. An owner with a prior conviction under the law whose classified dog seriously injures someone is guilty of a felony: 1 to 10 years, a $5,000 to $10,000 fine, or both¹⁹.

Breed rules. No state statute bars breed-specific local laws; the dog chapter sets minimum standards and lets counties and cities adopt stricter ordinances²⁰.

Compare states: dangerous dog laws by state, bite quarantine rules, euthanasia after a bite. If your dog bit someone, start with what happens next.

Sources

1. O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 (liability of owner or keeper of vicious or dangerous animal), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
2. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 (injuries to the person), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
3. Steagald v. Eason, 300 Ga. 717, 797 S.E.2d 838 (2017), Supreme Court of Georgia. Checked 17 October 2026.
4. O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 (reduction and apportionment of damages), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
5. Tyner v. Matta-Troncoso, 305 Ga. 480, 826 S.E.2d 100 (2019), Supreme Court of Georgia. Checked 17 October 2026.
6. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90 (tolling for minors), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
7. O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5 (notice of claims against municipal corporations), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
8. O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1 (presentation of claims against counties), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
9. O.C.G.A. § 50-21-26 (Georgia Tort Claims Act notice), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2021). Checked 17 October 2026.
10. O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1 (punitive damages), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2021). Checked 17 October 2026.
11. SB 68 (2025), Act 9: civil practice and damages revision, adding O.C.G.A. § 51-12-1.1, Georgia General Assembly. Checked 17 October 2026.
12. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14 (out-of-possession landlord), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
13. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-27 (certificate of registration for classified dogs), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Rabies Control Manual, Eighth Edition (December 2024), incl. O.C.G.A. ch. 31-19, Georgia Department of Public Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
15. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-21 (definitions: dangerous dog, vicious dog, serious injury), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
16. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-23 (classification, notice and hearing), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
17. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-25 (court-ordered euthanasia), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
18. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-26 (euthanasia after repeated serious injury), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
19. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-29 (restraint of classified dogs; penalties), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
20. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-1 (minimum standards; local ordinances), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2017). Checked 17 October 2026.
21. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-28 (owner notices; transfer; moving), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2021). Checked 17 October 2026.
22. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-30 (confiscation), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
23. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-32 (penalty), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
24. O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1 (duty of owner or occupier to invitees), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated). Checked 17 October 2026.
25. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-24 (impoundment), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
26. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-31 (no local government liability), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2022). Checked 17 October 2026.
27. O.C.G.A. § 4-8-33 (dogs classified before July 1, 2012), Justia (Official Code of Georgia Annotated, 2021). Checked 17 October 2026.