Georgia Dog-Bite Law (§ 51-2-7) and Leash Ordinances in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett. O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 (2025): a person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages. Call (470) 852-6328. Cooper Law publishes no case results.
Reviewed by Omar A. Cooper, Esq. · Last updated September 3, 2026
What § 51-2-7 actually says
Careless management or at liberty
O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 (2025): a person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages. In proving vicious propensity, it shall be sufficient to show that the animal was required to be at heel or on a leash by a city, county or consolidated-government ordinance, and at the time of the occurrence was not at heel or on a leash.
That sentence does not apply to domesticated fowl (including roosters with spurs) or domesticated livestock.
S&S Towing & Recovery, Ltd. v. Charnota, 309 Ga.
117 (2020): the 1985 second sentence of § 51-2-7 gives an additional way to prove viciousness when a local leash ordinance was violated, but the plaintiff must still prove scienter — knowledge of vicious propensity as defined at common law, or knowledge that the animal was unrestrained in violation of the ordinance. Do not call Georgia a strict-liability dog-bite state.
Fulton County Code § 34-205 / Atlanta Code § 18-124 (opened): it is unlawful for the owner, custodian or harborer of any dog to allow the dog to leave the premises unless securely under leash not more than six feet long and under the control of a competent person. Running at large of dogs is prohibited in unincorporated Fulton and in municipalities that contract with Fulton for animal control.
Cite Atlanta § 18-124 as the opened text that mirrors the Fulton running-at-large rule; match the bite location to the ordinance actually in force.
Leash-law sentence
DeKalb County Code § 5-5 (Municode Ch. 5 opened): it is unlawful for the owner of an animal to allow it to run at large unattended on streets, rights-of-way and highways of unincorporated DeKalb; in county parks except parks specifically designated as off-leash areas; on apartment/condo common property; or on another's property without permission.
Tethering is prohibited in § 5-3(d).
Gwinnett County Code Ch. 10 definition (opened): 'Dogs running at large' means any dog not under immediate control, not on a leash, not at heel, not beside a competent person, not in a vehicle driven or parked, or not confined within the property limits of his owner.
Hunting and tracking dogs are under the control of the owner when hunting with the landowner's permission. That definition is a leash/at-heel ordinance of the kind § 51-2-7's second sentence refers to.
Gwinnett parks (Ch. 70-43) require a leash or lead line except in designated dog parks, where a leash longer than six feet or a retractable leash is prohibited.
Do not invent a countywide Gwinnett off-premises foot-length beyond those opened texts.
Scienter after Charnota
Cobb County Code Ch. 10 (definitions opened): 'Running at large' means any domestic animal not under the control and restraint of the owner or the owner's designee. 'Restraint of animal' means complete and immediate control of an animal by a physical device while under the direct supervision of a competent person.
The Cobb County operative prohibition section was not fully fetched; do not quote a six-foot Cobb County leash as if it were county law. Kennesaw (a Cobb city) has its own six-foot off-premises rule — different jurisdiction.
O.C.G.A. § 4-8-29: owner of a dangerous dog may not permit it off the owner's property unless restrained by a leash not to exceed six feet and under immediate physical control, contained in a closed locked cage/crate, or working/training as a hunting, herding or predator-control dog. Vicious-dog rules add muzzling.
Violations of subsection (b) are a high-and-aggravated misdemeanor. Classified-dog rules are separate from a first-bite civil case.
O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7: Owner/keeper liability; leash-ordinance violation is a statutory way to prove vicious propensity, plus scienter after Charnota.
O.C.G.A. § 4-8-29: Dangerous dog off-property: 6-foot leash or crate.
Metro leash rules that were opened
Name the code sections. Do not invent a Cobb County six-foot rule or a Gwinnett countywide footage.
Classified dangerous/vicious dogs
State-level classified-dog rules are separate from a first-bite civil case.
Georgia law that applies
- O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 — Owner/keeper liability; leash-ordinance violation is a statutory way to prove vicious propensity, plus scienter after Charnota.
- O.C.G.A. § 4-8-29 — Dangerous dog off-property: 6-foot leash or crate.
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Sources: O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 (2025) - Justia · S&S Towing v. Charnota, Ga. Supreme Court 2020 · Atlanta Code § 18-124 (Fulton running-at-large text opened) · DeKalb County Code Chapter 5 - Animals (Municode) · Gwinnett County Code Ch. 10 - Animals (Municode) · Cobb County Code Ch. 10 definitions (Municode) · O.C.G.A. § 4-8-29 (2025) · O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33
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Where these facts were opened
FAQs
Is Georgia a one-bite state?
§ 51-2-7 requires a vicious or dangerous animal plus careless management or allowing it at liberty, and no provocation. The leash-ordinance sentence is an additional way to prove vicious propensity, but S&S Towing still requires scienter.
What is Fulton's leash rule?
Dogs leaving the premises must be on a leash not more than six feet, under a competent person (Atlanta Code § 18-124 / Fulton running-at-large text opened).
Does DeKalb allow off-leash in parks?
Running at large is unlawful in DeKalb parks except in parks specifically designated as off-leash areas (Code § 5-5).
What is Gwinnett's rule?
Gwinnett's opened definition treats a dog not under immediate control, not on a leash, not at heel, not beside a competent person, not in a vehicle, or not confined on the owner's property as 'running at large.' Do not invent a countywide foot-length.
How long do I have to sue?
Two years for personal injury under § 9-3-33, subject to other article exceptions.
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