What Is The Georgia Dog Bite Law?

Georgia’s main dog bite statute, O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7, allows an injured person to hold a dog’s owner (or keeper) responsible when two things are generally true: the dog is vicious or dangerous, and the owner was careless in controlling it or let it go at liberty. The statute does not automatically punish every owner whose dog nips someone — a dangerous dog and carelessness usually have to be shown together.

‘Careless management’ can include things like leaving a gate open, failing to properly restrain a dog known to be aggressive, or letting a dog roam a neighborhood unsupervised. Because the law is fact-specific, the details of what actually happened matter a great deal in determining Liability in a real claim.

Georgia’s law is often compared to a ‘first bite’ rule, because it typically looks at whether the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, the dog had dangerous tendencies before the bite happened. Evidence can include a prior bite or attack, aggressive lunging or growling at people, or warnings the owner had already received about the dog’s behavior.

This does not always mean the dog had to have bitten someone before. Georgia courts and juries can look at the totality of the circumstances, including how the dog was kept, whether neighbors or others had complained about that particular dog, and whether the owner ignored earlier warning signs.

Many Georgia cities and counties require dogs to be leashed or otherwise controlled in public. If a dog was off-leash in violation of a local ordinance when it bit someone, O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7 generally allows that violation to be used as a way of showing the dog counts as ‘vicious or dangerous’ — one of the elements of the claim under the statute.

A leash-law violation alone does not automatically win a case, but it is often an important piece of evidence. An attorney can help identify the applicable local ordinance and connect it to the facts of your bite.

Getting medical care first matters most — dog bites can cause deep tissue damage, nerve injury, and infection risk even when a wound looks minor. Once you are safe, try to get the dog owner’s name, address, and proof of rabies vaccination, and take photos of the injury, the scene, and any leash or fence involved. If the bite happened on someone else’s property, Premises Liability principles may also come into play.

Reporting the bite to local animal control or your county health department creates an official record, which can later support a claim. For a full walkthrough of these steps, see our what to do after a dog bite guide.

Sometimes an insurance company argues the injured person provoked the dog, was trespassing, or otherwise contributed to what happened. Georgia generally follows a rule known as Comparative Fault, meaning a person who was partly responsible may still recover damages, though a share of fault can reduce the amount recovered.

Because these arguments can significantly affect a claim’s value, it helps to have an attorney review the specific facts early, before you give a statement to an insurance adjuster.