2025 Code of Georgia
Title 4 - Animals (Chs. 1 — 15)
Chapter 11 - Animal Protection (Arts. 1 — 2)
Article 1 - General Provisions (§§ 4-11-1 — 4-11-18)
Annotations
Notes
Editor’s notes.Ga. L. 1990, p. 328, § 1, effective July 1, 1990, designated the existing provisions of this chapter as Article 1 and enacted Article 2 thereof.
Opinion Notes
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Local conflicting statutes cannot control. —Neither the Georgia Animal Protection Act, O. C. G. A. § 4-11-1 et seq., nor any other provision of state law allows local governments to impose restrictions on the sale or disposition of cats and dogs that are stricter than the Act or to otherwise impose burdens not authorized by the Act. 2019 Op. Att’y Gen. No. 19-2.
City of Canton’s restrictions on the sale or disposition of dogs and cats that interfere with the operation of pet shops, as defined in the Georgia Animal Protection Act, O. C. G. A. § 4-11-1 et seq., conflict with and are preempted by the Act and the companion rules. 2019 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 19-2.
Research References & Practice Aids
Administrative rules and regulations.Animal Protection, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Rules of Georgia Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division, Rule 40-13-13-.01 et seq.
Law reviews.For note on 2000 amendment of O. C. G. A. §§ 4-11-2, 4-11-10, and 4-11-15 to 4-11-17, see 17 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 12 (2000).
For note, “Puppies, Puppies, Puppies: Why Georgia Should ‘Adopt’ a Progressive Puppy Lemon Law and Engage in Much-Needed Statutory Reform,” see 55 Ga. L. Rev. 431 (2020).
Hierarchy Notes:O. C. G. A. Title 4
O. C. G. A. Title 4, Ch. 11
- § 4-11-1. Short title
- § 4-11-2. Definitions
- § 4-11-3. Licenses for pet dealers and kennel, stable, or animal shelter operators
- § 4-11-4. Display of licenses
- § 4-11-5. Licensing of bird dealers
- § 4-11-5.1. Euthanasia of dogs and cats by animal shelters or facilities operated for collection of stray, neglected, abandoned, or unwanted animals
- § 4-11-5.2. Microchip reader defined; contacting owner of microchipped pet
- § 4-11-6. Applicability of article to nonresidents; consent to jurisdiction; service
- § 4-11-7. Grounds for refusal to issue or renew or suspension or revocation of licenses
- § 4-11-8. Denial, suspension, or revocation of license for violation of article; applicability of "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act."
- § 4-11-9. Inspections
- § 4-11-9.1. Quarantine of animal, premises, or any area by Commissioner
- § 4-11-9.2. Warrant for inspections; impoundments of animals; exception
- § 4-11-9.3. Caring for an impounded animal
- § 4-11-9.4. Notification of owner; custody of animal
- § 4-11-9.5. Failure to respond; right to hearing; care; crime exception
- § 4-11-9.6. Disposal of impounded animal
- § 4-11-9.7. Notice and reporting required for certain animal diseases
- § 4-11-9.8. Recoupment of expenses of impoundment
- § 4-11-10. Unlawful acts by licensed persons
- § 4-11-10.1. Transfer of domestic animals along public areas; enforcement; fines
- § 4-11-11. Shipment or importation of equines, poultry, livestock, or birds into state without official certificate of veterinary inspection
- § 4-11-12. Cooperation with federal government
- § 4-11-13. Animals raised, kept, or maintained for human consumption
- § 4-11-14. Rules and regulations
- § 4-11-15. Injunctions and restraining orders
- § 4-11-15.1. Abandonment of domesticated animal
- § 4-11-16. Penalties
- § 4-11-17. Filing a report regarding animal cruelty; immunity
- § 4-11-18. Article cumulative; does not prohibit enactment and enforcement of local ordinances by municipal or county governing authority
