(a) The owner of a dangerous dog or a potentially dangerous dog must secure a certificate of registration in accordance with the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 4-8-25, and obtain from the city, and place upon the dog a special identification tag.
(b) The dog control officer shall, from time to time, set a fee schedule detailing the annual fee for the certificate of registration.
(c) Owners, custodians, or harborers of dogs classified by the dog control officers as Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Doberman, and German Shepherd, must notify the dog control officer and secure a certificate of registration, city issued identification tag, and pay registration fees with the city inspection department within seven (7) days of moving the dog(s) into the city. City issued identification tags must be placed upon the dog at all times.
(d) Nonpayment of the registration fee shall be an offense and shall be punishable under section 1-8 of this Code.
(e) The dog control officer shall maintain a copy of all state and local laws applicable to dangerous dogs and potentially dangerous dogs which shall be available for inspection by the public during regular business hours. The dog control officer shall not be authorized to interpret these laws nor to give advice to owners.
(f) Owners, custodians, or harborers of dogs classified by the dog control officers as Pitbull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Doberman, and German Shepherd must update the dog control officer if the animal is moved to another premises for a period of more than seven (7) days.
(g) Prior to the issuance of the certificate of registration required herein, owners, custodians, or harborers of dogs classified by the dog control officers as a dangerous dog, potentially dangerous dog, Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Doberman, and German Shepherd must present evidence to the dog control officer that the dog has been implanted with an identification microchip.
(h) Prior to the issuance of the certificate of registration required herein, owners, custodians, or harborers of dogs classified by the dog control officers as a dangerous dog, potentially dangerous dog, Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Doberman, and German Shepherd must present evidence to the dog control officer that such owner, custodian, or harborer has obtained either:
(1) A policy of insurance in the amount of at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) issued by an insurer authorized to transact business in this state insuring the owner, custodian, or harborer of the dog against liability for any personal injuries inflicted by the dog; or
(2) A surety bond in the amount of at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) issued by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state payable to any person or persons injured by the dangerous dog.
(a) From and after the effective date of this section, no pit bull dog shall be sold, purchased or otherwise obtained within the corporate limits of the City of Fitzgerald or otherwise brought into the City of Fitzgerald.
(b) The possession of any such newly-acquired pit bull dog within the corporate limits of the City of Fitzgerald is hereby prohibited, and each day the custodian of any such newly-acquired pit bull so keeps, maintains, harbors or otherwise possesses any such dog shall constitute a separate violation of this section.
(c) Each and every pit bull dog within the corporate limits of the City of Fitzgerald that is not registered as required by this article, and each and every pit bull dog within the corporate limits of the City of Fitzgerald that is not confined, muzzled or otherwise restrained as required by this article, and each and every pit bull dog within the corporate limits of the City of Fitzgerald for which no custodian has furnished current evidence of the custodian's financial ability to respond in damages up to and including the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) for bodily injury to or death of any person or damage to property which may result from the ownership, keeping or maintenance of such dog as required by this article, shall be subject to immediate seizure and confinement by the animal control office. In the event of any such seizure, the Municipal Court for the City of Fitzgerald shall upon application by the city administrator or a representative of the animal control office order the humane destruction of such dog after notice to the custodian (if known) and hearing thereon.
(d) Each and every violation of this article shall constitute a misdemeanor punishable as provided by law; provided that the minimum penalty for any such violation shall be a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00). Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed and considered to be a separate violation of this article.
(b) Each registration shall include the following:
(1) Name, address and telephone number of the dog's owner;
(2) Address where dog is harbored, if different from owner's address;
(3) A full description of the dog including the sex, color and any other distinguishing physical characteristics of same;
(4) Proof of inoculation and tag as required by Code section 4-4;
(5) Proof of liability insurance or adequate surety bond as required in this article; and
(6) Proof of proper enclosure as required in this article.
(c) Upon proper registration, city shall provide to the pit bull owner a tag to verify registration which shall be and remain attached to the dog's collar.
(d) Pit bull dogs shall be subject to the provisions in this article and all other provisions in this chapter.
(e) A pup born to a female pit bull shall be licensed and registered pursuant to this article. The owner shall have six (6) months from the birth of the dog to register the animal with the animal control officer for the City of Hawkinsville.
(f) The fee for registration pursuant this article shall be ten dollars ($10.00).
(Ord. No. 2013-2, § 2, 9-9-13)
(1)A policy of insurance in the amount of at least fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) issued by an insurer authorized to transact business in the state insuring the owner of the pit bull dog against liability for personal injuries inflicted by the pit bull dog; or
(2) A surety bond in the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) or more issued by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state and payable to any person injured by the pit bull dog.
(a) Every owner of a pit bull dog subject to this article shall at all times maintain for said dog a proper enclosure. A proper enclosure means an enclosure for keeping a pit bull dog while on the owner's property securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed or locked pen, fence or structure suitable to prevent the entry of younger children and designed to prohibit the dog from escaping said enclosure. Any such enclosure shall have secure sides and a secure top, and, if the dog is enclosed within a fence, all sides of the fence shall be of sufficient height and the bottom of the fence shall be constructed or secured in such a manner as to prevent the dog from escaping either from over or from under the fence. Any such enclosure shall also provide protection from the elements for the dog.
(b) At any time that a pit bull dog is not confined in a proper enclosure as described herein, the dog shall be muzzled in such a manner as to prevent it from biting or injuring any person or animal, and kept on a leash with the owner or custodian in attendance.
(c) An exception to this Code section is hereby provided for any pit bull dog being attended to by a veterinary professional, or while participating in any lawful dog show, contest or exhibition sponsored by a dog club, association, society, or similar organization.
| City | Ordinance | Breeds | Type of Ordinance | Last Checked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkston | Dog Park Rules | Pit Bulls & Rottweilers | Ban from city’s dog park | 12/15/2022 | None |
| College Park | 4-25 | Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepherd | Mandatory Registration | 12/15/2022 | None |
| Fitzgerald | 5-176 | Pit Bulls | Bans | 12/15/2022 | None |
| Hawkinsville | 4-22 | Pit Bulls | Register, Insurance & Enclosure | 12/15/2022 | None |
| LaFayette | 5-43 | Chow, Rotweiler, or Pit Bull | Declared Dangerous | 10/06/2023 | None |
| Lanett | 6-8-C | Pit Bull, Presa Canario | Ban | 12/15/2022 | None |
| Midfield | 10-73 | Pit Bulls | Ban | 12/15/2022 | None |
| Tarrant | 3-1 | Pit Bull, Rottweilers , bull terrier | Declared Vicious | 12/15/2022 | None |