Catoosa County, GA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Catoosa County's breed-neutral dangerous dog ordinance, enacted by Ord. No. 12-002 in 2012, classifies individual dogs rather than breeds. Under § 14-77, a 'dangerous dog' is one that punctures skin without causing serious injury or aggressively attacks in a way that creates a reasonable belief of imminent serious injury, while a 'vicious dog' is one that actually inflicts serious injury on a person, including injuries suffered while a person reasonably tries to escape the attack. A dog control officer investigates reports and, after mailing the owner notice of a proposed classification, the owner may request a hearing before the Magistrate Court of Catoosa County under § 14-79.

Once a dog is classified, § 14-83 makes it unlawful to possess it without a certificate of registration, limited to one per household and issuable only to an owner 18 or older. A dangerous dog's certificate requires a secure enclosure on the owner's property (indoors, or a locked pen, fence or structure the dog cannot escape) and clearly visible warning signs posted at every entrance to the property. A vicious dog's certificate carries all of those requirements plus a scannable microchip and proof of general or specific liability insurance of at least $50,000.00 covering injury or property damage the dog causes; an owner may keep no more than one vicious dog, and anyone convicted of two or more article violations, certain violent or drug-trafficking felonies, or dog fighting or aggravated cruelty cannot be issued a certificate at all.

Away from the property, § 14-85 requires a dangerous dog to be leashed (six feet or less) and controlled, or crated, while a vicious dog must additionally be muzzled.