Cherokee County, GA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Classification basis
- Behavior, not breed (§ 10-73)
- Owner notice window
- 72 hours after classification
- Hearing request deadline
- 15 days from notice
- Required insurance
- $100,000 minimum liability policy
- Buffer from sensitive uses
- 200 yards
- One-vicious-dog rule
- § 10-75(f)
Summary
Cherokee County does not ban dogs by breed; instead Article III of the Code of Ordinances classifies individual dogs as "dangerous" or "vicious" based on behavior under § 10-73, then imposes registration, double fencing, insurance, and muzzling duties on their owners under § 10-74.
Upon receiving a report of a dog believed to be subject to classification as a dangerous dog or vicious dog within the county, the animal control officer shall make such investigations as necessary to determine whether such dog is subject to classification as a dangerous dog or vicious dog... The notice shall be dated and shall state that the owner has a right to request a hearing on the classification within 15 days after the date shown on the notice... No person shall own, possess, keep, harbor, be issued a certificate of registration for, or have custody or control of a dangerous dog or vicious dog except in compliance with all of the following requirements... The owner of a dangerous dog or vicious dog shall maintain at all times a policy of general or specific liability insurance in a minimum amount of $100,000.00.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 39 | Zoning: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-73(a) lets an animal control officer classify a specific dog as dangerous or vicious after investigating a report, and requires written notice to the owner within 72 hours by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery; the owner has 15 days from the notice date to request a hearing before the animal control board, which must be scheduled within 30 days of the request. A dog found, after notice and hearing, to have caused serious injury to a human on more than one occasion must be euthanized under section 10-73(c).
00 liability policy; microchip the dog; have it spayed or neutered; and keep it at least 200 yards from schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, and similar uses listed in section 10-74(b)(8). Section 10-75 requires annual registration with a fee, limits one registration certificate per domicile, and bars any person from owning more than one vicious dog. Registration can be refused to owners with prior chapter convictions or certain felony records under section 10-75(e)-(g).
Violations & Fines
A refusal to surrender a confiscated dangerous or vicious dog is itself a violation under section 10-78(b), and police or animal control officers may immediately impound any dog believed to threaten public safety. If the owner has not brought the dog into compliance within 20 days of confiscation, the dog is destroyed and the owner may be billed for housing and euthanasia costs. General chapter penalties under section 10-27 apply on top of the article's own requirements: up to a $1,000.00 fine and six months in jail per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cherokee County ban pit bulls or other specific breeds?
What must I do if the marshal's office classifies my dog as dangerous?
How many vicious dogs can one person own in Cherokee County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cherokee County
How Cherokee County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Cherokee County to another location·View the Georgia animal ordinances overview
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