Dunwoody, GA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Dunwoody's dangerous-animal law is behavioral, not breed-based: Section 6-2 defines a "dangerous animal" by "a known propensity to endanger life by an unprovoked assault or bite," a standard that applies to any species regardless of breed. When the police chief, an animal control officer, or code enforcement learns of such an animal, Section 6-15(a) requires the chief to have a summons issued so the owner must appear before the Dunwoody Municipal Court, and the animal is impounded immediately while the classification hearing is pending. A judge then decides whether the animal is "dangerous" or "potentially dangerous," and Section 6-15(c) sends any appeal not back through municipal court but by petition for writ of certiorari to the Superior Court of DeKalb County.

Classification triggers continuing obligations. Section 6-16 requires the owner to carry a $25,000.00 liability insurance policy or surety bond covering injuries the animal might cause, and to obtain an annual DeKalb County certificate of registration; no dangerous or potentially dangerous animal may be released from impoundment until that certificate issues. Section 6-17 sets the confinement standard: a locked, industrial-gauge fenced enclosure with buried sides and a secure top when the animal is on the property, and, off the property, the animal may only leave if "accompanied by the owner, muzzled" and "restrained by a secure collar and leash," with the leash capped at six feet. A second or subsequent conviction for a violation involving a dangerous animal carries a mandatory minimum $500.00 fine under Section 6-24, and the court may order the animal euthanized.