Henry County, GA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration fee
- $100.00 annually
- Liability insurance (vicious dog)
- $100,000.00 minimum
- Leash length outside enclosure
- 6 feet maximum
- Notice to owner after classification
- Mailed within 72 hours
- Hearing request window
- 15 days from notice
- Repeat-offense felony penalty
- 1-10 years, $5,000-$10,000 fine
Summary
Henry County classifies dogs as dangerous or vicious through a dog control officer investigation and hearing process, then requires a nontransferable annual certificate of registration, a secure enclosure, warning signs, and a microchip before an owner may keep the animal in the unincorporated county.
It shall be unlawful for an owner to have or possess within this state a classified dog without a certificate of registration issued in accordance with the provisions of this Code. Certificates of registration shall be nontransferable and shall only be issued to a person eighteen (18) years of age or older. No more than one (1) certificate of registration shall be issued per domicile... Certificates of registration shall be renewed on an annual basis. The owner of a classified dog shall pay an annual registration fee at the time the certificate of registration is issued. The annual registration fee shall be in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
Under Article V of the animal control chapter, a dog control officer who receives a complaint investigates and, if warranted, mails the owner a dated classification notice within 72 hours; the owner has 15 days to request a hearing before the animal control board, which must convene within 30 days of the request. 00 annual certificate of registration, which requires a secure enclosure, posted warning signs at every entrance, and a scannable microchip implanted between the shoulder blades. 00 in liability insurance, and no person may own more than one vicious dog.
No certificate can issue to anyone convicted of two or more violations of the article, a serious violent felony, dogfighting, aggravated cruelty to animals, or specified drug trafficking felonies within two years of completing sentence. A classified dog outside its enclosure must be muzzled, leashed on a line no longer than six feet under an adult's control, or caged, and it cannot be left unattended with minors. Failing to renew within ten days of the deadline is itself a violation, and any classified dog not validly registered or not properly enclosed is subject to immediate confiscation, with the owner paying confiscation, housing, and, if unclaimed after 20 days, euthanasia costs.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the article is a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. An owner with a prior conviction whose classified dog then causes serious injury commits a felony punishable by one to ten years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000.00 to $10,000.00, or both, and the dog is euthanized at the owner's expense. Refusing to surrender a dog subject to confiscation is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Henry County classify a dog as dangerous or vicious?
What does an owner have to do once a dog is classified?
Can a classified dog leave the property?
What happens if the dog is not registered or enclosed properly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henry County
How Henry County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Henry County to another location·View the Georgia animal ordinances overview
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