Floyd County, GA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 2-5-17 bans letting any animal run at large unattended on or about the county's streets and highways, or on another person's property without that owner's or occupant's permission. Section 2-5-1 defines an animal as 'at large' when it is off the owner's premises and not on a leash or otherwise under the immediate control of a person physically capable of restraining it; 'under restraint' means secured by a substantial leash or lead controlled by a capable handler, at heel, or securely enclosed within the owner's property.

Section 2-5-19 layers on a general control duty: every dog must be restrained so as to prevent it from molesting passersby, chasing vehicles, or attacking persons or other animals. A vicious animal gets a stricter standard under Section 2-5-20: on the owner's property it must be behind a fence at least five feet tall, embedded a foot into the ground, with a childproof-locked gate, plus a leash or chain, and off the property it must be muzzled and on a leash or chain held by a competent person; failing that makes the animal a declared public nuisance. Repeated at-large violations also qualify as a 'public nuisance animal' under Section 2-5-1, which the Animal Control Department can act on directly.