Paulding County, GA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Off-Property
- Leash + under control
- Tethering
- No unattended tether
- Rabies
- Required by 3 months
- Section
- Code Sec. 14-12
Summary
Paulding County Code Section 14-12 requires every animal off its owner's property to be on a leash and under a person's control, and bars leaving any animal unattended on a tether. Rabies vaccination is required by three months.
No animal shall be allowed to roam free and when not on the property of its owner must be on a leash, or similar physical control device, and in the control of a person. This section shall not apply to community cats or community cat caregivers.
An owner may only confine an animal in an unattended manner inside a building or fenced enclosure. Any other form of unattended confinement shall be a violation of this chapter.
No animal shall be left unattended on a chain, lead, runner, cable, rope, leash, or similar tethering device. For the purposes of this code section, "left unattended" means that the owner is not in the immediate actual presence of the animal. By way of example, where an owner of an animal is inside a home, but the animal is outside the home on a tethering device, the animal has been left unattended in violation of this chapter.
Owners who permit their animals to defecate on public or private property other than their own property are required to immediately pick up the feces, bag the feces, and properly dispose of the feces. Such animal waste shall be removed by placing said matter in a closed or sealed container and thereafter disposing of it in the animal owner's or public trash receptacle, sanitary disposal unit or other closed or sealed refuse container. This section shall not apply to:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Paulding County frames its rule as a duty of control rather than a simple leash law. Under Chapter 14, Section 14-12, no animal may roam free; off the owner's property it must be on a leash or similar device and in a person's control. The same section prohibits leaving any animal unattended on a chain, cable, rope, or tether, even in the owner's own yard. Unattended confinement is lawful only inside a building or fenced enclosure. Section 14-18 requires every dog and cat over three months old to be vaccinated against rabies, consistent with Georgia's rabies-control law, O.C.G.A. Section 31-19-5. Owners must also pick up their animal's waste off their own property.
Violations & Fines
An animal off its owner's property without a leash, or left unattended on a tether, violates Section 14-12 and can be impounded, with a summons to magistrate court. County ordinance penalties reach up to $1,000 and six months per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Paulding County have a leash law?
Can I chain my dog in the yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paulding County
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