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

Section 4-23, in the Rabies and Animal Control article, requires that any dog leave the confines of its owner's property only while under restraint by a leash or chain, and caps the length of a non-retractable leash or chain at six feet; retractable leashes are exempted from the length cap by name. The section separately bars a dog from being on someone else's private property without that owner's consent, regardless of whether it is on a leash, and authorizes the county to designate and post public areas, such as certain parks, where dogs are prohibited altogether.

Read together with § 4-21, which bans letting any domesticated animal run at large, loose and unattended on public or private property, including the owner's own, § 4-23 is the operative restraint standard specifically for dogs: an unleashed dog off its own property is both at large under § 4-21 and unrestrained under § 4-23. The chapter's definitions section, § 4-1, defines 'at large' as not under the direct physical or voice restraint of the owner, on or off the owner's premises. Enforcement is handled by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Department under the authority granted in § 4-4, with citations returnable to the Whitfield County Magistrate Court under § 4-5.