on September 10, 2026

Georgia Dog Poop Laws

Quick answer: Georgia has no statewide pooper scooper law. Picking up after your dog is regulated city by city, and all three of the largest cities we checked have an ordinance requiring it. None of them uses a set ticket amount. Fines are set by a judge within a range the code allows.

Why Georgia leaves it to cities

No Georgia statute requiring people to pick up after their dogs was found, and no statewide dog leash or running-at-large statute was verified; leash, at-large and pet waste rules come from city and county ordinances. The city codes reviewed cite state law only for dangerous-dog control and rabies and licensing (Columbus Sec. 5-2(a) cites O.C.G.A. Title 4, chapters 8 and 11; Augusta's 2025 Sec. 4-1-4 adopts the Responsible Dog Ownership Law, O.C.G.A. 4-8-20 et seq.). The O.C.G.A. text itself could not be verified: the official LexisNexis host returned only a JavaScript shell to automated requests, and the state rules site (rules.sos.ga.gov) refused connections, so the DNR state parks rules (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-5-1) were not read. Georgia State Parks' own rules page says pets must be leashed (no longer than six feet) and that owners should clean up after pets.

  • Responsible Dog Ownership Law (dangerous and vicious dogs, not waste), as adopted by reference in Augusta's 2025 animal chapter; statute text not verified on the official LexisNexis host: O.C.G.A. 4-8-20 et seq. (read it)
  • State authority cited by Columbus for its animal chapter (dangerous dogs, rabies, licensing); statute text not verified on the official host: O.C.G.A. Title 4, chapters 8 and 11 (as cited in Columbus Code Sec. 5-2(a)) (read it)
  • Limit on municipal penalties, cited in Atlanta's general penalty section; statute text not verified on the official host: O.C.G.A. 36-35-6(a)(2) (as cited in Atlanta Code Sec. 1-8) (read it)
  • Georgia State Parks rules page (DNR): pets leashed no longer than six feet; owners should clean up after pets. Underlying rule 391-5-1 not read (rules.sos.ga.gov refused connections): Georgia State Parks Park Rules page (read it)

Pooper scooper laws in Georgia's largest cities

Each row comes from the city's own municipal code. "Up to" is the most a court can impose, not a standard ticket. Where a city publishes no amount, we say so rather than estimate one.

City Ordinance Fine Must carry a bag
Atlanta Atlanta Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-9 (penalty via general penalty Sec. 1-8) Up to $1,000 No
Columbus Columbus Consolidated Government Code Sec. 5-10(d)(9) (penalty via Sec. 5-6(a) and general penalty Sec. 1-8) Up to $1,000 No
Augusta Augusta-Richmond County Code Sec. 4-1-10(f) in the 2025 replacement of Title 4, Chapter 1 (the older text still shown on Municode numbers it Sec. 4-1-13(f)); penalty via Sec. 4-1-10(g), Sec. 4-1-61 and general penalty Sec. 1-6-1 Up to $1,000 No

The rule people miss: carrying the bag

None of the cities we checked in Georgia spell out a separate duty to carry a bag, but the pickup duty applies the moment your dog goes, and "I did not have a bag" is not a defense in any of them.

A bag holder on the leash solves that for good. Ours is the Walk Dispenser, which clips on and holds a full roll.

Worth knowing about Georgia

  • No fixed fines in any of the three Georgia cities: a pickup violation is an ordinance offense punished under a general penalty clause with a $1,000 ceiling (Atlanta Sec. 1-8, up to six months in jail; Columbus Sec. 1-8, up to 90 days; Augusta Sec. 1-6-1, up to 60 days). No published per-offense amount was found for any of them.
  • Augusta repealed and replaced its whole animal control chapter (Title 4, Chapter 1) in 2025. The replacement text posted by Augusta Animal Services on augustaga.gov (titled New Ordinance Approved 6-26-25) moves the excrement rule to Sec. 4-1-10(f), while Municode still shows the older numbering (Sec. 4-1-13(f)) because it is codified only through Ord. No. 7807 (December 7, 2021). An unsigned copy in a Commission meeting packet carries a clerk's certificate form reciting adoption at the March 18, 2025 meeting; the final ordinance number and adoption date were not confirmed.
  • Atlanta straddles two counties. In the DeKalb County portion, Atlanta Sec. 18-61 incorporates DeKalb County Code Chapter 5, adding DeKalb Sec. 5-2(c)'s duty to remove excrement from any street or right-of-way. In the Fulton County portion, Sec. 18-129(b)(1) requires animal enclosures to be free from accumulations of animal excrement.
  • Columbus's rule covers cats as well as dogs and applies whether or not the animal is on a leash or under voice control (Sec. 5-10(d)(9)); Columbus also requires every outdoor area a dog can reach, including the owner's own yard, to be kept free of fecal matter (Sec. 5-7.1(c)).
  • Exemptions are narrow or absent: Atlanta exempts only visually impaired persons with guide dogs (Sec. 18-9(c)); Columbus and Augusta have no service dog exemption in their pickup rules.
  • Augusta's dog park rules (Sec. 4-1-31(f) in the 2025 text) separately require handlers to clean up after their dogs, enforceable as a misdemeanor under Sec. 1-6-1.
  • No DNA-testing provisions: a Municode full-text search for DNA returned no hits in the Atlanta, Columbus or Augusta-Richmond County codes.

Common questions

Is it illegal to not pick up dog poop in Georgia?

There is no statewide law, but every one of the largest cities we checked has a pickup rule, and most smaller towns have similar ordinances. Check your own city or county code.

How much is the fine for not picking up dog poop in Georgia?

It depends on the city. Atlanta: Up to $1,000. Columbus: Up to $1,000. Augusta: Up to $1,000.

Do I have to carry a poop bag in Georgia?

Not as a separate rule in the cities we checked. You still have to pick up, so in practice you need one.

Are service dog handlers exempt?

In Atlanta, the ordinance exempts handlers who have a disability and cannot physically pick up. The exemption covers the handler, not the dog.

Other states in the South

Texas · Florida · North Carolina · Virginia · Tennessee · Maryland · South Carolina · Alabama

See all 50 states · How scoop laws work in general

Sources

Checked 2026-09-10. Ordinances change, so if you are dealing with an actual citation, read the current code at the link rather than relying on this page.

This page is general information, not legal advice.