Animal Control Norcross GA

Your local Animal Control office answers to the needs of both the citizens of your area and its animal population. Our goal is to protect the public health and safety by promoting responsible pet ownership.

What Does Animal Control Do?

To accommodate the needs of both people and animals in your area, an animal control agency promotes and may provide:

• Control of stray animals
• Vaccination against rabies
• Quarantine of biting animals
• Licensing of dogs and cats
• Identification of owned animals
• Spaying or neutering of pets
• Removal of diseased animals
• Identification of dangerous dogs
• Investigation, education or prosecution of cruel or neglectful treatment.

It’s the Law

Pet ownership is a privilege, not a right of all people. Owning a pet means providing adequate care and treatment. Owning a pet also means protecting your pet from dangers in the community and in return, ensuring that your pet does not cause trouble in your neighborhood.

For the safety of your pet, your neighbors, and your family, there are many pet-related laws with which you must familiarize yourself. An Animal Control Official is charged with enforcing the animal related laws. Violation of these laws constitutes a misdemeanor, with penalties ranging from small fines to imprisonment. Each county and city has individual ordinances. These local ordinances are often more strict than state laws. Learn your responsibilities to your particular community.

Outlined here are some State Laws as well as some points taken from local ordinances. Although these items may not be required in your area they are aspects of responsible pet ownership. If you have questions about state laws or local ordinances, contact your local animal control agency.

Leash Law

Most counties have leash laws which state that you must confine your dog to your property and that any time it is off of your property it must be on a leash and under the control of a competent person. Some laws go further, stating that confining a dog to your property requires a fence, and that any dog which is loose and unattended will be impounded by animal control officers.

Rabies Vaccination

The State of Georgia requires that all dogs and cats three months of age or older be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. The State recognizes one and three year rabies vaccinations.

Animal License

All dogs and cats four months of age or older in your area may need to be licensed by your Animal Control department. An animal license would be issued upon proof of a current rabies vaccination and payment of the required license fee.
Application for any animal licenses, where required by law, would be available from your Animal Control department. License records are maintained to facilitate identification of lost or injured animals so the owner can be notified as quickly as possible.

Tag

The rabies / license tag should be worn around the neck of the dog for whom it was issued at all times. We also strongly recommend that all cats wear their rabies / license tag at all times.

Special Permits

Persons with four or more dogs over the age of four months at one residence may need to obtain a SPECIAL PERMIT. Permit fees, if required, vary.
Persons applying for a SPECIAL PERMIT, where applicable, must have their premises inspected by Animal Control to make sure they meet certain specifications. Please call for more information and inspection appointments.

Cruelty To Animals

It is unlawful for any person to overload, cruelly treat, poison, maim, ill use, torture, kill or abuse any animal or deprive such of necessary sustenance, medical attention, shade or shelter.

It is unlawful for any person to abandon any animal on any property or keep an animal under unsanitary conditions.

It is unlawful to transport any dog in an open bed truck except when confined in a portable kennel or safely restrained by harness or tether.

Nuisances

It is unlawful to create, maintain, support, aid or continue a nuisance. Specific nuisances include the keeping of diseased animals, barking dogs, unsanitary housing, and/or objectionable odors.

Animal Bites/ Quarantine

Any person having knowledge of an instance in which a person is bitten by a dog, cat or other animal must promptly report the bites to Animal Control. Any dog, cat or other animal which bites a person must be quarantined for a period of ten days or be submitted to the state laboratory to be tested for rabies. Any contact between warm-blooded wildlife and a domestic animal must be reported.

Dangerous/Potentially Dangerous Dog

An investigation of all dog bites to humans will be made to determine if the dog should be classified as dangerous or potentially dangerous.

Other Animals and Exotic Pets

Most counties have laws outlining the adequate confinement of livestock, cows, mules, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, geese and so forth and owners may be required to meet other standards.

Before you purchase an exotic pet, check with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Animal Control about legal requirements. Some animals require a special permit and some (for instance, wolf hybrids) cannot be kept at all. Contact Animal Control for more information.