Is the Landlord Liable for a Tenant's Dog Bite in Georgia?

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Georgia's dog bite statute targets the dog's owner directly — which leaves landlords outside its reach unless a separate theory applies.

The statute doesn't reach the landlord

O.C.G.A. §51-2-7's one-bite framework, including its leash-law shortcut, applies to the dog's owner. A landlord who doesn't own the dog generally falls outside this framework entirely, even if the bite happened on rental property the landlord owns.

Negligence remains a real path

This doesn't mean a landlord is automatically off the hook. A victim could still pursue an ordinary negligence claim against a landlord who knew the tenant's dog was dangerous and had the practical ability to address it — for example, by enforcing a lease provision or requiring the dog's removal — but failed to act.

Knowing a dog exists isn't the same as knowing it's dangerous

A landlord's pet-friendly policy, by itself, generally isn't enough to establish liability. The key fact a negligence claim needs is that the landlord knew this specific dog had dangerous propensities — not merely that tenants were permitted to have dogs under the lease.

A different framework applies to the landlord

The leash-law shortcut that can establish an owner's liability without any prior bite history doesn't carry over to a landlord negligence claim. A claim against a landlord sounds in ordinary negligence and falls under Georgia's general comparative negligence framework — the exact 50% bar — rather than §51-2-7's vicious propensity standard.

This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord liability for a tenant's dog turns heavily on the specific facts and what the landlord actually knew. Confirm how this applies to your situation with a licensed Georgia attorney.