State guide
Georgia
Georgia’s animal control work is usually handled at the county level by animal services, animal welfare, or animal control programs, though some city services exist for limited functions such as dead-animal pickup. For wildlife, Georgia DNR directs the public to its sick/injured/orphaned wildlife page and its rehabilitator map, while rabies control is centered on county health departments and County Boards of Health.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually county animal services, animal welfare, or animal control offices handle domestic animal issues; city government pages more often cover dead-animal pickup or code channels than full animal-control sheltering.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- Nuisance wildlife help
- Official page →
- Reporting an animal bite
- Citizens reporting an animal bite should call their county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584).
- State rabies contact
- Georgia Department of Public Health rabies program / county health departments
Official resources in Georgia
Official Georgia wildlife help page explaining when to leave wildlife alone and when to call a permitted rehabilitator.
Official Special Permit Unit page linking to the interactive map of wildlife rehabilitators by area.
Official rabies page with bite-reporting instructions, county health department routing, and the 24/7 public health reporting line.
State manual used by health departments, hospitals, veterinarians, and animal control programs for rabies control practices.
Key facts for Georgia
- Georgia DNR says to visit gadnrle.org special permits for an up-to-date rehabilitator list by county.
- Georgia’s Special Permit Unit page links the Wildlife Rehabilitators Interactive Map.
- Citizens reporting an animal bite should call their county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584).
- Georgia Department of Agriculture says primary rabies control responsibility resides with County Boards of Health.
- Georgia DPH says the Georgia Poison Center provides rabies consultations at 404-616-9000.
Local animal control offices in Georgia
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County Animal Services Fulton | Atlanta | 404-613-0358, Option #2 | County field service requests include stray animals, dog bites, injured animals, cruelty, fighting, welfare checks, and rabies-vaccination violations. |
| Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement Gwinnett | Lawrenceville | 770.339.3200 | County animal welfare and enforcement office; county shelter pages note it does not respond to rodents, native snakes, raccoons, or possums. |
| DeKalb County Animal Services & Enforcement DeKalb | null | 404-294-2996 | County officers respond to service calls, enforce ordinances, and list dog bite, rabies, cruelty, and injured animal matters as urgent phone contacts. |
| Cobb County Animal Services Cobb | Marietta | (770) 499-4136 | County animal services enforces animal-control laws and ordinances, shelters homeless animals, and routes dispatched officer calls through 770-499-3911. |
| City of Atlanta ATL311 / Dead Animal Removal Fulton | Atlanta | Not published* | City public works channel for dead-animal removal from the curb or city right-of-way. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- For injured wildlife, follow Georgia DNR’s species guidance first; only then contact a permitted rehabilitator from the state map or county list.
- If a person is bitten, wash the wound, seek medical care, and report the bite to the county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH.
- For stray, cruelty, or nuisance domestic-animal issues, start with your county animal services or animal welfare office rather than DNR.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Georgia's population center, for comparison only):
- Greenville County Animal Care, South Carolina · about 132 miles
- Greenville County Animal Control, South Carolina · about 132 miles
- Chattanooga 311 / Chattanooga's Animal Services, Tennessee · about 138 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Georgia DNR Sick, Injured or Orphaned Wildlife
Website →Phone: (800) 366-2661 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Georgia page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.