Georgia CommonsHB 1196: Crimes; offense of criminal trespass involving a wild animal; provide
Last action March 16, 2026 · Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended
House Bill 1196 would expand Georgia's criminal trespass law involving wild animals to cover throwing objects into enclosures, tampering with cages, and animals kept by private owners, not just facilities open to the public.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia already makes it a crime to trespass into a wild animal's cage or enclosure without permission and harass the animal. This bill broadens that law (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.2) in several ways. It defines a 'foreign object or substance' as almost anything a person could throw or introduce into an enclosure, from rocks and chemicals to electronics, and makes it a crime to cause such an object to enter an enclosure, not just to physically enter it yourself. It also expands the definition of 'wild animal' to include domestic animals or livestock kept by private owners, not just those at zoos, aquariums, or educational facilities. It broadens 'harass' to include causing stress, not just injury or disrupted behavior. The bill also creates a new third-degree offense for knowingly interfering with the operation or integrity of a cage or enclosure, punishable as a misdemeanor with up to 12 months in jail. It extends liability for property damage or death to cover harm to the person caring for the animal, not just the animal itself.
What the bill does
- Expands the crime to cover knowingly causing a foreign object or substance, defined broadly, to enter an animal's cage or enclosure without permission.
- Broadens the definition of 'wild animal' to include domestic animals or livestock kept privately, beyond zoos, aquariums, and educational facilities.
- Adds stress infliction to the definition of 'harass,' widening what counts as harassing a wild animal.
- Creates a new third-degree offense for knowingly interfering with a cage's operation, functionality, or integrity, punishable by up to 12 months in jail.
- Extends liability for damage or loss to include harm to the person caring for or securing the animal, not just the animal itself.
Who it affects
People who enter or throw objects into animal enclosures without permission, owners and operators of zoos, aquariums, and animal sanctuaries, private owners of domestic animals or livestock, and individuals who care for or work around these animals and enclosures.
Why it matters
The bill would let prosecutors charge people who throw objects into enclosures or tamper with cages without physically entering them, and it would apply the law to privately owned animals for the first time, expanding who can be charged and what conduct counts as a crime.
Key provisions
- Subsection (a)(1) newly defines 'foreign object or substance' broadly, covering nearly anything introduced into an enclosure without authorization.
- Subsection (a)(3) expands 'wild animal' to include privately kept domestic animals and livestock, not just those at public-facing facilities.
- Subsection (b)(1)-(2) adds liability for knowingly causing a foreign object to enter an enclosure, alongside physically entering it.
- Subsection (b)(3) creates a new third-degree offense for knowingly interfering with a cage's operation or integrity.
- Subsection (c)(3) sets the penalty for third-degree trespass at up to 12 months imprisonment as a misdemeanor.
- Subsection (d) extends financial liability to cover harm to people who secure, assist, or care for the animal.
From the bill
“'Foreign object or substance' means any item or substance in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, including, but not limited to, anything likely to be consumed, inhaled, or absorbed by the animal, electronics, biological material, rocks, sticks, chemicals, fluids”
“A person commits the offense of criminal trespass involving a wild animal in the third degree if such person knowingly interferes with the operation, functionality, or integrity of a cage, enclosure, or other area where a wild animal is housed or otherwise contained.”
Status timeline
- Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
Show full history (11 actions)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
- Tanya Miller (D, HD-062)
- Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
- John LaHood (R, HD-175)
- Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
- Debbie Buckner (D, HD-137)
- Steven McNeel (R, SD-018)
Votes
- House voteMarch 3, 2026
167 yea, 0 nay (9 not voting, 1 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 16, 2026
50 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)
Topics
- criminal trespass
- animal welfare law
- zoo and wildlife facilities
- misdemeanor penalties
- livestock and domestic animals