--- title: HB 177. Domestic relations; protection for household pets in both family violence and dating violence protective orders; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb177 cite_as: HB 177, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb177 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb177.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb177/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69656 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb176.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb178.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1028 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb177.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 177 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Sharon Cooper - Deborah Silcox - Kasey Carpenter - Matt Reeves - Kimberly New - Brian Strickland text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB177/2025 upstream_id: 1947692 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - domestic violence protective orders - pet custody - family law - dating violence --- # HB 177. Domestic relations; protection for household pets in both family violence and dating violence protective orders; provide ## Text 25 LC 57 0200/AP House Bill 177 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Cooper of the 45th, Silcox of the 53rd, Carpenter of the 4th, Reeves of the 99th, and New of the 40th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to domestic relations,1 so as to provide protection for household pets in both family v iolence and dating violence2 protective orders; to provide for a definition and an exclusion; to provide for related matters;3 to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to domestic relations, is7 amended in Code Section 19-13-4, relating to family violence protective orders and consent8 agreements, contents, delivery to sheriff, expiration, and enfo rcement, by revising9 subsection (a) as follows:10 "(a) The court may, upon the filing of a verified petition, gra nt any protective order or11 approve any consent agreement to bring about a cessation of acts of family violence. The12 court shall not have the authority to issue or approve mutual protective orders concerning13 paragraph (1), (2), (5), (9), or (11) of this subsection, or any combination thereof, unless14 the respondent has filed a verified petition as a counter petition pursuant to Code Section15 19-13-3 no later than three days, not including Saturdays, Sund ays, and legal holidays,16 H. B. 177 - 1 - 25 LC 57 0200/AP prior to the hearing and the provisions of Code Section 19-13-3 have been satisfied. The17 orders or agreements may:18 (1) Direct the respondent to refrain from such acts;19 (2) Grant to a party possession of the residence or household of the parties and exclude20 the other party from the residence or household;21 (3) Require a party to provide suitable alternate housing for a spouse, former spouse, or22 parent and the parties' child or children;23 (4) Award temporary custody of minor children and establish temporary visitation rights;24 (5) Order the eviction of a party from the residence or household and order assistance to25 the victim petitioner in returning to it, or order assistance in retrieving personal property26 of the victim petitioner if the respondent's eviction has not been ordered;27 (6) Order either party to make payments for the support of a minor child as required by28 law;29 (7) Order either party to make payments for the support of a spouse as required by law;30 (8)(A) Provide for possession of personal property of the parties;,including the care,31 custody, and control of any animal owned, possessed, kept, or held as a household pet32 by either party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party. 33 As used in this paragraph, the term 'household pet' means an an imal kept for human34 companionship and enjoyment or an animal which is owned or poss essed by either35 party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party. Such term36 shall not include livestock, laboratory animals, working animals, sport animals, or any37 other animal which is kept for a commercial purpose or for consumption.38 (B) Order the respondent to refrain from doing any of the following with respect to any39 animal owned, possessed, kept, or held as a household pet:40 (i) Harassing or harming such household pet;41 (ii) Taking, transferring, encumbering, or concealing such household pet; and42 (iii) Engaging in any conduct that would be a violation of Code Section 16-12-4;43 H. B. 177 - 2 - 25 LC 57 0200/AP (9) Order the respondent to refrain from harassing or interfer ing with the victim44 petitioner;45 (10) Award costs and attorney's fees to either party; and46 (11) Order the respondent to receive appropriate psychiatric o r psychological services47 as a further measure to prevent the recurrence of family violence."48 SECTION 2.49 Said title is further amended in Code Section 19-13A-4, relating to required findings of fact50 and authority of court relative to dating violence protective orders, by revising subsection (b)51 as follows:52 "(b) The court may, upon the filing of a verified petition and as provided in subsection (a)53 of this Code section, grant any protective order or approve any consent agreement to bring54 about a cessation of acts of dating violence. The court shall not have the authority to issue55 or approve mutual protective orders concerning paragraph (1), (3), or (5) of this subsection,56 or any combination thereof, unless the respondent has filed a verified petition as a counter57 petition pursuant to Code Section 19-13A-3 no later than three days prior to the hearing and58 the provisions of Code Section 19-13A-3 have been satisfied. The orders or agreements59 may:60 (1) Direct the respondent to refrain from such acts;61 (2)(A) Provide for possession of personal property of the parties;,including the care,62 custody, and control of any animal owned, possessed, kept, or held as a household pet63 by either party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party.64 As used in this paragraph, the term 'household pet' means an an imal kept for human65 companionship and enjoyment or an animal which is owned or poss essed by either66 party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party. Such term67 shall not include livestock, laboratory animals, working animals, sport animals, or any68 other animal which is kept for a commercial purpose or for consumption.69 H. B. 177 - 3 - 25 LC 57 0200/AP (B) Order the respondent to refrain from doing any of the following with respect to any70 animal owned, possessed, kept, or held as a household pet:71 (i) Harassing or harming such household pet;72 (ii) Taking, transferring, encumbering, or concealing such household pet; and73 (iii) Engaging in any conduct that would be a violation of Code Section 16-12-4;74 (3) Order the respondent to refrain from harassing or interfering with the petitioner;75 (4) Award costs and attorney's fees to either party; and76 (5) Order the respondent to receive appropriate psychiatric, psychological, or educational77 services as a further measure to prevent the recurrence of dating violence."78 SECTION 3.79 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.80 H. B. 177 - 4 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. Georgia courts would gain explicit authority to include household pets in family violence and dating violence protective orders, letting judges decide who keeps a pet and bar an abuser from harming, taking, or hiding it. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, protective orders in family violence and dating violence cases (O.C.G.A. §§ 19-13-4 and 19-13A-4) let judges divide personal property and control certain behavior by the respondent, but they do not specifically mention pets. This bill adds household pets to that authority. Judges could award care, custody, and control of a household pet owned or kept by either party or by a minor child in the household. The bill defines 'household pet' as an animal kept for companionship, and excludes livestock, laboratory animals, working animals, sport animals, and animals kept for commercial purposes or consumption. Judges could also order the respondent not to harass or harm the pet, not to take, transfer, encumber, or conceal it, and not to engage in conduct that would violate Georgia's animal cruelty law (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4). The changes apply to both family violence and dating violence protective order statutes. ### What it does - Adds household pets to the personal property that judges can award possession of in family violence protective orders (O.C.G.A. § 19-13-4). - Makes the same change to dating violence protective orders (O.C.G.A. § 19-13A-4), letting judges assign care, custody, and control of a pet. - Defines 'household pet' as an animal kept for companionship, excluding livestock, lab animals, working animals, sport animals, and animals kept for commercial use or consumption. - Allows judges to order a respondent not to harass, harm, take, transfer, encumber, or conceal a household pet. - Ties violations involving pets to Georgia's animal cruelty statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4), letting a court treat such conduct as a violation of the protective order. ### Who it affects People seeking or subject to family violence or dating violence protective orders in Georgia, including spouses, former spouses, dating partners, and minor children living in the household, as well as any pets they own or keep together. ### Why it matters Abusers sometimes threaten or harm pets to control or intimidate victims, and victims may delay leaving unsafe situations out of fear for a pet's safety. This bill lets judges directly address pet custody and safety within the same protective order, rather than leaving pets out of the court's authority. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 19-13-4(a)(8) to let family violence protective orders cover possession and control of a household pet. - Section 1 defines 'household pet' and excludes livestock, laboratory animals, working animals, sport animals, and animals kept for commercial purposes or consumption. - Section 1 allows courts to order a respondent to refrain from harassing, harming, taking, transferring, encumbering, or concealing a household pet, or committing acts that would violate the animal cruelty law (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4). - Section 2 makes the identical changes to dating violence protective orders under O.C.G.A. § 19-13A-4(b)(2). - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Deborah Silcox, Kasey Carpenter, Matt Reeves, Kimberly New, Brian Strickland - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69656 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,028 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb177.md?full=1