Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 590: Animal Protection; protections for dogs possessed for breeding purposes; strengthen

Last action February 26, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would set new care requirements for dog breeders and cap the number of breeding dogs a person may own at 30, adding enforceable minimum standards to state animal protection law.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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 Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.

In plain language

Georgia's animal protection law (O.C.G.A. Title 4, Chapter 11) currently sets general standards of care for animals but does not spell out specific rules for people who breed and sell dogs. This bill adds a new Code section, 4-11-10.2, that defines a 'dog breeder' as someone who sells offspring of dogs they bred, or who keeps more than four intact female dogs for breeding and selling purposes. The bill then requires breeders to provide adequate housing with minimum enclosure size and shelter conditions, veterinary care that meets professional standards, regular exercise suited to the breed, and rest between breeding cycles. It also caps the total number of dogs any person may possess for breeding and selling purposes at 30, regardless of any other provision in the chapter. The bill repeals conflicting laws but does not specify a separate effective date, so it would take effect under Georgia's standard rules once signed.

What the bill does

Creates a legal definition of 'dog breeder' covering anyone who sells dog offspring or keeps more than four intact female breeding dogs.
Requires breeders to give each dog housing that meets specific minimum size, height, and shelter conditions, including protection from weather and sun.
Requires breeders to provide veterinary care that follows accepted veterinary standards and is not driven by the vet's own financial interest.
Requires regular exercise appropriate to the dog's breed and rest periods between breeding cycles.
Caps the number of dogs any one person may possess for breeding and selling purposes at 30 dogs.

Who it affects

Commercial and hobby dog breeders in Georgia, especially those who sell puppies or keep more than four intact female breeding dogs, are directly affected by the new care standards and the 30-dog cap. Buyers of dogs and animal welfare enforcement officials are also touched indirectly.

Why it matters

Breeders who currently keep large numbers of dogs or house them in minimal shelters would need to change their operations to meet the new size, shelter, veterinary, and exercise requirements, or reduce their breeding dog count to 30 or fewer, changing costs and conditions for dogs bred and sold in Georgia.

Key provisions

New Code section 4-11-10.2(a) defines 'dog breeder' as anyone selling dog offspring or possessing more than four intact female dogs for breeding and sale.
Subsection (b)(1) sets detailed minimum enclosure requirements, including size at least three times the dog's body length and width and interior height six inches above the dog's standing head height.
Subsection (b)(1)(D) requires shelter that is not an open structure or covered only by a tarp, keeps the dog dry, and provides shade.
Subsection (b)(2) requires veterinary care meeting accepted veterinary practice standards and not primarily benefiting the veterinarian financially.
Subsection (b)(3) and (4) require regular breed-appropriate exercise and rest between breeding cycles.
Subsection (c) caps possession of dogs for breeding and sale purposes at 30 dogs per person, overriding any conflicting provision elsewhere in the chapter.
Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“no person shall exercise custody, control, possession, or ownership of more than 30 dogs for the purpose of breeding and selling or offering for sale the offspring of such dogs.”
This sets the bill's cap of 30 dogs per person for breeding and selling purposes.

“Is sufficient in size to permit the dog to lie down while fully extended without the head, face, tail, legs, or feet of such dog touching the sides of the enclosure or touching any other animal in the enclosure”
This describes the minimum enclosure size breeders must provide for each dog.

Status timeline

2026-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-02-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

animal welfare
dog breeding
pet sales regulation
animal protection law

Ask about this bill

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb590.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp