---
title: O.C.G.A. § 16-8-20. Livestock theft.
collection: code
id: 16-8-20
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 16-8-20 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-8-20
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-8-20.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-8-20/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t16-ch7-11-(v14a)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=f5e4f5fa_0#page=43
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-8.md
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMES AND OFFENSES / OFFENSES INVOLVING THEFT / THEFT
---

# O.C.G.A. § 16-8-20. Livestock theft.

(a) A person commits the offense of livestock theft when he unlawfully takes or, being in lawful possession thereof, unlawfully appropriates any livestock of another with the intention of depriving the owner of such livestock.

(b) For the purposes of this Code section, the term “livestock” means horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits, and any domestic animal produced as food for human consumption.

(c) Any person committing the offense of livestock theft shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two nor more than 15 years and by a fine of $10,000.00; provided, however, that, if the fair market value of the livestock taken or appropriated is $100.00 or less, the person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.

(d) For the purposes of this Code section, if any livestock is killed or mutilated and a portion thereof taken, the value of the whole animal while alive or his entire carcass, whichever is greater, shall be considered for the purpose of distinguishing between a misdemeanor offense and a felony offense.

## History

Code 1933, § 26-1817, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 1006, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 244, § 10; Ga. L. 2008, p. 458, § 7/SB 364; Ga. L. 2024, p. 475, § 3/HB 827, effective July 1, 2024.

## Amendments

The 2024 amendment, effective July 1, 2024, in subsection (c), substituted “shall be guilty of” for “commits”, “two nor more than 15 years” for “one nor more than ten years”, and “$10,000.00” for “$1,000.00”, and added “of a high and aggravated nature” at the end.