---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-5-52. Prohibition of theft or damage of library property.
collection: code
id: 20-5-52
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-5-52 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-52
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-52.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-52/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t20-ch3-18-(v17a)-2025-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=10d12596_0#page=485
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/20-5.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-51.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-53.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Session of the General Assembly of Georgia
heading_path: EDUCATION / LIBRARIES / LOCAL AND REGIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES / COUNTY AND REGIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-5-52. Prohibition of theft or damage of library property.

Any person who shall steal or unlawfully take or willfully or maliciously write upon, cut, tear, deface, disfigure, soil, obliterate, break, or destroy or who shall sell or buy or receive, knowing it to have been stolen, any book, pamphlet, document, newspaper, periodical, map, chart, picture, portrait, engraving, statue, coin, medal, equipment, specimen, recording, video product, microform, computer software, film, or other work of literature or object of art or the equipment necessary to its display or use belonging to or in the care of a public library shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-5-52, enacted by Ga. L. 1984, p. 1005, § 1.