---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-5-55. Immunity of library agents and employees from civil actions arising from part.
collection: code
id: 20-5-55
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-5-55 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-55
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-55.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-55/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=486
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/20-5-54.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-5-56.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. § 20-5-55. Immunity of library agents and employees from civil actions arising from part.

An agent or employee of a public library or of any department or office of the state or local government causing the arrest of any person pursuant to the provisions of this part shall not be held civilly liable for unlawful detention, slander, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, false arrest, or assault and battery of the person so arrested unless excessive or unreasonable force is used, whether such arrest takes place on the premises by such agent or employee; provided, however, that, in causing the arrest of such person, the public library or agent or employee of the public library had at the time of such arrest probable cause to believe that the person committed willful theft or concealment of books or other library property.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-5-55, enacted by Ga. L. 1984, p. 1005, § 1.