---
title: O.C.G.A. § 27-1-33. Noncompliance with laws while on fishing area, fish hatchery, natural area, or wildlife management area; acts constituting criminal trespass.
collection: code
id: 27-1-33
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 27-1-33 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/27-1-33
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/27-1-33.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/27-1-33/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t27-t30-(v22)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=3d92bb7f_0#page=28
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/27-1.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/27-1-32.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/27-1-34.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: GAME AND FISH / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 27-1-33. Noncompliance with laws while on fishing area, fish hatchery, natural area, or wildlife management area; acts constituting criminal trespass.

(a) It shall be unlawful to enter upon or to hunt, trap, or fish on any public fishing area, fish hatchery, or natural area, or wildlife management area owned or operated by the department except in compliance with all applicable laws and all rules and regulations promulgated by the board, including, but not limited to, any law, rule, or regulation relating to seasons or bag limits or requiring a special permit.

(b) Any person who enters upon or who hunts, traps, or fishes on any public hunting or fishing area, fish hatchery, or natural area or any game management area owned or operated by the department in violation of this Code section commits the offense of criminal trespass.

## History

Code 1933, § 45-213, enacted by Ga. L. 1977, p. 396, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 816, § 16; Ga. L. 1982, p. 1729, § 4; Ga. L. 1987, p. 179, § 2; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1552, § 1; Ga. L. 1996, p. 980, § 2; Ga. L. 2001, p. 1013, § 4; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1352, § 4/HB 475; Ga. L. 2019, p. 808, § 1/SB 72.

## Amendments

The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, in subsection (a), inserted a comma following “promulgated by the board” in the middle of the first sentence, and deleted the former second sentence, which read: “Further, it shall be unlawful for any person except those specifically excluded by law to hunt on a wildlife management area without a valid wildlife management area license as authorized by Code Section 27-2-23.”