---
title: O.C.G.A. § 43-38-16. Penalty.
collection: code
id: 43-38-16
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 43-38-16 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-38-16
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-38-16.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-38-16/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t43-ch33-51-(v30a)-2021-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=638c2417_0#page=317
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/43-38.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-38-15.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-39-1.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: PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES / OPERATORS OF PRIVATE DETECTIVE BUSINESSES AND PRIVATE SECURITY BUSINESSES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 43-38-16. Penalty.

Any person who engages in the private detective business or private security business or offers, pretends, or holds himself out as eligible to engage in the private detective business or private security business and who is not legally licensed or registered under this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day or fraction of a day that he practices in violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense.

## History

Ga. L. 1973, p. 40, § 16; Ga. L. 1981, p. 1828, § 15; Ga. L. 1984, p. 1338, § 5.