---
title: O.C.G.A. § 44-1-9. Ownership of deposit and offspring by wild animals on land.
collection: code
id: 44-1-9
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 44-1-9 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-1-9
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-1-9.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-1-9/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t44-ch1-7-(v31)-2010-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=35dd922f_0#page=21
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/44-1.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-1-8.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-1-10.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: PROPERTY / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 44-1-9. Ownership of deposit and offspring by wild animals on land.

Anything deposited on realty by wild animals, birds, and fish except wildlife as defined by Code Section 27-1-2 shall belong to the owner of the realty. Honey deposited in a tree by bees shall belong to the owner of the tree even if the bees were hived by another person. The eggs and young of birds and the offspring of other animals and fish for as long as they remain unable to leave the land shall belong to the owner of the land.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 2221; Code 1868, § 2215; Code 1873, § 2241; Code 1882, § 2241; Civil Code 1895, § 3074; Civil Code 1910, § 3650; Code 1933, § 85-1704; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 44.