Housing & Tenant · Landlord Entry
Landlord Entry Notice in Georgia
How much warning a landlord must give before entering your home in Georgia, the hours entry is allowed, and what to do if they walk in unannounced, cited to the statute.
The rules and your rights in Georgia
The notice, the allowed hours, the reasons a landlord may enter, and what to do about an unlawful entry.
Georgia has no statute that sets how much notice a landlord must give before entering. That means your lease controls, and a city or county ordinance may add its own rule. Read your lease first, then check for a local ordinance where you live.
| Advance notice | No notice period set by state statute |
| Allowed entry hours | Set by your lease (reasonable times) |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | There is no state list of allowed reasons. Landlords typically enter to make repairs, inspect the unit, or show it to prospective tenants or buyers, but in Georgia the reasons and the notice are whatever the lease sets. A landlord should still keep entry to reasonable times. |
| Emergency entry | In a real emergency, such as a fire, a burst pipe, or a gas leak, a landlord can enter right away without notice to protect the property or check on safety. Safety comes first, even when the lease is silent. |
| Local ordinance | Georgia does not let cities and counties add their own general entry-notice ordinances the way some states do, so there is no local hour count to fall back on. Treat your lease as the practical source of any notice you are owed, and check it before you sign. |
| Statute | No state entry statute |
If the landlord enters unlawfully
Because there is no entry-notice statute, an improper entry is usually a breach of your lease, not a statutory violation. Georgia does give a tenant the right to possession under O.C.G.A. Sec. 44-7-1, so a landlord who enters repeatedly without permission can be interfering with that right. Put your objection in writing, ask that future entries come with advance notice, and if it continues you can raise it as a lease breach in magistrate court. Georgia has no state agency that can force a landlord to behave, so disputes go through the courts.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a landlord keeps entering your Georgia home without proper notice. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Read your lease access clause first
Georgia has no state notice statute, so your lease is the rule. Find the section on landlord access or entry and note what notice, if any, it promises. If the lease is silent, the landlord generally needs your permission for each entry.
- Negotiate a notice clause before you sign
Since no state law gives you a notice period, the time to get one is before signing. Ask for a written clause requiring, for example, 24 hours notice except in emergencies. Once the lease is signed, that clause is what you can enforce.
- Document every improper entry
Keep a dated log of each unannounced entry: the date, time, who entered, and why. Save texts, emails, or notes the landlord left. This record supports a lease-breach claim if the pattern continues.
- Raise it as a lease breach and get help
Tell the landlord in writing that repeated entry without permission breaches the lease and your right to possession. If it does not stop, review the Georgia Attorney General Landlord-Tenant Handbook and consider a claim in magistrate court, since no state agency can intervene for you.
If a landlord keeps entering without proper notice, you do not have to sort it out alone. This resource explains your rights and how to raise the issue.
→ Georgia Attorney General: Landlord-Tenant HandbookThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change what applies to your home.
What Georgia renters get wrong
Georgia is one of the states with no landlord entry-notice statute. Title 44, Chapter 7 of the Official Code of Georgia governs the rental relationship, covering rent, security deposits, and evictions, but it never sets a number of hours a landlord must give before coming in. So the honest answer for a Georgia renter is that no state law says 24 hours, or any figure. Your lease fills the gap. If it promises advance notice, the landlord has to honor it, and if it is silent you can ask to add a notice term before you sign. Georgia does give tenants a statutory right to possession under O.C.G.A. Sec. 44-7-1, so a landlord who repeatedly walks in without permission can be interfering with that right, even without a notice statute to cite. Emergencies are the clear exception, where entry with no notice is allowed. Because no state agency polices landlord entry in Georgia, any real dispute is handled through the courts.
Common questions
How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Georgia?
There is no state law that sets a notice period. Georgia has no entry-notice statute in Title 44, Chapter 7, so the amount of notice comes from your lease. If the lease requires notice, the landlord must follow it. If the lease is silent, the landlord generally needs your permission to enter.
Can my Georgia landlord just walk into my apartment?
Not freely. Georgia has no notice statute, but a tenant has the right to possession of the unit under O.C.G.A. Sec. 44-7-1. A landlord who enters repeatedly without permission or a lease clause allowing it can be interfering with that right, except in a genuine emergency.
How much notice should my Georgia lease require?
That is up to you and the landlord. Since no statute sets a figure, ask for a written notice clause before you sign, such as 24 hours except in emergencies. After signing, the lease clause is what you can enforce.
Can a Georgia landlord enter in an emergency without notice?
Yes. In a true emergency, such as a fire, a gas leak, or flooding, a landlord can enter without notice to protect the property and check on safety, even if the lease says nothing about it.
What can I do if my Georgia landlord keeps entering without warning?
Document each entry and object in writing, asking that future entries come with advance notice. Since there is no entry-notice statute, treat it as a lease breach or interference with your right to possession, and you can raise it in magistrate court. Georgia has no state agency that can step in, so the courts are the route. The Georgia Attorney General Landlord-Tenant Handbook explains your options.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.