{
    "dataset": "Homzora Georgia Dispossessory Process Reference 2026",
    "jurisdiction": "State of Georgia",
    "scope": "Residential dispossessory proceedings, the Georgia term for eviction. Covers the provisions that set the deadlines a tenant or landlord must meet.",
    "basis": "Compiled from published statutory text of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 44, Chapter 7.",
    "sources": [
        "Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 44, Chapter 7, Articles 1 and 3"
    ],
    "verified": "2026-09-08",
    "unresolved": "Published sources disagree on whether a nonpayment case requires a three business day waiting period between the demand for possession and filing. Several recent sources state that O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(a) imposes no statutory waiting period and permits immediate filing on refusal. Another states a three business day notice. Homzora has not resolved this against the statutory text and does not publish a figure for it.",
    "note": "Statutes change and their application depends on facts specific to a case. Timelines in practice also depend on court calendars and sheriff backlogs, which are not statutory. This is not legal advice. A tenant served with a dispossessory summons should contact a Georgia attorney or a legal aid organization immediately, because the seven day answer window is short.",
    "license": "CC BY 4.0. Statutory text is a public record; the Homzora compilation and notes are licensed under CC BY 4.0.",
    "methodology": "https://homzorarealty.com/atlanta/atlanta-methodology/",
    "rows": [
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-1",
            "subject": "Self help eviction prohibited",
            "provision": "A landlord may not remove a tenant without a court issued writ of possession. Changing locks, removing belongings or cutting utilities to force a tenant out is unlawful.",
            "key_figure": "no self help",
            "notes": "This is the provision behind every other step. A landlord who bypasses the court process is exposed regardless of whether the tenant owed rent."
        },
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-7",
            "subject": "Ending a tenancy at will",
            "provision": "Sixty days written notice from the landlord is required to terminate a tenancy at will. A tenant must give thirty days.",
            "key_figure": "60 days landlord, 30 days tenant",
            "notes": "Applies to tenancies at will rather than fixed term leases. Once the tenancy ends the landlord must still demand possession before filing."
        },
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(a)",
            "subject": "Demand for possession",
            "provision": "Before filing a dispossessory action the landlord must demand possession. If the tenant refuses or fails to deliver possession when demanded, the owner may go before a judge or magistrate.",
            "key_figure": "demand required",
            "notes": "The statute permits the demand to be oral or written. Published sources disagree on whether nonpayment carries a three business day waiting period after the demand; see the unresolved note in this dataset."
        },
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-51(b)",
            "subject": "Seven days to answer",
            "provision": "The tenant has seven days from the date of actual service to answer the summons, orally or in writing. If day seven falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday the deadline extends to the next business day.",
            "key_figure": "7 days from service",
            "notes": "The single most time critical deadline for a tenant. An answer, even a brief one, moves the case to a hearing rather than a default judgment."
        },
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-53(a)",
            "subject": "Default judgment",
            "provision": "Where the tenant files no answer, the writ of possession issues instanter with the default judgment.",
            "key_figure": "immediate on default",
            "notes": "This is why the seven day answer window matters. No answer means no hearing."
        },
        {
            "section": "O.C.G.A. 44-7-55",
            "subject": "Writ after a contested judgment",
            "provision": "Where the case is tried and judgment is entered for the landlord, the writ becomes effective at the expiration of seven days after the date judgment was entered.",
            "key_figure": "7 days after judgment",
            "notes": "The seven day window matches the appeal period. A tenant appealing keeps possession only by paying the judgment rent and future rent into the court registry."
        },
        {
            "section": "pay and stay",
            "subject": "Tender of rent owed",
            "provision": "A tenant sued for nonpayment may end the case by tendering all rent owed plus court costs within seven days of the summons.",
            "key_figure": "once per 12 months",
            "notes": "The landlord must honor this only once in any twelve month period. It is a right worth knowing about before the seven day answer window closes."
        }
    ]
}