What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Georgia?
In Georgia, an eviction for unpaid rent runs through 5 steps, each set by the statute or court rule beside it: (1) Serve a 3-business-day notice to vacate or pay — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(c), (d); (2) File a dispossessory affidavit — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50; (3) Seven days to answer — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51; (4) The tenant’s right to pay and stay — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-52; (5) Writ of possession, seven days after judgment — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55. For a residential lease entered into or renewed on or after 1 July 2024, a landlord must give a notice to vacate or pay all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges within three business days before filing for nonpayment (the Safe at Home Act). A tenant may pay all rent and costs within seven days of the answer to stop the eviction, once every twelve months. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 is amended again from 1 January 2027. The procedure as a whole is set by O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-50 (as amended by the Safe at Home Act, 2024), 44-7-51, 44-7-52, 44-7-55.
| What | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Court | Magistrate Court, or State or Superior Court, for the county where the property is. |
| Steps with a citation | 5 |
Notes
For a residential lease entered into or renewed on or after 1 July 2024, a landlord must give a notice to vacate or pay all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges within three business days before filing for nonpayment (the Safe at Home Act). A tenant may pay all rent and costs within seven days of the answer to stop the eviction, once every twelve months. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 is amended again from 1 January 2027.
Source
O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-50 (as amended by the Safe at Home Act, 2024), 44-7-51, 44-7-52, 44-7-55
Read the statute in the Official Code of Georgia (Georgia General Assembly): legis.ga.gov.
The linked sections open Justia’s free copy of the code, because the state’s own site has no stable address for each section.
Checked against the statute on September 16, 2026.
This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.
Guides on this rule
- Can a Landlord Send an Eviction Notice by Email or Text? — The federal E-SIGN Act excludes eviction notices, so state law decides how a notice to pay or quit must be served. California, New York and Florida rules.
- Landlord Retaliation Laws: Protected Tenant Acts and Time Limits — When an eviction, rent increase or cut in services is presumed retaliatory: 180 days in California, six months in Texas, a year in New York.
- The CARES Act 30-Day Notice to Vacate: Is It Still Required? — The CARES Act 30-day notice to vacate still applies to properties with federally backed mortgages or federal assistance. Which properties are covered, and why.
- VAWA Housing Protections: What Assisted-Housing Landlords Must Do — The Violence Against Women Act protects survivors in public housing, vouchers, LIHTC and other assisted housing. Who it covers and what owners must do.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
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