HomeLaws by stateGeorgia
Georgia car accident laws
Is Georgia a no-fault state? No. Georgia is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Georgia gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33).
The legal minimum liability coverage in Georgia is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if you were 50% or more responsible. Georgia's 2025 tort reform law (SB 68) did not change this bar.
Quoted from Georgia statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Georgia | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Two years after the right of action accrues (the date of injury) | Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33 |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Four years after the right of action accrues (injuries to personalty) | Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-31 |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Two years; Georgia courts run the wrongful-death period from the date of death (the quoted statute covers 'injuries to the person' and does not mention wrongful death) | O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33; Miles v. Ashland Chemical Co. (Ga. 1992) |
| Claims against a government body | A written ante litem notice of a tort claim against the State of Georgia must be given within 12 months of the date the loss was discovered or should have been discovered; claims against cities and counties have their own, shorter or different notice deadlines. | Ga. Code Ann. § 50-21-26(a)(1) (state); cities 36-33-5 (6 months) and counties 36-11-1 (12 months) not fetched |
| Insurance system | at-fault | Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance |
| If you were partly at fault | modified comparative (50% bar). If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if you were 50% or more responsible. Georgia's 2025 tort reform law (SB 68) did not change this bar. | Ga. Code Ann. § 51-12-33(a), (g) |
| Minimum liability coverage | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per crash / $25,000 property | Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (state insurance department); O.C.G.A. §§ 33-34-4, 40-9-37 |
| Dog bites | one-bite (negligence). The owner is liable only if the dog was vicious or dangerous and the owner carelessly managed it or let it go at liberty; a leash-ordinance violation is enough to prove the dog's vicious propensity. | Ga. Code Ann. § 51-2-7 |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Georgia can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after a Georgia crash
How to get a Georgia crash report (GDOT mail-in request: $5 each, plus $2 for a certified report. The BuyCrash price is not stated on official pages read.).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Georgia. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Georgia?
Two years for an injury claim (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33) and four years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Georgia a no-fault state?
No. Georgia is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Georgia?
Georgia follows modified comparative (50% bar). If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if you were 50% or more responsible. Georgia's 2025 tort reform law (SB 68) did not change this bar.
What is the minimum car insurance in Georgia?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Georgia is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33): law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-9/chapter-3/article-2/section-9-3-33/
Except as otherwise provided in this article, actions for injuries to the person shall be brought within two years after the right of action accrues, except for injuries to the reputation, which shall be brought within one year after the right of action accrues, and except for actions for injuries to the person involving loss of consortium, which shall be brought within four years after the right of action accrues.
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-31): law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-9/chapter-3/article-2/section-9-3-31/
Actions for injuries to personalty shall be brought within four years after the right of action accrues.
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33; Miles v. Ashland Chemical Co. (Ga. 1992)): www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59148820add7b049344eeed3
The applicable statute of limitation, OCGA § 9-3-33, provides "[a]ctions for injuries to the person shall be brought within two years after the right of action accrues.
- Claims against a government body (Ga. Code Ann. § 50-21-26(a)(1) (state); cities 36-33-5 (6 months) and counties 36-11-1 (12 months) not fetched): law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-50/chapter-21/article-2/section-50-21-26/
(a) No person, firm, or corporation having a tort claim against the state under this article shall bring any action against the state upon such claim without first giving notice of the claim as follows: (1) Notice of a claim shall be given in writing within 12 months of the date the loss was discovered or should have been discovered;
- Insurance system (Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance): www.iii.org/article/background-on-no-fault-auto-insurance
Twelve states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have verbal thresholds. The other seven states—Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah—use a monetary threshold. Three states have a "choice" no-fault law. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may reject the lawsuit threshold and retain the right to sue for any auto-related injury.
- If you were partly at fault (Ga. Code Ann. § 51-12-33(a), (g)): law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-51/chapter-12/article-2/section-51-12-33/
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Code section or any other provisions of law which might be construed to the contrary, the plaintiff shall not be entitled to receive any damages if the plaintiff is 50 percent or more responsible for the injury or damages claimed.
- Minimum liability coverage (Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (state insurance department); O.C.G.A. §§ 33-34-4, 40-9-37): oci.georgia.gov/insurance-resources/auto
The minimum limits of liability insurance required under Georgia law are: Bodily Injury Liability – $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident Property Damage Liability – $25,000 per incident
- Dog bites (Ga. Code Ann. § 51-2-7): law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-51/chapter-2/section-51-2-7/
A person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages to the person so injured. In proving vicious propensity, it shall be sufficient to show that the animal was required to be at heel or on a leash by an ordinance of a city, county, or consolidated government, and the said animal was at the time of the occurrence not at heel or on a leash.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.