Beavers are not a protected species in Georgia. The state classifies them as nuisance wildlife with no closed season, which means you can trap or shoot them year-round, day or night, as long as you follow standard licensing, equipment, and property rules.1Department Of Natural Resources. Laws Related to Native Wildlife
How Georgia Classifies Beavers
Georgia groups beavers with armadillos, coyotes, groundhogs, and nutria as native species that can be taken because of their nuisance status.1Department Of Natural Resources. Laws Related to Native Wildlife The Department of Natural Resources sets no closed season on them because populations are abundant across the state and face little trapping pressure.2Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Beaver Management and Control in Georgia
One point worth clarifying: beavers are not legally classified as furbearing animals in Georgia. The statutory definition of fur-bearing animals covers mink, otter, raccoon, fox, opossum, muskrat, skunk, bobcat, and weasel. Beaver is not on that list.3Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Georgia Trapping Regulations That distinction matters because furbearers come with seasonal restrictions and specific harvest rules that don’t apply to beavers.
One restriction does apply across the board: Georgia prohibits holding live beavers in captivity without the proper permits or licenses.1Department Of Natural Resources. Laws Related to Native Wildlife If you catch one in a live trap, your legal options are to dispatch it or release it on the same property.
Shooting Beavers and When You Need a License
Shooting is allowed year-round, day or night.2Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Beaver Management and Control in Georgia Georgia residents 16 and older generally need a valid hunting license. The main exception is for landowners hunting on their own property, or on land owned by an immediate family member living in the same household, where no hunting license is required. Nonresidents must carry a nonresident hunting license regardless of where they hunt.4Department Of Natural Resources. Non-Native and Invasive Species Info
Local ordinances may still restrict firearm discharge inside city limits. If you live in an incorporated area, check with your city or county before shooting on your property. Where firearms are off the table, trapping becomes the practical option.
Trapping Rules You Have to Follow
No closed season doesn’t mean no rules. Trapping beavers requires a license and comes with equipment and conduct requirements the DNR actively enforces.
Licenses
A commercial trapping license costs $40 for residents and $325 for nonresidents. Landowners handling beavers on their own property can obtain a no-cost landowner trapping license. Both allow the sale of furs, hides, and pelts, and both are available through the Go Outdoors Georgia portal.5Department Of Natural Resources. Trapping Regulations
Equipment
Georgia restricts the types of traps you can use and where you can place them:
- Body-gripping traps larger than 9.5 inches square may only be set in water or within 10 feet of water.
- Snares used for beaver must be set in water or on land within 10 feet of water, including swamps, marshes, and tidal areas. Every snare must be marked with the trapper’s name or identification number.
- All traps must be legibly stamped, etched, or tagged with the owner’s name or the permanent trapper identification number issued by the DNR.
These placement rules exist largely to reduce the risk of trapping pets, livestock, or non-target wildlife in upland areas.3Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Georgia Trapping Regulations
Checking Traps and Permission
Every trap must be checked at least once every 24 hours, and any animal caught in it must be removed.5Department Of Natural Resources. Trapping Regulations If you are setting traps on someone else’s land, you need written consent from the landowner, and that written permission must be on your person while you set or check the traps. Trapping on the right-of-way of any public road or highway is prohibited.3Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Georgia Trapping Regulations
Federal Rules on Beaver Dam Removal
State law lets you take the beavers, but the dam itself can be a separate question. If a beaver dam sits in a wetland, stream, or other water body that qualifies as “waters of the United States,” removing it may trigger federal permit requirements under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act: Permitting Discharges of Dredge or Fill Material Section 404 applies to activities that discharge dredged or fill material into regulated waters.
Routine maintenance on existing structures like your own dams and levees is exempt from Section 404 permitting, but that exemption does not automatically cover tearing out a beaver dam, especially if doing so would change the flow or reach of surrounding waters.7eCFR. Title 40 Part 232 – 404 Program Definitions; Exempt Activities Not Requiring 404 Permits On small streams entirely within your property, the practical risk is low. For a large dam complex in a wetland or near navigable water, contacting the Corps of Engineers before any heavy removal work is the safer path.
Penalties for Breaking the Rules
Violations of Georgia’s wildlife laws under Title 27 are generally treated as misdemeanors.8Justia Law. Georgia Code Title 27 – Section 27-1-38 – Penalty for Violations of Title Fines escalate for repeat offenders, and a third offense within a two-year period carries a minimum fine of $750.9Justia Law. Georgia Code Title 27 – Section 27-3-63 – General Offenses and Penalties Common slip-ups include failing to check traps every 24 hours, trapping without a license, setting traps on someone else’s land without written permission, and trapping on a public road right-of-way. Beyond fines, wildlife violations can lead to license suspension or revocation and leave a misdemeanor on your record.