{"id":3798,"date":"2026-10-26T03:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T03:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.attorneyadanna.com\/resources\/premises-liability\/georgia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T14:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:34:46","slug":"georgia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.attorneyadanna.com\/resources\/premises-liability\/georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"Premises Liability Georgia: Property Owner Duty to Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Premises Liability | Atlanta and Georgia<\/p>

Hurt on Someone Else's Property? Understand What Property Owners Owe You.<\/h1>

Ugwonali Law Group represents people seriously injured in slip and falls, trip and falls, and other unsafe-property accidents across metro Atlanta and statewide. Attorney Adanna Ugwonali leads the firm, and our team walks you through the legal and medical process in plain language.<\/p>

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By Adanna Ugwonali \u00b7 Published October 25, 2026<\/p>\n\n

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Premises liability<\/a> is a personal injury claim for harm caused by an unsafe condition on someone else’s property. In Georgia, a property owner or occupier can be held responsible when it fails to use ordinary care and someone is hurt as a result (owner duty of care<\/a>). This guide explains how premises liability Georgia cases work, from who owes a duty to what an injured person can document right away. It is written for people in metro Atlanta and across the state who have real injuries, such as fractures, hospital stays, or ongoing medical treatment.<\/p>\n

What Premises Liability Means in Georgia<\/h2>\n

Premises liability means a property owner or occupier can be liable for injuries caused by a failure to keep the property safe. Georgia’s main rule is in O.C.G.A. \u00a7 51-3-1<\/a>. It says an owner or occupier who invites or leads others onto its premises for a lawful purpose is liable for injuries caused by its failure to exercise ordinary care in keeping the premises and approaches safe.<\/p>\n

Under O.C.G.A. \u00a7 51-1-2<\/a>, ordinary diligence is the care that ordinarily prudent persons use under the same or similar circumstances. Failing to use that care is called ordinary negligence.<\/p>\n

Premises cases cover more than one kind of fall. Typical claims involve slip and falls on wet floors, trip and falls over broken pavement, falling objects, and accidents on stairs or in parking lots. Some of these falls cause fractures, head injuries, or spinal injuries that need hospital care and a long recovery.<\/p>\n\n

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If a fall on someone else's property left you with a fracture or ongoing treatment, our team can talk through what happened and what your options may be. Talk it through with our team — the first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.<\/p>

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Visitor Status: Invitees, Licensees, and Trespassers<\/h2>\n

Georgia sorts people on property into categories, and the owner’s duty can depend on the category. An invitee is someone the owner invites or leads onto the property for a lawful purpose, such as a shopper in a store. The ordinary care duty in \u00a7 51-3-1<\/a> applies to invitees.<\/p>\n

A licensee is different. Under O.C.G.A. \u00a7 51-3-2<\/a>, a licensee is neither a customer, a servant, nor a trespasser. A licensee has no contract with the owner and goes onto the property merely for his own interests, convenience, or gratification. The owner is liable to a licensee only for willful or wanton injury.<\/p>\n

A trespasser is a third category.<\/p>\n

Owners, Occupiers, and Who Can Be Responsible<\/h2>\n

An owner may not be the occupier. A store renting a space or a company running a parking deck may each control part of the premises.<\/p>\n

Contractors add another layer. Under O.C.G.A. \u00a7 51-2-5<\/a>, an employer can be liable for a contractor’s negligence in listed situations. One example is when the employer keeps the right to direct or control the time and manner of the work. Who controlled the area and who was responsible for fixing the hazard can be important questions in a case, along with other factors.<\/p>\n

Common Premises Liability Cases in Georgia<\/h2>\n

Common premises cases happen in stores, apartment buildings, parking lots, stairwells, and on walkways. Metro Atlanta has many of these settings, from busy retail corridors to apartment communities in Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, and Rockdale counties. Marietta, Jonesboro, and Conyers have similar mixes of shops, parking areas, and housing.<\/p>\n

The hazards are often ordinary. Typical examples include wet floors<\/a> without warning signs, broken stairs or handrails, cracked or uneven pavement, torn carpeting, poor lighting, and boxes or merchandise left in walkways.<\/p>\n

How Georgia Premises Claims Are Proven<\/h2>\n

A premises claim usually turns on what the owner did about the hazard and whether ordinary care was used. Proof of how the fall happened matters as much as proof of the hazard itself.<\/p>\n

Evidence often shows how long the hazard was there and what the owner’s inspections looked like. Those facts bear on whether ordinary care was used. Useful evidence commonly includes:<\/p>\n