Title 19

There is created the Georgia Child Support Commission for the purpose of studying and collecting information and data relating to awards of child support and to create and revise the child support obligation table. The commission shall be responsible for conducting a comprehensiv…

(a) The Georgia Child Support Commission shall be composed of 15 members. The Governor shall appoint all of the members as follows: (1) Three members who shall be judges in a superior court; (2) One member who shall be a Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia or a Judge of the G…

(a) The commission shall hold meetings at the call of the chairperson or as called by the Governor. Meetings shall be open to the public. (b) A quorum for transacting business shall be a majority of the members of the commission. (c) Any legislative members of the commission shal…

(a) The commission shall have the following duties: (1) To study and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of Georgia’s child support guidelines; (2) To evaluate and consider the experiences and results in other states which utilize child support guidelines; (3) To create and…

Support and maintenance, §§19-6-30 to 19-6-33.1. INDEX PERSONS AND RIGHTS —Cont’d Domicile. Domestic relations, §§19-2-1 to 19-2-6. PEACHCARE FOR KIDS ACT. Child support. Benefits excluded from gross income calculation, §19-6-15. PEST CONTROL OPERATORS. Child support enforcement. …

Ga. L. 1995, p. 603, § 4, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that it is the intention of Sections 1 and 2 of that Act to encourage judges in divorce cases to require all couples involved in contested divorces to go to mediation to attempt a mutually agreeable settlemen…

Attorney’s fees; when and how granted; enforcement. Temporary alimony; petition and hearing; factors considered; discretion of judge; revision and enforcement of order; effect of failure to comply. When permanent alimony authorized; how enforced. Factors in determining amount of …

(a) Until a child reaches the age of 18 or becomes emancipated, the child shall remain under the control of his or her parents, who are entitled to the child’s services and the proceeds of the child’s labor. In the event that a court has awarded custody of the child to one parent…

It is the joint and several duty of each parent to provide for the maintenance, protection, and education of his or her child until the child reaches the age of majority, dies, marries, or becomes emancipated, whichever first occurs, except as otherwise authorized and ordered purs…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Family member” means a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling. (2) “Grandparent” means the parent of a parent of a minor child, the parent of a minor child’s parent who has died, and the parent of a minor child’s parent whose p…

(a) The court may adjudicate an individual to be an equitable caregiver. (b) An individual seeking to be adjudicated an equitable caregiver of a child under this Code section may establish standing to maintain the action in accordance with the following: (1) File with the initial…

If a child is found under circumstances of destitution and suffering, abandonment, or exposure or if the child has been begging or if it is found that the child is being reared under immoral, obscene, or indecent influences which are likely to degrade his moral character and devot…

(a) The purpose of this Code section is to provide for the protection of children. It is intended that mandatory reporting will cause the protective services of the state to be brought to bear on the situation in an effort to prevent abuses, to protect and enhance the welfare of …

(a) The purpose of this Code section is to provide for the protection of children whose health and welfare are adversely affected and further threatened by the unlawful use and abuse of controlled substances or marijuana. The General Assembly recognizes the need for early interve…

(a) All children born in wedlock or within the usual period of gestation thereafter are legitimate. (b) The legitimacy of a child born as described in subsection (a) of this Code section may be disputed. Where possibility of access exists, the strong presumption is in favor of le…

All children born within wedlock or within the usual period of gestation thereafter who have been conceived by means of artificial insemination are irrebuttably presumed legitimate if both spouses have consented in writing to the use and administration of artificial insemination. H…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Biological father” means the male who impregnated the biological mother resulting in the birth of a child. (2) “Legal father” means a male who has not surrendered or had terminated his rights to a child and who: (A) Has legally ado…

The term “child born out of wedlock” means: (1) A child whose parents are not married when that child is born or who do not subsequently intermarry; (2) A child who is the issue of adulterous intercourse of the wife during wedlock; or (3) A child who is not legitimate within the …

It is the joint and several duty of each parent of a child born out of wedlock to provide for the maintenance, protection, and education of the child until the child reaches the age of 18 or becomes emancipated, except to the extent that the duty of one parent is otherwise or fur…

Only the mother of a child born out of wedlock is entitled to custody of the child, unless the father legitimates the child as provided in Code Section 19-7-22. Otherwise, the mother may exercise all parental power over the child. History. Orig. Code 1863, § 1750; Code 1868, § 17…

In an action brought by the mother of a child born out of wedlock in her own right or in her capacity as guardian, executor, or administrator for damages for the child’s injury or death, the mother shall not be discriminated against because of her child’s having been born out of …

(a) Except in the event of a medical emergency, prior to the birth of a child to an unmarried woman in a public or private hospital, the hospital that provides labor and delivery services shall provide to the mother and alleged father: (1) Written materials about administratively…

(a) The superior and state courts of the several counties shall have concurrent jurisdiction in all proceedings for the determination of paternity of children who are residents of this state. The state courts shall have such concurrent jurisdiction notwithstanding any contrary pr…

In a proceeding under this article, the court, pursuant to Chapter 11 of Title 9, may order service upon a person outside the state upon a finding that there is a constitutionally permissible basis for jurisdiction over the person, including those enumerated in Article 3 of Chapte…

The action shall be brought in the county in which the alleged father resides, except that, if the alleged father is not a resident of this state, the action shall be brought in the county in which the child resides. History. Code 1933, § 74-303, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 1374, …

(a) A petition to establish the paternity of a child may be brought by: (1) The child; (2) The mother of the child; (3) Any relative in whose care the child has been placed; (4) The Department of Human Services in the name of and for the benefit of a child for whom public assistan…

(a) The court may, in its discretion, appoint a guardian ad litem to represent a minor child who is the subject of a paternity petition. Payment of the guardian ad litem shall be as ordered by the court. Neither the child’s mother nor the alleged or presumed father may represent …

(a) All orders requiring parties to submit to genetic tests shall be issued in conformance with Code Sections 19-7-43, 19-7-46, and 19-754. In all cases such tests shall be conducted by a laboratory certified by the American Association of Blood Banks and shall be conducted so tha…

(a) The results of medical tests and comparisons ordered by the court, including the statistical likelihood of the alleged parent’s parentage, if available, unless a party to the paternity genetic test objects in writing at least 30 days prior to a hearing at which the results of…

(a) The appearance of the name or social security account number of the father, entered with his written consent, on the certificate of birth or a certified copy of such certificate or records on which the name of the alleged father was entered with his written consent from the vita…

(a) Upon motion by a party to a paternity action, a temporary order shall be issued in accordance with the guidelines prescribed in Code Section 19-6-15 if there is clear and convincing evidence of paternity. Such temporary order will be valid pending an administrative or judicia…

(a) Any proceeding brought under this article is a civil action governed by the rules of civil procedure. The mother of the child and the alleged father are competent to testify and may be compelled to appear and testify. (b) If in any paternity action an answer has not been filed…

The child must be a party to a settlement agreement with the alleged father. The court must approve any settlement agreement, dismissal, or termination of the action which does not adjudicate the merits of the case. History. Code 1933, § 74-309, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 1374, §…

(a) On a finding that the alleged father is the father of the child, the court shall issue an order designating the alleged father as the father of the child. The sole effect of the order shall be to establish the duty of the father to support the child. (b) On a finding that the a…

The court may order reasonable fees of counsel, experts, and the child’s guardian ad litem and other costs of the action and pretrial proceedings, including blood and other tests, to be paid by the parties in proportions and at times determined by the court. History. Code 1933, §…

(c) After the 60 day rescission period specified in subsection (b) of this Code section, the signed voluntary acknowledgment of paternity may be challenged in court only on the basis of fraud, duress, or material mistake of fact, with the burden of proof on the person challenging …

(a) The court may order that support payments be made to the mother or other interested party, the child support receiver, the prosecuting attorney, the community supervision officer, or the clerk of court, provided that, in those cases where the action has been brought by the De…

Upon motion of any party, any hearing or trial held under this article may be held in closed court without the admittance of any person other than those necessary to the action or proceeding. History. Code 1933, § 74-314, enacted by Ga. L. 1980, p. 1374, § 1.

(a) Unless otherwise specified in this Code section, in any action in which a male is required to pay child support as the father of a child, a motion to set aside a determination of paternity may be made at any time upon the grounds set forth in this Code section. Any such motion…

For purposes of this article, the term: (1) “Alaskan native” means a member of the Alaska Native Regional Corporations formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). (2) “Biological father” means a male who impregnated the biological mother resulting in the…

(a) Surrender or termination of rights of a living parent pursuant to Code Section 19-8-4, 19-8-5, 19-8-6, or 19-8-7 shall not be required as a prerequisite to the granting of a petition for adoption of a child of such living parent pursuant to Code Section 19-8-13 when the court…

(a)(1) In those cases when the department, a child-placing agency, or an out-of-state licensed agency has obtained the voluntary written surrender of all parental rights from one of the parents or the guardian of a child or has obtained an order from a court of competent jurisdic…

(a) The General Assembly finds that: (1) The state has a compelling interest in promptly providing stable and permanent homes for adoptive children, and in preventing the disruption of adoptive placements; (2) Adoptive children have a right to permanence and stability in adoptive …

(a) The petition for adoption, duly verified, together with one conformed copy thereof, shall be filed with the clerk of the superior court having jurisdiction and shall conform to the following guidelines: (1) The petition for adoption shall set forth: (A) The name, age, date and …

(a) It is the policy of this state that, in the best interests of the child, uncontested adoption petitions shall be heard as soon as possible but not later than 120 days after the date of filing, unless the petitioner has failed to arrange for the court to receive the report requ…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term “family member” shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 19-7-3. (b) If a legal mother and biological father, whether he was a legal father or not, of the child who is the subject of the proceeding are both deceased, rega…