Title 19

Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of Georgia in a proceeding under this article or other law of Georgia relating to a support order continues so long as a tribunal of Georgia has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its order or continuing jurisdiction to enfor…

Under this article, a tribunal in Georgia may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or foreign country. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-112, enacted by Ga. L. 1997,…

(a) A tribunal in Georgia may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition or comparable pleading is filed after a pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if: (1) The petition or comparable pleading in Georgia is filed before the expiration…

(a) A tribunal in Georgia that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of Georgia has and shall exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child support order if the order is the controlling order and: (1) At the time of the filing of a request for …

(a) A tribunal in Georgia that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of Georgia may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce: (1) The order if the order is the controlling order and has not been modified by a tribunal of …

(a) If a proceeding is brought under this article and only one tribunal has issued a child support order, the order of that tribunal controls and must be recognized. (b) If a proceeding is brought under this article and two or more child support orders have been issued by tribuna…

In responding to registrations or petitions for enforcement of two or more child support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one of which was issued by a tribunal of another state or a foreign country, a tr…

A tribunal of Georgia shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child support order for support of the same child issued by a tribunal of Georgia or another state, or a f…

A tribunal of Georgia exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this article, under other law of Georgia relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside this state pursuant to Code Section 19-11…

(a) A tribunal of Georgia issuing a spousal support order consistent with the law of Georgia has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the spousal support order throughout the existence of the support obligation. (b) A tribunal of Georgia may not modify a spousal support o…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, this part applies to all proceedings under this article. (b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this article by filing a petition in an initiating tribunal for forwar…

A minor parent, or a guardian or other legal representative of a minor parent, may maintain a proceeding on behalf of or for the benefit of the minor’s child. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-121, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Ga. L. 2013, p. 705, § 1/SB 193.

Except as otherwise provided in this article, a responding tribunal of Georgia: (1) Shall apply the procedural and substantive law generally applicable to similar proceedings originating in Georgia and may exercise all powers and provide all remedies available in those proceeding…

(a) Upon the filing of a petition authorized by this article, an initiating tribunal of Georgia shall forward the petition and its accompanying documents: (1) To the responding tribunal or appropriate support enforcement agency in the responding state; or (2) If the identity of th…

(a) When a responding tribunal of Georgia receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to subsection (b) of Code Section 19-11-120, it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner where and when it was fil…

If a petition or comparable pleading is received by an inappropriate tribunal of this state, the tribunal shall forward the pleading and accompanying documents to an appropriate tribunal of this state or another state and notify the petitioner where and when the pleading was sent…

(a) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this article. (b) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall: (1) Take all steps necessary to enable an ap…

(a) If the Attorney General determines that the support enforcement agency is neglecting or refusing to provide services to an individual, the Attorney General may provide those services directly to the individual. (b) The Attorney General may determine that a foreign country has…

(a) The Department of Human Services is the state information agency under this article. (b) The state information agency shall: (1) Compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of the tribunals in this state which have jurisdiction under this article and any support…

(a) In a proceeding under this article, a petitioner seeking to establish a support order to determine parentage of a child, or to register and modify a support order of a tribunal of another state or a foreign country must file a petition. Unless otherwise ordered under Code Sect…

If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, that information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or the public. Af…

(a) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. (b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of Georgia may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by…

(a) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under this article before a responding tribunal, whether in person, by private attorney, or through services provided by the support enforcement agency, does not confer personal jurisdiction over the petitioner in another proceedi…

A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under this article. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-134, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Ga. L. 2013, p. 705, § 1/SB 193.

(a) The physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual in a tribunal of Georgia is not required for the establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order or the rendition of a judgment determining parentage of a child. (b) An affidavit, a document subst…

A tribunal in Georgia may communicate with a tribunal outside this state in a record, or by telephone, e-mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status of a proceeding. A tribunal …

A tribunal of this state may: (1) Request a tribunal outside this state to assist in obtaining discovery; and (2) Upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this state. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-137,…

(a) A support enforcement agency or tribunal in Georgia shall disburse promptly any amounts received pursuant to a support order, as directed by the order. The agency or tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another state or a foreign country a certified stat…

(a) If a support order entitled to recognition under this article has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this state with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if: (1) The individual seeking the order resides outside this state; or (2) The support…

A tribunal of Georgia authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this article or a law or procedure substantially similar to this article. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-141, enacted…

An income-withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person defined as the obligor’s employer pursuant to Code Sections 19-6-32 through 19-6-33.1 without first filing a petition or comparable ple…

(a) Upon receipt of an income-withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor. (b) The employer shall treat an income-withholding order issued in another state which appears regular on its face as if it had been issued by a t…

If an obligor’s employer receives two or more income-withholding orders with respect to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment to establish t…

An employer that complies with an income-withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this article is not subject to civil liability to an individual or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from the obligor’s income. History. Code 1981…

An employer that willfully fails to comply with an income-withholding order issued in another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance with an order issued by a tribunal in Georgia. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-154, …

(a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an incomewithholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer in Georgia by registering the order in a tribunal of Georgia and filing a contest to that order as provided in Part 6 of this article, …

(a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency of Georgia. (b) Upon …

A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order may be registered in Georgia for enforcement. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-160, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Ga. L. 2013, p. 705, § 1/SB 193.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Code Section 19-11-184.1, a support order or income-withholding order of another state or a foreign support order may be registered in Georgia by sending the following records to the appropriate tribunal in Georgia: (1) A letter of transmittal …

(a) A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered when the order is filed in the registering tribunal of Georgia. (b) A registered support order issued in another state or a foreign country is enforceable in the same m…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, the law of the issuing state or foreign country governs: (1) The nature, extent, amount, and duration of current payments under a registered support order; (2) The computation and payment of arrearages and a…

(a) When a support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered, the registering tribunal of Georgia shall notify the nonregistering party. The notice must be accompanied by a copy of the registered order and the documents and…

(a) A nonregistering party seeking to contest the validity or enforcement of a registered order in Georgia shall request a hearing within the time required by Code Section 19-11-164. The nonregistering party may seek to vacate the registration, to assert any defense to an allegat…

(a) A party contesting the validity or enforcement of a registered support order or seeking to vacate the registration has the burden of proving one or more of the following defenses: (1) The issuing tribunal lacked personal jurisdiction over the contesting party; (2) The order w…

Confirmation of a registered support order, whether by operation of law or after notice and hearing, precludes further contest of the order with respect to any matter that could have been asserted at the time of registration. History. Code 1981, § 19-11-167, enacted by Ga. L. 1997…

A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child support order issued in another state shall register that order in Georgia in the same manner provided in Code Sections 19-11-160 through 19-11-167 if the order has not been registered. A p…