All costs which have accrued at the time of the transfer of a case shall, at the termination of the case, be paid by the party or parties against whom the same are assessed to the proper officers of the county from which the case was transferred.
§ 9-10-54.Payment of costs accrued at time of transfer
Chapter 10. Civil Practice and Procedure Generally · Article 2. Venue · Last amended 1933 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceCourt costs that had already accrued at the moment a case was transferred must, once the case ends, be paid by whichever party or parties are assessed those costs to the proper officers of the county the case was transferred out of.
Full Text of § 9-10-54
Plain-English Summary
A venue transfer splits a case’s costs across two counties in time: what accrued before the move, and what accrues after. This section handles the before side. Costs that had already built up by the time of transfer stay tied to the original county — they get paid to that county’s proper officers, not the receiving county’s.
Payment happens at the end of the case, once it is clear which party or parties bear those costs under the final assessment. The rule keeps the bookkeeping clean: the county that did the early work of the case gets paid for it, regardless of where the case ultimately finished.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which costs does this section cover?
All costs which had accrued at the time of the transfer of a case.
Who gets paid those pre-transfer costs?
The proper officers of the county from which the case was transferred.
When are these costs paid?
At the termination of the case.
Who is responsible for paying the accrued costs?
The party or parties against whom the costs are assessed.
Does this section address costs incurred after the transfer?
No, it addresses only costs that had accrued at the time of the transfer.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1884-85, p. 35, § 4; Civil Code 1895, § 4959; Civil Code 1910, § 5536; Code 1933, § 3-211.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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