Chapter 9. Arbitration · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceThis default rule tells parties and tribunals when a written communication counts as received — personal delivery or delivery to a known address works, and if no address can be found after reasonable inquiry, sending it by registered mail or another trackable method to the last known address suffices, effective the day of delivery.
(1)Any written communication shall be deemed to have been received if it is delivered to the addressee personally or if it is delivered at his or her place of business, habitual residence, or mailing address; if none of these can be found after making a reasonable inquiry, a written communication shall be deemed to have been received if it is sent to the addressee’s last known place of business, habitual residence, or mailing address by registered mail or any other means which provides a record of the attempt to deliver it; and
(2)Communications shall be deemed to have been received on the day it is delivered.
(b)The provisions of this Code section shall not apply to communications in court proceedings.
Plain-English Summary
Arbitration runs on deadlines, and deadlines run on knowing when notice arrived. This section supplies a fallback rule for that question whenever the parties have not agreed on their own notice procedure.
Subsection (a)(1) treats a communication as received the moment it is handed to the person, or delivered to their place of business, habitual residence, or mailing address. If none of those can be pinned down after a reasonable search, sending the communication to the addressee’s last known location by registered mail, or by any method that leaves a record of the delivery attempt, counts as good service. Subsection (a)(2) then fixes the clock — receipt happens on the day of delivery, not the day of mailing.
Subsection (b) draws a firm line around this rule: it governs communications between the parties and the tribunal, not filings or notices inside a court proceeding, which follow Georgia’s ordinary rules of civil procedure instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a written communication treated as received under this section?
Subsection (a)(1) treats it as received once delivered personally, or delivered to the addressee’s place of business, habitual residence, or mailing address.
What if the addressee’s location cannot be found?
After a reasonable inquiry turns up nothing, subsection (a)(1) allows delivery to the addressee’s last known address by registered mail or another method that produces a record of the delivery attempt.
On what day is the communication deemed received?
Subsection (a)(2) fixes receipt on the day the communication is delivered.
Does this rule govern papers filed in a lawsuit?
No. Subsection (b) excludes communications in court proceedings from this section entirely.
Can the parties set their own notice rules instead of this default?
Yes. The rule applies “unless otherwise agreed by the parties,” so any agreed notice procedure controls instead.
Amendment History
Code 1981, § 9-9-24, enacted by Ga. L. 2012, p. 961, § 1/SB 383.
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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