§ 19-10A-2.Definitions
Chapter 10A. Eliza Jane Warner Act · Last amended 2026 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-10A-2
Plain-English Summary
This section defines six terms that decide where the safe-haven law works. An “ambulance service” is an ambulance provider licensed under Chapter 11 of Title 31. A “fire station” is a facility of any fire department authorized to exercise the general and emergency powers listed in Code Sections 25-3-1 and 25-3-2. A “police station” is a facility of any sheriff’s office, municipal police department or county police department.
The “medical facility” definition is broad but has a firm limit. It covers any licensed general or specialized hospital, institutional infirmary, health center run by a county board of health, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care facility, and any place where births happen on a regular and ongoing basis that the Department of Community Health classifies as a birthing center. It does not include physicians’ or dentists’ private offices.
Two definitions describe newer options. A “public safety vehicle” is an occupied motor vehicle operated by a fire station or police station — an empty parked car doesn’t count. A “newborn safety device” is an enclosed, locked and monitored receptacle in which a newborn can be safely placed, and it must meet the requirements of § 19-10A-8. Section 19-10A-4 uses all six terms to say where a mother may leave her baby without being prosecuted. The section was last amended in 2026, effective July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave a baby at a doctor’s office under Georgia’s safe haven law?
No. The definition of “medical facility” expressly excludes physicians’ and dentists’ private offices. It does include licensed hospitals, institutional infirmaries, county board of health centers, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities and birthing centers classified by the Department of Community Health. Section 19-10A-4 protects a mother who leaves her newborn with on-duty staff at one of those places.
Does an urgent care count as a safe haven in Georgia?
Yes. The definition of “medical facility” lists urgent care facilities, along with licensed hospitals, institutional infirmaries, county board of health centers, ambulatory surgery centers and birthing centers. Under § 19-10A-4, the baby must be left in the physical custody of an employee, agent or staff member who is on duty, and the newborn must be no more than 45 days old.
What is a public safety vehicle under the Georgia safe haven law?
It is an occupied motor vehicle operated by a fire station or a police station. The key word is occupied: someone has to be in it. Section 19-10A-4 lets a mother leave her newborn in the physical custody of an on-duty employee, agent or staff member of a public safety vehicle, such as an officer or firefighter in a patrol car or fire truck.
What is a newborn safety device in Georgia?
It is an enclosed, locked and monitored receptacle in which a newborn can be safely placed, and it must meet the requirements of § 19-10A-8. Those requirements include a placement visible to staff, round-the-clock emergency medical staffing, a recording security camera, and a dual alarm system. A mother who places her newborn in one is protected under § 19-10A-4(a)(2).
Does a sheriff’s office count as a police station for the safe haven law?
Yes. A “police station” means a facility of any sheriff’s office, municipal police department or county police department. So a mother may leave her newborn with an on-duty employee, agent or staff member at a sheriff’s office as well as at a city or county police department, as § 19-10A-4 describes.
Amendment History
Laws 2002, p. 1137, § 1; Laws 2008, Act 392, § 2-1, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2017, Act 202, § 1, eff. July 1, 2017; Laws 2026, Act 639, § 1, eff. July 1, 2026.