§ 19-11-103.Nature of remedies
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-103
Plain-English Summary
Article 3 of Chapter 11 is Georgia’s version of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, often called UIFSA. It handles support cases that cross state or national lines — a parent in Georgia and a parent in Ohio, or a child in Georgia and a parent abroad. This short section marks the edges of that law.
Subsection (a) says the article’s remedies are cumulative. They sit alongside whatever other law offers; they don’t cancel it. The article also doesn’t affect a tribunal’s ability to recognize a foreign support order on the basis of comity — the courtesy one legal system extends to another’s judgments even when no statute requires it. Code Section 19-11-104 adds that a Georgia tribunal asked to recognize an order on that basis may borrow the procedures in Parts 1 through 6 of the article.
Subsection (b) makes two more points. First, the article isn’t the only way to establish or enforce a support order in Georgia. A parent may still use any other route Georgia law allows. Second, a proceeding under this article gives a Georgia tribunal no jurisdiction to rule on child custody or visitation. Support and custody travel on separate tracks: custody jurisdiction has its own rules, including Code Section 19-9-61 on initial custody jurisdiction. The same idea shows up in Code Section 19-11-124(d), which bars a responding Georgia tribunal from conditioning payment of a support order issued under this article on a party’s compliance with visitation provisions. The section was last amended in 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use the interstate support act to get child support from a parent in another state?
No. Subsection (b)(1) says this article doesn’t provide the exclusive method of establishing or enforcing a support order under Georgia law. It is one option. Subsection (a) adds that its remedies are cumulative and don’t affect remedies available under other law, so a parent may use this article, another Georgia procedure, or both, as the law allows.
Can a Georgia judge decide custody in an interstate child support case?
Not in a proceeding under this article. Subsection (b)(2) says the article doesn’t give a Georgia tribunal jurisdiction to render a judgment or issue an order about child custody or visitation in that proceeding. Custody questions go through Georgia’s separate custody jurisdiction rules, including Code Section 19-9-61 on initial custody jurisdiction.
If I use the interstate support law, do I lose other ways to collect support?
No. Subsection (a) says the remedies in this article are cumulative and don’t affect the availability of remedies under other law. A parent who starts an interstate case keeps whatever other collection tools Georgia law offers. Which ones fit a given case depends on the facts and on the tribunal.
What does comity mean for a support order from another country?
Comity is the respect one legal system gives another’s judgments as a matter of courtesy rather than obligation. Subsection (a) says this article doesn’t affect a tribunal’s recognition of a foreign support order on that basis. Under Code Section 19-11-104(b), a Georgia tribunal asked to recognize and enforce an order on the basis of comity may apply Parts 1 through 6 of the article. Whether it does is up to the tribunal.
Can my ex refuse to pay child support because I won’t allow visitation in an interstate case?
Not under a support order a responding Georgia tribunal issues under this article. Code Section 19-11-124(d) says that tribunal may not condition payment of the order on a party’s compliance with visitation provisions. This section reinforces the split: subsection (b)(2) keeps custody and visitation out of proceedings under this article altogether.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.