§ 19-11-141.Responding tribunal
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 4. Establishment of Support Order · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-141
Plain-English Summary
Before a parent can be ordered to pay support, someone often has to establish who the parent is. When the parties live in different states, this section lets Georgia handle that question. A Georgia tribunal authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage brought under the interstate support article, or under a law or procedure substantially similar to it.
The section doesn’t create new power to decide parentage. It borrows whatever authority a Georgia tribunal already has under Georgia law and lets that tribunal use it in an interstate case. A “responding tribunal,” under § 19-11-101, is the authorized tribunal in the state where the petition is filed or to which it is forwarded. Under § 19-11-120(b), a parentage case can start by filing in an initiating tribunal in another state for forwarding to Georgia, or by filing directly in Georgia. The word “may” leaves room for the tribunal’s judgment.
Other sections fill in the details. The petition must identify the parent and alleged parent and each child (§ 19-11-130). The out-of-state party need not appear in person (§ 19-11-135(a)), bills for parentage testing can be proved by copies furnished at least ten days before trial (§ 19-11-135(d)), and a certified voluntary acknowledgment of paternity is admissible (§ 19-11-135(j)). Temporary child support may be ordered against certain people while the question is open (§ 19-11-140(b)). If parentage has already been determined, § 19-11-134 bars a nonparentage defense. The section’s only listed history is a 2013 act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can paternity be established in Georgia if the other parent lives in another state?
Yes. A Georgia tribunal authorized to determine parentage may serve as the responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage brought under Georgia’s interstate support law or a substantially similar law or procedure. The case can be filed in another state and forwarded to Georgia, or filed directly in Georgia, as § 19-11-120(b) provides.
Does the out-of-state parent have to come to Georgia for a paternity case?
Which Georgia court decides parentage in an interstate case?
A Georgia tribunal that is already authorized to determine parentage of a child. This section doesn’t name a court; it lets whichever tribunal holds that authority under Georgia law act as the responding tribunal. Section 19-11-102 lists Georgia’s tribunals under the act as the superior courts, the Office of State Administrative Hearings and the Department of Human Services.
Does the other state need the same law for Georgia to decide paternity?
Not the same, but similar. The section covers parentage proceedings brought under Georgia’s interstate support article or under “a law or procedure substantially similar” to it. So a case begun under another state’s comparable interstate support law can be heard by a Georgia tribunal that is authorized to determine parentage.
Can child support be ordered while an interstate paternity case is pending?
Possibly. Under § 19-11-140(b), a Georgia tribunal may issue a temporary child support order if it finds one appropriate and the person ordered to pay fits one of eight categories — for example, a man identified as the father through genetic testing, an alleged father who declined genetic testing, or a presumed father.
Amendment History
Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.