§ 19-11-168.Petitions for modification
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 6. Enforcement and Modification of Support Order After Registration · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-168
Plain-English Summary
This section starts the modification half of Part 6. It applies to a party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child support order issued in another state. Before a Georgia court can consider the request, the order must be registered in Georgia in the same manner provided in §§ 19-11-160 through 19-11-167, if it hasn’t been registered already. That means the same documents, the same notice to the other party, and the same chance to contest.
The petition for modification may be filed at the same time as the request for registration or later. Either way, the pleading must specify the grounds for modification.
Registration is only the first step. Under § 19-11-169, a Georgia tribunal may enforce the registered order while the request is pending, but it may modify the order only if the requirements of § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172 are met. Those sections turn mostly on where the parties and the child live, or on whether the parties have consented to Georgia taking over. A Georgia court that registers an order doesn’t automatically gain the power to change it.
The section speaks only of child support orders. Foreign child support orders not under the Hague convention have a parallel registration provision in § 19-11-175. The section was last amended in 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I modify an out-of-state child support order in Georgia?
First register the order in Georgia, if it isn’t already registered, using the procedure in §§ 19-11-160 through 19-11-167. You may file the petition for modification with the registration request or later, and it must state the grounds for modification. The Georgia tribunal can modify the order only if the requirements of § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172 are met.
Do I have to register another state’s child support order before Georgia can change it?
Yes, if it hasn’t been registered. A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child support order issued in another state shall register that order in Georgia in the same manner provided in §§ 19-11-160 through 19-11-167. An order already registered doesn’t need to be registered again.
Can I file for modification at the same time I register an out-of-state child support order?
Yes. A petition for modification may be filed at the same time as a request for registration, or later. The pleading must specify the grounds for modification.
Does registering an out-of-state child support order let Georgia modify it?
Not by itself. Under § 19-11-169, a Georgia tribunal may enforce a child support order registered for modification as if Georgia had issued it, but may modify it only if § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172 is satisfied. Those sections mostly depend on where the parties and child live or on whether the parties have consented.
Can a support enforcement agency ask Georgia to modify another state’s child support order?
Yes. This section applies to a party or a support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child support order issued in another state. The agency must follow the same registration steps, if the order isn’t registered, and its pleading must specify the grounds for modification.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.