§ 19-11-184.4.Option to enforce portions of convention support order
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 7. Determination of Parentage · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-184.4
Plain-English Summary
This short section keeps a flaw in one part of a foreign support order from sinking the rest. If a Georgia tribunal does not recognize and enforce a convention support order in its entirety, it shall enforce any severable part. The duty is mandatory. The section doesn’t define “severable,” but the idea is a part that can stand and be enforced on its own, apart from the part the tribunal rejects. Whether a given part qualifies is for the tribunal.
The second sentence works from the other direction. An application — the request sent through central authorities and handled in Georgia by the Department of Human Services under § 19-11-183 — or a direct request filed by an individual under § 19-11-184 may ask for recognition and only partial enforcement from the outset. Section 19-11-184.1(c) says the same about the request for registration.
The section fits closely with the grounds for refusal in § 19-11-184.3. Some of those grounds are partial by nature. Ground (8), for example, allows refusal for payment only “to the extent” the alleged arrears have been paid. If some arrears are paid and some are not, this section points the tribunal toward enforcing what remains. The section speaks only of convention support orders; foreign support agreements are governed by § 19-11-184.5, which has no parallel sentence. The section took effect July 1, 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
If Georgia rejects part of a foreign support order, is the whole order thrown out?
No. If a Georgia tribunal does not recognize and enforce a convention support order in its entirety, this section says it shall enforce any severable part of the order. A problem with one piece doesn’t automatically defeat the pieces that can stand on their own.
Can I ask a Georgia court to enforce only part of a foreign support order?
Yes. This section says an application or a direct request may seek recognition and partial enforcement of a convention support order. An application goes through central authorities and the Department of Human Services under § 19-11-183; a direct request is a petition an individual files under § 19-11-184. Section 19-11-184.1(c) allows the same in the registration request.
What does a “severable part” of a support order mean?
The section doesn’t define it. In plain terms, a severable part is one that can be separated from the rest of the order and enforced by itself. Whether a particular part of a foreign order can stand alone is a question for the Georgia tribunal, which then shall enforce that part.
Does partial payment of arrears affect enforcement of a foreign support order?
Yes, to the extent of the payment. Section 19-11-184.3(b)(8) lets a Georgia tribunal refuse enforcement for payment, but only to the extent the alleged arrears have been paid in whole or in part. Under this section, the tribunal shall still enforce any severable part of the order, such as unpaid arrears.
Does this partial-enforcement rule apply to foreign support agreements?
This section speaks only of convention support orders. Foreign support agreements — agreements enforceable as support orders in their country of origin — are covered by § 19-11-184.5, which sets its own requirements and grounds for refusal and contains no parallel partial-enforcement sentence. How a tribunal treats part of an agreement is not addressed here.
Amendment History
Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.