§ 19-11-65.Power of court to assure compliance with orders
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 1991 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-65
Plain-English Summary
An order is only as good as the means to enforce it. On top of its other powers under the article, a Georgia court acting as the responding state may subject the respondent to whatever terms and conditions it deems proper to secure compliance with its orders. The section singles out three powers.
First, the court may require the respondent to post recognizance — a cash deposit or a bond — of whatever kind and amount it deems proper to secure payment of any amount the respondent must pay. Second, it may require the respondent to make payments at specified intervals to the department, to a county agency the court designates, or to the obligee, and to report personally to the department at such times as may be deemed necessary. (Article 2 doesn’t define “department”; Article 1 defines it as the Department of Human Services in § 19-11-3.) Third, it may punish a respondent who violates any of its orders to the same extent the law allows for contempt of court in any other action or proceeding the court can hear. The section was most recently amended in 1991.
These tools back up the support order entered under § 19-11-63. Under § 19-11-75, an appeal doesn’t suspend a support order; it stays in effect while the appeal is decided. Article 2 has been closed to new cases since January 1, 1998 (§ 19-11-40.1). Article 3, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, gives a responding tribunal a longer list in § 19-11-124(b), including income withholding, liens and enforcement by civil or criminal contempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could a URESA court require the obligor to post a bond?
Yes. The responding court may require the respondent to furnish recognizance in the form of a cash deposit or bond, of whatever character and amount the court deems proper, to secure payment of any amount the respondent must pay. The section leaves the size and type of security to the court.
Could the obligor be held in contempt for not paying under URESA?
Yes. The court may punish a respondent who violates any of its orders to the same extent the law provides for contempt of court in any other action or proceeding the court can hear. Under Article 3, § 19-11-124(b)(5) lets a responding tribunal enforce orders by civil or criminal contempt, or both.
Where were URESA support payments made?
Where the court directed. The court may require payments at specified intervals to the department, to any county agency the court designates, or to the obligee. Article 2 doesn’t define “department,” but Article 1 defines it as the Department of Human Services (§ 19-11-3). The court also sets the intervals at which payments come due.
Did the obligor have to report in person?
The court could require it. The section lets the court require the respondent to report personally to the department at such times as may be deemed necessary. The section doesn’t say who sets that schedule, and the requirement can sit alongside a payment schedule and a bond.
Did an appeal stop a URESA support order?
No. Under § 19-11-75, the respondent has a right of appeal as in civil actions, but the support order isn’t affected by the appeal. It stays in effect until the appeal is decided and, if the appeal is denied, until the court changes it by a further order.
Amendment History
Laws 1958, p. 34, § 21; Laws 1989, p. 380, § 1; Laws 1991, p. 94, § 19.