§ 19-11-79.Registration procedure — Transmittal of documents to district attorney; filing; notice; docketing
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 2000 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-79
Plain-English Summary
This section belongs to Article 2, Georgia’s version of the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (URESA). Under § 19-11-40.1, no new petition may be filed and no new proceeding may begin under Article 2 on or after January 1, 1998; the article applies only to proceedings pending before that date. Interstate support cases begun since then fall under Article 3, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which starts at § 19-11-100.
Registration starts with a package sent to the district attorney. Subsection (a) lists four items. The obligee must send three certified copies of the order with all modifications; one copy of the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act of the state where the order was made; one copy of the law governing certification of orders in the state where the order is being certified; and a statement, verified and signed by the obligee. That statement gives the obligee’s post office address, the obligor’s last known residence and post office address, the amount of support still unpaid, a description and the location of any of the obligor’s property available on execution, and a list of the states where the order is registered.
Under subsection (b), once the district attorney receives these documents, the district attorney shall file them with the clerk of the superior court so a hearing can be set.
Subsection (c) sets the clerk’s deadline. Within ten days after the filing, the clerk shall send the obligor, at the address given, a notice of the filing with a copy of the support order and a copy of the rule nisi — the order setting the matter down for hearing. The clerk must use certified or registered mail or statutory overnight delivery, with return receipt requested. The clerk also dockets the case and notifies the district attorney. The hearing itself is governed by § 19-11-80. The section was last amended in 2000.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need to register an out-of-state support order under URESA?
Four items, sent to the district attorney: three certified copies of the order with all modifications; one copy of the issuing state’s Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act; one copy of the law governing certification of orders in the certifying state; and a verified statement signed by you with the addresses, unpaid amount, property information and registration states the section requires.
What goes in the obligee’s statement for URESA registration?
The statement, verified and signed by the obligee, must show the obligee’s post office address; the obligor’s last known place of residence and post office address; the amount of support remaining unpaid; a description and the location of any of the obligor’s property available on execution; and a list of the states in which the order is registered.
How is the other parent notified of a URESA registration?
By the clerk, within ten days after the filing. The clerk must send the obligor, at the address given, a notice of the filing with a copy of the support order and a copy of the rule nisi setting the hearing. Delivery must be by certified or registered mail or statutory overnight delivery, return receipt requested.
Who files the registration papers with the court?
The district attorney. The obligee transmits the documents to the district attorney, and subsection (b) requires the district attorney to file them with the clerk of the superior court so a hearing can be set. The clerk then dockets the case and notifies the district attorney.
Is there a hearing before a URESA order is registered?
Yes. The clerk’s notice includes a rule nisi setting the matter down for hearing. Under § 19-11-80, the obligor may raise only the defenses available in an action to enforce a foreign money judgment, and the court’s order making the foreign order a Georgia order is what completes registration.
Amendment History
Laws 1979, p. 938, § 1; Laws 2000, p. 1589, § 4.