§ 19-11-81.Effect of registration of foreign support order
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 1979 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-81
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.
This section is the payoff of URESA registration. Upon registration, the registered foreign support order shall be treated in the same manner as a support order issued by a Georgia court. The section spells out what that means. The order has the same effect. It is subject to the same procedures, defenses and proceedings for modifying, vacating or staying as a Georgia support order. And it may be enforced and satisfied in the same way.
Registration happens under § 19-11-80, when the court enters an order making the foreign support order an order of Georgia’s courts. From then on, the person owed support can use the enforcement tools available for any Georgia order, and the payer can use the same procedures to seek changes.
This is a notable contrast with Article 3. Under § 19-11-162, a support order registered under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act is enforceable in the same manner as a Georgia order, but a Georgia tribunal may not modify it if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction, except as that part otherwise provides. Section 19-11-170 sets the narrow conditions for modifying another state’s child support order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after an out-of-state support order is registered in Georgia under URESA?
It is treated in the same manner as a support order issued by a Georgia court. It has the same effect, is subject to the same procedures, defenses and proceedings for modifying, vacating or staying, and may be enforced and satisfied in the same way as a Georgia support order.
Can a Georgia court modify a registered URESA order?
Under this section, a registered order is subject to the same proceedings for modifying as a Georgia support order. That differs from Article 3: under § 19-11-162, a Georgia tribunal may not modify an order registered under that article if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction, except as that part otherwise provides.
Can a registered URESA order be enforced with Georgia remedies?
Yes. The section says the registered order may be enforced and satisfied in like manner as a Georgia support order. Whatever enforcement tools apply to a Georgia support order apply to the registered one. Registration under § 19-11-80 makes the foreign order an order of the courts of Georgia.
Can the payer challenge a registered URESA order?
Yes, through the same channels available for a Georgia order. The registered order is subject to the same procedures, defenses and proceedings for modifying, vacating or staying as a support order of Georgia. Defenses at the registration hearing itself are limited under § 19-11-80.
How is registration different under the newer interstate support law?
Under Article 3, § 19-11-162 says an order is registered when filed in the registering tribunal and is enforceable like a Georgia order, but a Georgia tribunal may not modify it if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction, except as that part otherwise provides. Section 19-11-170 sets the conditions for modifying another state’s child support order.
Amendment History
Laws 1979, p. 938, § 1.