§ 19-11-82.Construction of article
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 2025 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-82
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 a savings clause. It says nothing in Article 2 shall be applied or construed to abrogate or limit two things. The first is the jurisdiction of a probate court or a superior court under Code Section 53-2-20 to resolve judicially the identity or interest of any heir in accordance with Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Title 53. The second is the effect of that court’s findings in such a proceeding under Code Section 53-2-26.
Support cases often touch on questions of parentage, and parentage can matter when someone dies and a court must decide who inherits. This section makes sure the support article doesn’t get in the way of that separate inheritance process or shrink the effect of what the heirship court decides. It doesn’t itself change who inherits; it only preserves the other court’s role.
The General Assembly added this section in 2025, effective July 1, 2025. The same words appear in § 19-11-192 for Article 3, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a child support case affect who inherits from a parent in Georgia?
This section says nothing in Article 2 limits a probate or superior court’s jurisdiction under § 53-2-20 to resolve judicially the identity or interest of any heir, or the effect of that court’s findings under § 53-2-26. The heirship court keeps its full role regardless of the support law.
Which courts decide heirship under this section?
A probate court or a superior court, acting under Code Section 53-2-20 to resolve judicially the identity or interest of any heir in accordance with Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Title 53. This section preserves that jurisdiction against any limiting reading of Article 2.
When did Georgia add this section?
In 2025. The credits show it was enacted that year, effective July 1, 2025. The same language appears in § 19-11-192 for Article 3, so both of Georgia’s interstate support articles carry it. The section belongs to Article 2, which otherwise applies only to proceedings pending before January 1, 1998.
Does this section change the rules of inheritance?
No. It is a savings clause. It says Article 2 shall not be applied or construed to abrogate or limit the heirship court’s jurisdiction or the effect of its findings. It doesn’t add or change any rule about who inherits.
Is there a matching rule in the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act?
Yes. Section 19-11-192 uses the same words for Article 3: nothing in that article limits a probate or superior court’s jurisdiction under § 53-2-20 to resolve the identity or interest of an heir, or the effect of its findings under § 53-2-26.
Amendment History
Laws 2025, Act 310, § 16, eff. July 1, 2025.