§ 19-13-14.Standards and requirements for course content; course operators; certification of programs; maintenance of list of certified programs

Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 1A. Family Violence Intervention · Last amended 2002 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-13-14 sets the framework for certifying Georgia family violence intervention programs: who writes the course standards, who may run a program, conflict-of-interest limits, the owner’s written commitments, discipline and appeals, and the public list of certified programs.

Full Text of § 19-13-14

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

(a) The commission and the department shall establish standards and requirements concerning the content of courses, including, but not limited to, duration of courses, qualifications of instructors, program and certification fees, attendance requirements, and examinations. In order to be certified, a program shall meet the standards established by the commission and the department.

(b) Programs may be operated by any individual, partnership, corporation, association, civic group, club, county, municipality, board of education, school, or college or any public, private, or governmental entity.

(c) No official or employee, or his or her spouse, of the department or the State Board of Pardons or Paroles shall own, operate, instruct at, or be employed by a program except as provided by Code Section 19-13-15.

(d) The department is responsible for establishing requirements for the certification of programs. An applicant must meet the certification requirements promulgated by the department through standards established by the commission and the department. No program shall be approved unless the owner of the program agrees in writing to submit reports as required in the rules and regulations of the department and to allow the examination and audit of the books, records, and financial statements of the program or its authorized agent. No program will be certified unless the owner of the program agrees in writing to pay to the state, for the costs of administration, a fee as established by the commission, provided that nothing in this Code section shall be construed so as to allow the department to retain any funds required by the Constitution of this state to be paid into the state treasury; and provided, further, that the department shall comply with all provisions of Part 1 of Article 4 of Chapter 12 of Title 45, the “Budget Act,” except Code Section 45-12-92, prior to expending any such miscellaneous funds. All programs operated by the department and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles shall be exempt from fee provisions relating to obtaining certification.

(e) The department has the authority to deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate under this article or to impose sanctions upon and discipline a program which is not complying with the rules and regulations set forth by the department. The department shall establish criteria to determine noncompliance with its rules and regulations, sanctions for noncompliance, and methods of appeal if certification is denied, suspended, or revoked.

(f) The department shall maintain a list of programs certified pursuant to this article and make the list available to the public and all courts.

End

Plain-English Summary

This is the core of Georgia’s program-certification law. The State Commission on Family Violence and the Department of Community Supervision set standards for course content, including how long courses last, instructor qualifications, program and certification fees, attendance requirements and examinations. To be certified, a program must meet those standards. Almost anyone may run a program: an individual, partnership, corporation, association, civic group, club, county, municipality, board of education, school or college, or any public, private or governmental entity.

There is a conflict-of-interest limit. No official or employee of the department or the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and no spouse of one, may own, operate, instruct at or work for a program, except as § 19-13-15 allows. The department sets the certification requirements. No program will be approved unless its owner agrees in writing to submit the reports the department’s rules require and to allow audits of its books, records and financial statements. No program will be certified unless the owner agrees in writing to pay the state a fee, set by the commission, for the costs of administration. The department must follow the state’s Budget Act — except § 45-12-92 — before spending those funds. Programs run by the department and the Board are exempt from the certification fee provisions.

The department may deny, suspend or revoke a certificate, or sanction and discipline a program that isn’t following its rules, and it must set criteria for noncompliance, the sanctions, and methods of appeal. Finally, the department must keep a list of certified programs and make it available to the public and all courts. This section has not been amended since its 2002 enactment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a certified family violence intervention program in Georgia?

The Department of Community Supervision must keep a list of programs certified under the article and make it available to the public and to all courts. Courts may also accept programs the department or the State Board of Pardons and Paroles runs, under § 19-13-15. A court order will say what kind of program satisfies it.

Who can run a family violence intervention program in Georgia?

Any individual, partnership, corporation, association, civic group, club, county, municipality, board of education, school or college, or any public, private or governmental entity — if the program meets the standards and the certification requirements. Employees and officials of the department and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and their spouses, are barred except as § 19-13-15 allows.

Can someone who works for the Department of Community Supervision run a private FVIP?

No. This section says no official or employee of the department or the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, or his or her spouse, may own, operate, instruct at or be employed by a program, except as provided by § 19-13-15. That section lets the department and the Board operate their own programs.

Can a family violence intervention program lose its certification in Georgia?

Yes. The department may deny, suspend or revoke a certificate, or impose sanctions on and discipline a program that isn’t complying with its rules. The department must set criteria for noncompliance, the sanctions, and methods of appeal when certification is denied, suspended or revoked.

What must a program owner agree to before certification in Georgia?

Two written commitments. The owner must agree in writing to submit the reports the department’s rules require and to allow examination and audit of the program’s books, records and financial statements. The owner must also agree in writing to pay the state a fee, set by the commission, for the costs of administration. Programs run by the department and the Board are exempt from the certification fee provisions.

Amendment History

Laws 2002, p. 1435, § 3.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: fvip certification requirements georgiacertified family violence intervention programs list georgiahow to start fvip georgiafvip standards georgiafvip revocation georgia