§ 19-13-23.Confidentiality of location of family violence shelter; exceptions
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 2. Family Violence Shelters · Last amended 1997 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-23
Plain-English Summary
A family violence shelter protects people partly by staying hidden. This section backs that up with criminal law. Any person who knowingly publishes, disseminates or otherwise discloses the location of a family violence shelter is guilty of a misdemeanor. The rule applies to “any person” — a resident, a relative, a neighbor or someone posting online — and it reaches every form of disclosure, not only publication in print.
Two limits narrow it. First, the disclosure must be knowing; an accidental slip is treated differently from a deliberate one, and whether a disclosure was knowing is a question for the court. Second, the section doesn’t apply to confidential communications between a client and his or her attorney, or to a publication, dissemination or disclosure the shelter’s director authorizes.
The attorney-client exception matters to people in shelters who are going through a protective-order, divorce or custody case. They can tell their own lawyer where they are without breaking this law. The section has not been amended since its 1997 enactment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to reveal the location of a domestic violence shelter in Georgia?
Yes, if it’s done knowingly. Any person who knowingly publishes, disseminates or otherwise discloses the location of a family violence shelter is guilty of a misdemeanor. The exceptions are confidential communications between a client and his or her attorney, and disclosures the shelter’s director authorizes.
Can I tell my lawyer where my shelter is?
Yes. This section doesn’t apply to confidential communications between a client and his or her attorney. That lets someone staying in a shelter talk freely with their own lawyer about a protective-order, divorce or custody case. Disclosures outside that confidential relationship need the shelter director’s authorization.
Is it a crime to post a shelter’s address online in Georgia?
It can be. The section covers anyone who knowingly publishes, disseminates or otherwise discloses the location of a family violence shelter, which is a misdemeanor. A disclosure the shelter’s director authorizes is exempt, as are confidential communications between a client and his or her attorney. Whether a post was a knowing disclosure is a question for the court.
Can a family violence shelter share its own location?
Yes, with the director’s approval. The section doesn’t apply to instances when the publication, dissemination or disclosure is authorized by the director of the shelter. That lets a shelter decide when, and to whom, its location may be shared. Anyone else who knowingly discloses the location without that authorization commits a misdemeanor.
What if someone reveals a shelter location by accident?
The crime requires a knowing disclosure. The section punishes a person who knowingly publishes, disseminates or otherwise discloses the location. Whether a particular disclosure was knowing depends on the facts, and that question is for prosecutors and the court. The exceptions for attorney-client communications and director-authorized disclosures apply either way.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1543, § 2.