§ 19-13-51.Definitions

Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 4. Protective Order Registry · Last amended 2025 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-13-51 defines the terms used in Georgia’s Protective Order Registry Act, including which orders count as “protective orders,” what a foreign protective order is, and who counts as a court or law enforcement officer.

Full Text of § 19-13-51

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As used in this article, the term:

(1) “Court” means judges in the classes of courts identified in Title 15, military judges as defined in Code Section 38-2-1001, and any other person while acting as such a judge pursuant to designation as otherwise authorized by law.

(2) “Foreign court” means a court of competent jurisdiction in any state other than this state or any territory or tribal jurisdiction in the United States.

(3) “Foreign protective order” means any temporary order of protection, order of protection, restraining order, injunction, pretrial release order, or sentencing order that prohibits contact, acts of family violence, or stalking issued by a foreign court.

(4) “Law enforcement officer” means any agent or officer of this state, or a political subdivision or municipality thereof, who, as a full-time or part-time employee, is vested either expressly by law or by virtue of public employment or service with authority to enforce the criminal or traffic laws and whose duties include the preservation of public order, the protection of life and property, or the prevention, detection, or investigation of crime. Such term also includes a state or local officer, law enforcement officer of the organized militia as defined in Code Section 38-2-1001, sheriff, deputy sheriff, dispatcher, 9-1-1 operator, police officer, prosecuting attorney, member of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, hearing officer of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and community supervision officer of the Department of Community Supervision.

(5) “Modification” means any amendment, dismissal, or continuance.

(6) “Prosecuting attorney” means each attorney elected to represent a judicial circuit in this state and any assistant or deputy district attorney, or solicitor, in each judicial circuit in this state.

(7) “Protective order” means:

(A) An ex parte, temporary, six-month, permanent, restraining, pretrial release, or sentencing order issued by a judge in this state that prohibits contact or that is pursuant to Article 7 of Chapter 5 of Title 16 or this chapter or a protective order or consent agreement issued by a military judge pursuant to Code Section 38-2-1006.1; and

(B) A foreign protective order.

(8) “Registry” means the Georgia Protective Order Registry.

End

Plain-English Summary

This definitions section decides what goes into the Georgia Protective Order Registry and who uses it. The most important term is “protective order.” It covers any ex parte, temporary, six-month, permanent, restraining, pretrial release or sentencing order issued by a judge in Georgia that prohibits contact, or that is issued under Article 7 of Chapter 5 of Title 16 or under the family violence chapter. It also covers protective orders and consent agreements issued by military judges under Code Section 38-2-1006.1, and every foreign protective order.

A “foreign protective order” is a temporary order of protection, order of protection, restraining order, injunction, pretrial release order or sentencing order that prohibits contact, acts of family violence or stalking, issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in another state or in any U.S. territory or tribal jurisdiction. A “modification” is any amendment, dismissal or continuance of an order — which matters because the registry tracks those changes too.

“Court” means judges in the classes of courts identified in Title 15, military judges, and anyone acting as a judge under a lawful designation. “Law enforcement officer” reaches well past police: it includes sheriffs and deputies, officers of the organized militia, dispatchers, 9-1-1 operators, prosecuting attorneys, members and hearing officers of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and community supervision officers. “Prosecuting attorney” means elected district attorneys and their assistants or deputies, and solicitors. “Registry” means the Georgia Protective Order Registry. The section was last amended in 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a protective order in Georgia’s registry?

Any ex parte, temporary, six-month, permanent, restraining, pretrial release or sentencing order from a Georgia judge that prohibits contact or is issued under Article 7 of Chapter 5 of Title 16 or the family violence chapter. Protective orders and consent agreements from military judges under Code Section 38-2-1006.1 count, and so do foreign protective orders from other states, territories and tribal courts.

Is a bond condition or no-contact order from a criminal case a protective order?

It can be. The definition includes pretrial release and sentencing orders issued by a Georgia judge that prohibit contact. So a no-contact condition in a criminal case can qualify for the registry, not only orders from a civil family violence petition.

What is a foreign protective order in Georgia?

It is a protective order from a court outside Georgia — another state, a U.S. territory or a tribal jurisdiction. It can be a temporary order of protection, order of protection, restraining order, injunction, pretrial release order or sentencing order, so long as it prohibits contact, acts of family violence or stalking.

Are 9-1-1 dispatchers considered law enforcement officers under the registry law?

Yes, for this article. The definition expressly includes dispatchers and 9-1-1 operators, along with sheriffs, deputies, police officers, prosecuting attorneys, members and hearing officers of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and community supervision officers. That broad definition matters because § 19-13-52 gives law enforcement officers access to the registry.

Does dismissing a protective order count as a modification?

Yes. A “modification” means any amendment, dismissal or continuance. Under §§ 19-13-52 and 19-13-53, the registry must hold a record of modifications, and the clerk must send them to the registry the same way as the original orders. So a dismissal or continuance of an order should show up in the registry too.

Amendment History

Laws 2001, p. 101, § 1; Laws 2005, Act 134, § 2, eff. July 1, 2005; Laws 2015, Act 73, § 5-50, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2015, Act 222, § 2, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2025, Act 130, § 1, eff. July 1, 2025.

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

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