§ 19-13-52.Purpose of registry; maintenance; access to information; linking to National Crime Information Center Network
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 4. Protective Order Registry · Last amended 2015 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-52
Plain-English Summary
This section creates the Georgia Protective Order Registry and explains why it exists. The registry is a statewide, centralized database of protective orders. Its purpose is victim safety: it gives law enforcement officers, prosecuting attorneys and the courts access to protective orders from Georgia courts and foreign courts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they can enforce the orders and protect victims.
The Georgia Crime Information Center maintains the registry. The family violence commission (called here the Georgia Commission on Family Violence) may consult with the center about how well the registry is keeping victims safe. The registry must hold a complete and systematic record and index of all protective orders and every modification of them — amendments, dismissals and continuances, as § 19-13-51 defines that term. Law enforcement officers and the courts have access. Because § 19-13-51 defines “law enforcement officer” to include prosecuting attorneys, dispatchers and 9-1-1 operators, that access reaches beyond patrol officers.
The registry must also be linked to the National Crime Information Center Network, and orders and modifications entered in Georgia must be transmitted to that network immediately. That link is what lets an officer in another state find a Georgia order. Section 19-13-53 sets the deadlines for getting orders into the registry, and § 19-13-55 makes registry information confidential. The section was last amended in 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can police see my protective order at any time of day?
That is the registry’s purpose. It is meant to give law enforcement officers, prosecuting attorneys and the courts access to protective orders 24 hours of the day and seven days of the week, so an officer responding at night can confirm an order exists.
Will my Georgia protective order show up in other states?
The registry must be linked to the National Crime Information Center Network, and protective orders and modifications entered in Georgia’s registry must be transmitted to that network immediately. That national link is how officers outside Georgia can find the order.
Who keeps the Georgia protective order registry?
The Georgia Crime Information Center maintains it. The family violence commission, called the Georgia Commission on Family Violence in this section, may consult with the center about whether the registry is making victims safer. Under § 19-13-53, the center also must enter each order within 24 hours of receiving it.
Can the public search the Georgia protective order registry?
This section gives access to law enforcement officers and the courts, and it describes the registry as a tool for them and for prosecutors. It doesn’t open the registry to the public, and § 19-13-55 requires anyone who obtains registry information to keep it confidential except as the law authorizes.
Does the registry show if a protective order was dismissed or changed?
It should. The registry must include a complete and systematic record and index of all protective orders and their modifications, and § 19-13-51 defines a modification as any amendment, dismissal or continuance. Modifications entered in the registry must also be transmitted immediately to the National Crime Information Center Network.
Amendment History
Laws 2001, p. 101, § 1; Laws 2003, Act 63, § 1, eff. May 29, 2003; Laws 2015, Act 222, § 3, eff. July 1, 2015.