§ 19-13-78.Records classification; exemption as public records; disclosures
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 5. Family Justice Centers · Last amended 2026 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-78
Plain-English Summary
This section answers a hard question for Georgia’s Family Justice Centers: when government offices and private nonprofits share space and records, which records can the public get? It took effect July 1, 2026. The yardstick throughout is Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50, Georgia’s Open Records Act.
The basic rule is that working in a center doesn’t change an agency’s status. Records related to services a partner or participating agency provides within a center are not public records under the Open Records Act unless that agency would be subject to the Act anyway, apart from its participation in the center. A county, municipality or district attorney’s office running a center stays subject to the Act for records it creates or keeps, and the article neither expands nor limits any existing exemption. A private agency that isn’t otherwise subject to the Act keeps its center records confidential to the same extent as if it had provided the services outside the center.
Jointly created or kept records get special treatment. When a governmental entity and a nongovernmental partner share a record, it is subject to disclosure only to the extent the Open Records Act requires because of the governmental entity’s ownership, custody or control — and disclosure is limited to information that doesn’t compromise victim confidentiality or violate federal or state privacy laws.
Three guardrails close the section. It creates no new exemption for records otherwise subject to disclosure, it doesn’t stop a partner from voluntarily releasing its own records consistent with law and the victim’s consent, and it doesn’t limit the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s authority to require data reporting or compliance information from centers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Family Justice Center records public in Georgia?
It depends on who holds them. A partner or participating agency’s service records aren’t public records under the Open Records Act unless that agency is already subject to the Act. Records of a county, city or district attorney’s office running a center remain subject to disclosure under the Act.
Can a nonprofit at a Family Justice Center be forced to release records under the Open Records Act?
Not because of its participation in a center. If the nonprofit isn’t otherwise subject to Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50, its records from center services stay confidential to the same extent as if it had provided the services outside the center.
What happens to records shared by a government agency and a nonprofit at a Family Justice Center?
They are subject to disclosure only to the extent the Open Records Act requires based on the governmental entity’s ownership, custody or control of the record. Even then, disclosure is limited to information that doesn’t compromise victim confidentiality or violate federal or state privacy laws.
Does the Family Justice Center law create new open records exemptions?
No. The section says it creates no new exemption for records otherwise subject to disclosure under Georgia law. It also says that, for records of a county, municipality or district attorney’s office running a center, the article doesn’t expand or limit any existing exemption under the Open Records Act.
Can a Family Justice Center partner choose to release its own records?
Yes. Nothing in the section prevents a partner from voluntarily releasing its own records, so long as the release is consistent with law and with the victim’s consent. Victim consent matters here too: § 19-13-76 separately bars disclosing information a victim shares at a center without informed, written consent.
Amendment History
Laws 2026, Act 719, § 1, eff. July 1, 2026.