§ 19-13A-2.Jurisdiction
Chapter 13A. Dating Violence Protective Orders · Last amended 2021 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13A-2
Plain-English Summary
This section answers the first practical question in a dating-violence case: where do I file? The general rule is that the superior court of the county where the respondent — the person the order is sought against — lives has jurisdiction over all proceedings under Chapter 13A.
A different rule applies when the respondent doesn’t live in Georgia. Then the petitioner may go to the superior court in the county where the petitioner lives, or to the superior court where an act or injury involving dating violence allegedly occurred. That option is available only when the act or injury meets the personal-jurisdiction elements in paragraph (2) or (3) of Code Section 9-10-91, Georgia’s long-arm statute. Those paragraphs let a Georgia court reach a nonresident whose wrongful conduct is tied to Georgia; whether a particular act qualifies is for the judge to decide.
The section mirrors § 19-13-2, the jurisdiction rule for family-violence protective orders, except that it refers to an “act or injury” rather than only an act. The section gives these cases to the superior courts. The section has not been amended since it was enacted in 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I file a dating violence protective order in Georgia?
Usually in the superior court of the county where the respondent lives. If the respondent lives outside Georgia, you may file in the superior court where you live or where the dating violence allegedly happened, if the act or injury meets the personal-jurisdiction elements in paragraph (2) or (3) of § 9-10-91.
Can I get a Georgia protective order against someone who lives in another state?
Possibly. For a nonresident respondent, the superior court where you live or where the act or injury allegedly occurred has jurisdiction, but only when the act or injury meets the personal-jurisdiction elements in paragraph (2) or (3) of § 9-10-91, Georgia’s long-arm statute. The judge decides whether those elements are met.
Can I file a dating violence petition in my own county in Georgia?
Yes if the respondent lives in your county. Otherwise, only if the respondent doesn’t live in Georgia and the act or injury meets the personal-jurisdiction elements in paragraph (2) or (3) of § 9-10-91. When the respondent is a Georgia resident, the superior court of the respondent’s county has jurisdiction, even if you live in a different county.
Which court handles dating violence protective orders in Georgia?
The superior court. This section gives jurisdiction over all Chapter 13A proceedings to the superior court of the respondent’s county, or, for a nonresident respondent, to the superior court where the petitioner lives or where the act or injury allegedly occurred.
Is the filing rule for dating violence the same as for family violence in Georgia?
Nearly. Section 19-13-2 sets the same respondent’s-county rule and the same nonresident option for family-violence cases. The dating-violence version speaks of an “act or injury” rather than an act alone, so a nonresident respondent may be reached where the injury occurred as well as where the act occurred, if the long-arm elements are met.
Amendment History
Laws 2021, Act 273, § 2, eff. July 1, 2021.