§ 19-3-41.Department of Public Health marriage manual; distribution; rules and regulations
Chapter 3. Marriage Generally · Article 2. License and Ceremony · Last amended 2011 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-3-41
Plain-English Summary
Every couple who receives a Georgia marriage license also receives a marriage manual. This section creates the manual and sets the rules for handing it out. The Department of Public Health prepares it, and the judge of the probate court or the judge’s clerk distributes it to all applicants for a marriage license.
The statute sets a floor for content, not a ceiling. The manual shall include, but is not limited to, material on family planning. Subsection (d) adds that, in order to be nonsectarian, the manual will include resource referral information for people who have questions about religious beliefs in the areas the manual covers. Rather than speak for any faith, the manual points readers to resources.
Timing differs from the other handouts in Chapter 3. The AIDS brochure under § 19-3-35.1 comes at the time of the application, but the marriage manual is issued at the same time the license is issued. The department shall adopt rules and regulations to carry out the section. The section was last amended in 2011, and it works alongside the sickle cell information in § 19-3-40 and the premarital fact sheet in § 19-3-41.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Georgia marriage manual?
It’s a booklet the Department of Public Health prepares for every couple applying for a marriage license. The section requires it to include material on family planning, and it may cover more. It also includes resource referral information for people with questions about religious beliefs in the areas the manual covers, so that the manual stays nonsectarian.
When do we receive the marriage manual?
When the license is issued. Subsection (b) says the probate judge or clerk shall issue the manual to applicants at the same time the marriage license is issued. That differs from the AIDS brochure and HIV test-site list under § 19-3-35.1, which applicants receive at the time they apply.
Does the marriage manual include family planning information?
Yes. The section says the manual shall include, but shall not be limited to, material on family planning. Family planning is the one subject subsection (a) names; subsection (d) adds referral information for religious questions. The Department of Public Health decides what else goes in, and it adopts rules and regulations to implement the section.
Is the Georgia marriage manual religious?
No. Subsection (d) says the manual is meant to be nonsectarian. Instead of taking a religious position, it includes resource referral information for anyone with questions about religious beliefs in the areas the manual covers. Couples who want faith-based guidance can use those referrals.
Who hands out the marriage manual?
The judge of the probate court or the judge’s clerk. Subsection (a) says the manual is for distribution by the probate judge or clerk to all applicants for a marriage license, and subsection (b) says the judge or clerk shall issue it at the same time as the license. Every couple who gets a license should receive one.
Amendment History
Laws 1973, p. 879, § 1; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 1-4, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2011, Act 244, § 6-3, eff. July 1, 2011.
Formerly Code 1933, § 53-201.1.