§ 19-6-23.Applicability of Code Section 19-6-18 or Code Sections 19-6-19 through 19-6-22 to judgments on or after March 9, 1955
Chapter 6. Alimony and Child Support · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 1979 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-6-23
Plain-English Summary
This short section sorts permanent alimony judgments by date. Section 19-6-18, or §§ 19-6-19 through 19-6-22, “as applicable,” apply to any judgment providing permanent alimony for support. Which of those applies turns on the date the judgment was entered: § 19-6-18 covers judgments entered before July 1, 1977, and § 19-6-19 covers those entered on or after that date.
The one exception is a judgment entered before March 9, 1955. For those, § 19-6-24 applies instead, and it allows revision only when all four of its conditions are met, including written consent by both parties and the approval of the judge of the court that entered the original judgment. Section 19-6-25 adds that once a pre-1955 judgment is revised, it can be revised again only on those same conditions. Read together, these sections create three periods: before March 9, 1955; from then until July 1, 1977; and on or after July 1, 1977.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Georgia alimony modification law applies to my judgment?
It depends on the date of the judgment. Under this section, § 19-6-18 or §§ 19-6-19 through 19-6-22 apply to permanent alimony judgments unless the judgment was entered before March 9, 1955, in which case § 19-6-24 applies. Section 19-6-18 reaches judgments before July 1, 1977, and § 19-6-19 reaches those on or after that date.
Can a permanent alimony judgment from before 1955 be modified in Georgia?
Only under § 19-6-24. That section allows revision of a pre-March 9, 1955 judgment for the support of a wife when all four of its conditions are met, including written consent by both parties and approval by the judge of the original court.
Why does the date of an alimony judgment matter in Georgia?
Because different statutes apply to different periods. This section draws the line at March 9, 1955: earlier judgments go to § 19-6-24, which allows revision only with both parties’ written consent and court approval, and later ones go to § 19-6-18 or §§ 19-6-19 through 19-6-22, as applicable. A second line at July 1, 1977 separates § 19-6-18 from § 19-6-19.
Does § 19-6-23 itself allow any changes to alimony?
Do these rules apply to lump-sum awards?
No. The revision procedures in § 19-6-18 and § 19-6-19 reach only permanent alimony ordered in weekly, monthly, annual or similar periodic payments. Sections 19-6-18(c) and 19-6-21 exclude awards made from the corpus of the paying party’s estate in place of periodic payments, so that kind of award can’t be revised through them.
Amendment History
Laws 1978, p. 2204, § 1; Laws 1979, p. 466, § 28.