§ 19-9-102.Application
Chapter 9. Child Custody Proceedings · Article 3. Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act · Part 4. Construction · Last amended 2001 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-9-102
Plain-English Summary
Georgia’s UCCJEA replaced an earlier set of custody jurisdiction rules. Any time a new law replaces an old one, someone has to decide what happens to cases already under way. This section answers that question.
It applies to a child custody proceeding, or a proceeding to enforce a child custody determination, that was commenced before July 1, 2001. In those cases, a motion or other request for relief is governed by the law in effect at the time the motion or request was made. The rule looks at each request on its own date rather than at the date the case began.
So a request made in one of those older cases before July 1, 2001, stays under the law then in effect. Cases begun on or after that date fall under the Act from the start. With more than two decades gone, this section rarely matters now, but it can still come up when someone revisits a long-running case or an old order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the UCCJEA apply to custody cases filed before July 1, 2001?
It depends on when the particular request was made. For a custody or enforcement proceeding commenced before July 1, 2001, each motion or other request for relief is governed by the law in effect at the time that motion or request was made. The section ties the governing law to the date of the request, not the date the case started.
What date matters for old custody cases under Georgia’s UCCJEA?
July 1, 2001. This section uses that date as the dividing line. In a custody or enforcement proceeding commenced before July 1, 2001, each motion or other request for relief is judged under the law in effect when that request was made.
Which law governs an old custody case still active in Georgia?
For a proceeding commenced before July 1, 2001, look at the date of the specific motion or request. The law in effect at the time the motion or other request was made governs it. Proceedings commenced on or after that date are governed by the Act.
Does this transition rule cover enforcement cases too?
Yes. It applies to a motion or other request for relief made in a child custody proceeding or in a proceeding to enforce a child custody determination, as long as the proceeding was commenced before July 1, 2001. Each request is governed by the law in effect when it was made.
Is this section still relevant today?
Rarely. It governs only proceedings commenced before July 1, 2001, and each request in them is judged by the law in effect when it was made. Almost every custody case now pending began long after that date, so the Act governs directly.
Amendment History
Laws 2001, p. 129, § 1.