§ 19-9-132.Delegation to grandparent; delegation by deployed parents
Chapter 9. Child Custody Proceedings · Article 4. Power of Attorney for the Care of a Child · Last amended 2018 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-9-132
Plain-English Summary
Most powers of attorney under this article can’t last longer than one year; § 19-9-122 and § 19-9-130 both set that limit and point here for the exceptions. This section supplies two.
First, when a power of attorney hands caregiving authority to the child’s grandparent, it may have an unlimited duration. The statutory form in § 19-9-134 gives this as one of three duration choices: effective until the parent revokes it. An unlimited term doesn’t make the delegation permanent; the parent may still revoke it under § 19-9-130, and a court may terminate it. Section 19-9-133 separately preserves grandparent powers of attorney given before September 1, 2018, under the former law.
Second, a parent in military service may delegate caregiving authority for longer than one year if the parent is deployed as defined in § 19-9-6. That definition covers military service under orders to report for combat, contingency or peacekeeping operations, a remote tour, temporary duty or other service the parent must report to without family members, and it includes mobilization. The covered parents are members of the U.S. armed forces, including any reserve component; members of the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Public Health Service detailed for duty with the armed forces; and parents required to enter or serve in active military service under a call or order of the President, or to serve on state active duty. Even then, the delegation can’t exceed the term of deployment plus 30 days. The military rule yields where federal law on the armed forces limits it or conflicts with it. The section took effect September 1, 2018, and hasn’t been amended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a grandparent have power of attorney over a grandchild in Georgia?
As long as the parent wants. A power of attorney delegating caregiving authority to a grandparent may have an unlimited duration, and the statutory form lets the parent mark it effective until revoked. The parent can still revoke it in writing under § 19-9-130, and a court can terminate it.
Can a deployed parent sign a power of attorney for a child for longer than a year in Georgia?
Yes, if the parent is deployed as defined in § 19-9-6 and falls within the covered groups, such as members of the U.S. armed forces and their reserve components. The delegation may run longer than one year, but it may not exceed the term of deployment plus 30 days, and federal law on the armed forces can limit it.
Who counts as a military parent for this Georgia rule?
A member of the U.S. armed forces, including any reserve component; a member of the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Public Health Service detailed for duty with the armed forces; or a parent required to enter or serve in active military service under a call or order of the President, or to serve on state active duty. The parent must also be deployed as § 19-9-6 defines it.
What happens to the power of attorney when my deployment ends?
Its outer limit is the term of deployment plus 30 days, so a delegation that relies on this exception can’t run past that point. You can also end it sooner: § 19-9-130 lets the person who signed it revoke it in writing with notice to the agent, and the child must then be returned within 48 hours of the revocation being received.
Do aunts, uncles or other relatives get unlimited duration like grandparents?
Amendment History
Laws 2018, Act 285, § 2-2, eff. Sept. 1, 2018.