§ 19-9-20.Short title

Chapter 9. Child Custody Proceedings · Article 2. Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act · Last amended 1978 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-9-20 names Article 2 of Georgia’s custody chapter the “Georgia Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act of 1978,” the law governing where within Georgia custody change cases are filed and when a party may bring them.

Full Text of § 19-9-20

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This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Georgia Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act of 1978.”

End

Plain-English Summary

This section gives Article 2 of Chapter 9 its official name: the “Georgia Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act of 1978.” The word “intrastate” is the key. This act deals with conflicts among courts inside Georgia — which county’s court hears a custody case — not with disputes between states, which the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act in Article 3 (beginning at § 19-9-40) handles.

The act is short. Section 19-9-21 states its purposes, such as stopping children from being shifted from county to county by competing courts. Section 19-9-22 defines legal and physical custody. Section 19-9-23 sets how and where a complaint to change custody must be filed and bars using habeas corpus to change custody. Section 19-9-24 keeps a party who is defying a custody order from suing the other party while the violation continues.

The act dates from 1978, and this section has not been amended since.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Georgia Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act?

It is the name of Article 2 of Chapter 9, Sections 19-9-20 through 19-9-24. Enacted in 1978, it governs custody disputes among courts within Georgia — for example, how a complaint to change custody is filed — rather than disputes between Georgia and other states.

What is the difference between the intrastate act and the UCCJEA in Georgia?

The intrastate act (Article 2) deals with which Georgia court handles a custody matter and limits on certain custody actions within the state. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (Article 3, starting at § 19-9-40) decides whether Georgia or another state, or a foreign country, has jurisdiction over a custody case.

Which Georgia sections make up the Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act?

Five sections: § 19-9-20 (the name), § 19-9-21 (purposes), § 19-9-22 (definitions of legal and physical custody), § 19-9-23 (how a change-of-custody complaint is brought) and § 19-9-24 (limits on actions by a custodian who is violating a custody order).

When was the Georgia Child Custody Intrastate Jurisdiction Act passed?

In 1978, as its name says. This section, which gives the act its title, comes from the 1978 law and has not been amended. Other sections in the act, such as § 19-9-22 and § 19-9-23, were amended in 2019.

Does the intrastate act apply if my ex lives in another state?

Not to the question of which state hears the case. The intrastate act concerns courts within Georgia. When more than one state is involved, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act in Article 3, beginning at § 19-9-40, decides which state’s courts have jurisdiction.

Amendment History

Laws 1978, p. 1957, § 1.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: georgia child custody intrastate jurisdiction actintrastate custody jurisdiction georgiacustody venue county georgiageorgia custody act 1978