Georgia Family Court: A Self-Represented Parent's Guide

Georgia family law is found in Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia. The state uses a best-interests standard and applies income shares guidelines for child support.

Family law in Georgia is set out mainly in the Georgia Code Title 19 - Domestic Relations. The legislature writes the substantive rules, including how custody is decided, how child support is set, and the grounds for divorce. The Georgia courts add the procedural rules that control filing, service, and hearings, and published appellate decisions explain how those statutes are applied. Georgia sets child support with the Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15.

Family cases in Georgia start at the trial-court level, where a judge, and in many places a magistrate or commissioner, hears filings, temporary motions, and trials under the Georgia Code Title 19 - Domestic Relations. Child support brought through the state program is handled by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS). Final orders can be appealed, but the appeals court gives strong weight to the trial judge's findings of fact.

These mechanics apply to most Georgia family cases no matter the subject. Getting them right is the difference between a case that moves forward and one that stalls. Where you file: Georgia family cases are filed with the court that covers where a parent or the child lives. The Georgia courts publish the forms and an e-filing portal online (see the official sources below). Cost to file: Divorce filing fee: ~$200-$250. If money is tight, ask the clerk for a fee waiver before you file. Financial disclosure: Georgia requires both parents to file a sworn financial statement of income, expenses, assets, and debts. The court cannot set support or divide property without it, and a missing or wrong one is a common reason a case is delayed. Mediation and ADR: Many Georgia courts ask parents to try mediation before a contested custody hearing. What is said in mediation is usually confidential and kept out of the trial. Child support basics: Georgia bases support on gross income using the Income Shares model. Parenting time can be a reason for the court to adjust the amount up or down. Changing an order later: Final orders bind both parents once entered. For child support, Georgia's general trigger to revisit the amount is: two-year minimum between modifications absent a substantial change in income, financial status, or needs of the child.

Common words you will see in Georgia family court filings and orders. Definitions are general and can vary by context. Legal and physical custody: The term Georgia uses for the legal and day-to-day care of a child after parents separate. The court decides it under the best interests of the child standard. Income Shares: Both parents' incomes are combined, and the guideline amount is split between them in proportion to what each one earns. Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS): The Georgia state child support program (its Title IV-D agency) that helps establish, collect, and enforce support, often at low or no cost. Financial affidavit / statement: A sworn list of your income, expenses, assets, and debts that the court needs before it can set support or divide property. Petitioner / Respondent: The parent who files the case is the petitioner; the parent who is served is the respondent. Modification: A request to change an existing order after a real change in circumstances. Georgia's child support trigger: two-year minimum between modifications absent a substantial change in income, financial status, or needs of the child. Contempt: A finding that a parent willfully broke a court order. Remedies can include make-up parenting time, fines, fees, and in serious cases jail. Income withholding: Automatic deduction of child support from the paying parent's wages, usually set up together with the support order.

Georgia courts hold parents without a lawyer to the same rules as attorneys, but real free help exists. The points below come up again and again.

Use the official Georgia court forms and self-help pages, not random templates from the internet, the clerk will reject an out-of-date or wrong form.

Georgia lists a self-help center and a forms library online (linked in the official sources below); start there before you pay anyone.

Budget for the Georgia filing fee and ask the court for a fee waiver up front if money is tight, the clerk has the form.

File your financial statement on time and make it accurate, many delays and contempt findings trace back to a missing or false one.

Email, texts, and social media posts are routinely used as evidence, assume anything you write could end up in front of the judge.

An agreement you put on the record in court is hard to undo later, so do not agree to terms you do not fully understand.

Check any fee, form, statute, or deadline against the current official version before you rely on it. These are the primary Georgia sources. Georgia Judicial Branch (georgiacourts.gov): The official Georgia courts website, with the court directory, rules of procedure, and e-filing. Georgia self-help center (georgialegalaid.org): Plain-language help, instructions, and forms for people handling a case without a lawyer. Georgia family law forms (georgiacourts.gov): The official forms library for divorce, custody, support, and fee waivers. Georgia e-filing portal (peachcourt.com): Where you file and track your documents online if your court accepts e-filing. Georgia Code Title 19 - Domestic Relations (law.justia.com): The statute that governs divorce, custody, and child support in Georgia. Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) (childsupport.georgia.gov): The state child support agency that establishes, collects, and enforces support orders.

Georgia courts apply state-specific statutes alongside several federal frameworks: the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) for interstate custody, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) for cross-state child support enforcement, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) for active-duty parents, and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) where applicable. Procedural details, including filing fees, mediation requirements, parenting class providers, and standing administrative orders, are set at the county level and change frequently.

Frequently asked questions

How is custody determined?

Georgia courts evaluate the best interests of the child, and children aged 14 or older may elect which parent to live with, subject to court approval.

How is child support calculated?

Georgia uses an income shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 that considers both parents' gross incomes and specific deductions.

What are the grounds for divorce?

Georgia allows no-fault divorce based on the marriage being irretrievably broken, plus 12 fault-based grounds.

Does Georgia require a parenting plan?

Yes. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-9-1, all custody cases involving minor children must include a parenting plan addressing decision-making, parenting time, and dispute resolution.

What are Georgia's residency requirements for divorce?

One spouse must have been a Georgia resident for at least six months before filing the divorce action under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2.