privateadoption.orgState overview
Georgia
A few of the basics in Georgia, in plain words. Tap a card to read it in full with its official source.
The petitioner must be a bona fide Georgia resident when the petition is filed, or a bona fide resident of the receiving state when the child was born in Georgia or lived in Georgia at placement and was placed in compliance with the ICPC. A nonresident is deemed to comply if the compact does not apply under Article VIII or the petitioner lives in another country.
O.C.G.A. 19-8-3(a)(3) (Official code, LexisNexis free public access) · as of 2026-10-21
The court's agent may be the department, a child-placing agency, an evaluator, or an individual the court finds qualified. The petitioner may suggest qualified individuals or agencies and pays for the investigation, which is capped at $250 unless the court authorizes more after written notice. When placement comes before the home study, the petitioner names the evaluator who will do it.
O.C.G.A. 19-8-16(a),(e); 19-8-5(l) (Official code, LexisNexis free public access) · as of 2026-10-21
The Department of Human Services keeps a putative father registry. It records the name, address and social security number of a man who claims to be the biological father but not the legal father of a child. He may register to acknowledge paternity in a signed writing (before or after birth), or to indicate possible paternity without acknowledging it. Registrants are told that registering alone does not let them stop an adoption by objecting. The department, a licensed child-placing agency, or a Georgia attorney may request a certificate, which is issued within two business days for a $10 fee.
O.C.G.A. 19-11-9(d),(e)(2),(f) (Official code, LexisNexis free public access) · as of 2026-10-21
Superior courts hear all adoptions. The petition is filed in the county where a petitioner lives; for good cause the court may allow the county of the child's domicile, of an agency with legal custody, of the department office with custody, or of birth (if filed within a year of birth). When a child is placed with an out-of-state family in compliance with the ICPC, the petition is filed where the child was born or lived at placement, where the agency with custody is located, or in Fulton County Superior Court.
O.C.G.A. 19-8-2 (Official code, LexisNexis free public access) · as of 2026-10-21
Who to ask
These entries describe what Georgia law and agencies say. For what they mean for your family, ask an adoption attorney licensed in Georgia.
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