---
title: HB 681. Domestic relations; sealing of name change petitions upon request; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb681
cite_as: HB 681, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb681
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb681.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb681/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71002
date: 2025-03-03
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb682.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb681.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 681
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-27
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Jasmine Clark
  - Park Cannon
  - Karla Drenner
  - Imani Barnes
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB681/2025
upstream_id: 1987862
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - name change law
  - domestic violence protections
  - human trafficking victims
  - court records privacy
---

# HB 681. Domestic relations; sealing of name change petitions upon request; provide

## Text

House Bill 681
By: Representatives Clark of the 108th, Cannon of the 58th, Drenner of the 85th, and Barnes
of the 86th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 12 of Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to name
changes, so as to provide for the sealing of name change petitions upon request; to provide
for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 12 of Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to name changes,
is amended by revising subsections (a) and (c) of Code Section 19-12-1, relating to petition
for name change, request by victim of family violence or human trafficking, notice of filing,
and consent of minor's parents or guardian, as follows:
"(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Abandoned' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 15-11-2.
(2) 'Child' means an unemancipated individual who is under 18 years of age.
<del>(3) 'Family violence' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 19-13-1.
(4) 'Human trafficking' means an offense provided for under Code Section 16-5-46."
</del>
"(c)(1) When a name change is requested <del>by a petitioner who alleges to be a victim of
family violence or human trafficking,</del> such petitioner may petition the court to file his or
her petition to change his or her name under seal.
(2) If the court <del>determines that the petitioner is a victim of family violence or human
trafficking</del> <ins>authorizes that such petition be kept under seal,</ins> the court may issue an order
waiving the requirements of publication as set forth in subsection (d) of this Code section.
If the court determines that such filing shall be allowed to proceed under seal and
otherwise waives the other requirements of this Code section, it may hear and determine
all of the matters raised in such petition and render a final judgment thereon.
(3) After issuing an order under paragraph (2) of this subsection, the court may later
unseal a petition for name change or order the petitioner to file a redacted version of such
petition for the public record.
(4) <del>If the court determines that the petitioner is not a victim of family violence or human
trafficking, the</del> <ins>The</ins> underlying petition for name change shall not be heard until this Code
section has been complied with in full.
(5) The court shall retain all filings made under seal as part of the record."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 681 would change how Georgia courts handle requests to seal name change petitions filed by people who say they are victims of family violence or human trafficking.

### Plain-language summary

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1), someone changing their name who says they are a victim of family violence or human trafficking can ask a court to file that petition under seal, meaning it stays out of the public record. House Bill 681 rewrites part of that process.
The bill keeps the definitions of family violence, human trafficking, child, and abandoned used in the name-change law. It revises the procedure for sealing: if a court allows a petition to proceed under seal, the court may waive the normal public notice requirements and can later unseal the petition or require the petitioner to file a redacted version for the public record. The bill also states plainly that the underlying name change request cannot be heard until the sealing procedure has been fully followed, and requires courts to keep all sealed filings as part of the case record.

### What it does

- Keeps the existing definitions of family violence, human trafficking, child, and abandoned used in Georgia's name change law (O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1).
- Lets a court that allows a name change petition to be sealed also waive the normal requirement to publish notice of the filing.
- Adds a new provision letting the court later unseal a petition or order the petitioner to file a redacted (blacked-out) version for the public record.
- Requires courts to keep all documents filed under seal as part of the official case record.
- Restates that the underlying name change petition cannot be heard until the sealing procedure in the law has been fully carried out.

### Who it affects

People petitioning Georgia courts for a legal name change who say they are victims of family violence or human trafficking, the superior courts that process name change petitions, and members of the public or press who might otherwise view name change filings.

### Why it matters

For someone fleeing an abuser or a trafficker, keeping a name change filing out of public view can make it harder for the person they are avoiding to track their new legal name. The bill also gives courts a clear path to later unseal or redact those filings.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1, keeping definitions of 'abandoned,' 'child,' 'family violence,' and 'human trafficking.'
- Section 1 revises subsection (c)(2) to let a court waive publication requirements when it allows a petition to be sealed.
- A new subsection (c)(3) lets the court later unseal a petition for name change or order a redacted version to be filed for the public record.
- Subsection (c)(4) states that the underlying name change petition cannot be heard until the sealing procedure has been fully complied with.
- Subsection (c)(5) requires the court to retain all filings made under seal as part of the case record.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-27)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-03)
- Sponsors: Jasmine Clark, Park Cannon, Karla Drenner, Imani Barnes
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71002

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb681.md?full=1