SB 525: Juvenile Code; recording of all proceedings under the juvenile code; require

Currently, Georgia law requires recording of juvenile court "proceedings" but the bill clarifies that requirement applies to all proceedings under the juvenile code, closing any ambiguity about which hearings must be recorded by stenographic notes or electronic means. The bill also adds new rights for people involved in juvenile court cases. Any party to a juvenile proceeding would have the right to get the full and complete record of that proceeding without having to ask a judge for an order allowing it. The Department of Human Services, when a juvenile court has allowed it to take part in a case, would get the same automatic right to the full record. These changes amend Code Sections 15-11-17 and 15-11-19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment.

• Expands the recording requirement in O.C.G.A. § 15-11-17 so that all proceedings under the juvenile code, not just some, must be recorded by stenographic notes or electronic means.
• Creates a new right in O.C.G.A. § 15-11-19 letting any party to a juvenile court proceeding obtain the full and complete record without seeking a court order.
• Gives the Department of Human Services the same right to the full record of any juvenile proceeding it has been allowed to participate in, without needing a court order.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these new recording and record-access rules.

Juvenile court judges and staff who must ensure recordings are made, children and families involved in juvenile court cases as parties, attorneys representing them, and the Department of Human Services when it participates in juvenile proceedings such as abuse or neglect cases.

Parents, children, and other parties in juvenile court would no longer need to petition a judge just to get a copy of the record of their own case, and the state's guarantee that all proceedings are recorded would create a clearer paper trail for appeals or later review.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-11-17(c) to require recording of 'all proceedings' under the juvenile code, replacing narrower language about 'proceedings.'
• Section 2 adds new subsection 15-11-19(c) giving any party the right to the full and complete record of a proceeding they were part of, with no court order required.
• Section 2 also adds subsection 15-11-19(d) giving the Department of Human Services the same no-order right to the full record when a court has allowed the department to participate.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no independent substantive effect.

1. 2026-02-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)Primary sponsor
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)

• juvenile court
• court records
• family law
• child welfare
• Department of Human Services