---
title: O.C.G.A. § 13-2-3. Ascertainment and enforcement of intention of parties generally.
collection: code
id: 13-2-3
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 13-2-3 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/13-2-3
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/13-2-3.md
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date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
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current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CONTRACTS / CONSTRUCTION
---

# O.C.G.A. § 13-2-3. Ascertainment and enforcement of intention of parties generally.

The cardinal rule of construction is to ascertain the intention of the parties. If that intention is clear and it contravenes no rule of law and sufficient words are used to arrive at the intention, it shall be enforced irrespective of all technical or arbitrary rules of construction.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 2719; Code 1868, § 2713; Code 1873, § 2755; Code 1882, § 2755; Civil Code 1895, § 3673; Civil Code 1910, § 4266; Code 1933, § 20-702.

## Law Reviews

For article, ‘‘Limitations on the Meaning and Impact of DeGarmo v. DeGarmo,’’ see 4 Ga. St. B.J. 20 (1998).

For comment advocating liberal construction of indefinite employment contract, in light of Gray v. Aiken, 205 Ga. 649, 54 S.E.2d 587 (1949), see 1 Mercer L. Rev. 304 (1950). For comment on Rose City Foods, Inc. v. Bank of Thomas County, 207 Ga. 477, 62 S.E.2d 145 (1950), see 13 Ga. B.J. 471 (1951).