---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2. General jurisdiction; authority of magistrate to act.
collection: code
id: 15-10-2
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-10-2
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-10-2.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-10-2/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch1-11a-(v13)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=9c57686b_0#page=107
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
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current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / MAGISTRATE COURTS / GENERAL PROVISIONS
extraction_warnings:
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---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2. General jurisdiction; authority of magistrate to act.

(a) Each magistrate court and each magistrate thereof shall have jurisdiction and power over the following matters:

(1) The hearing of applications for and the issuance of arrest and search warrants;

(2) Issuance of warrants and related proceedings as provided in Article 4 of Chapter 6 of Title 17, relating to bonds for good behavior and bonds to keep the peace;

(3) The holding of courts of inquiry;

(4) The trial of charges of violations of county ordinances and penal ordinances of state authorities;

(5) The trial of civil claims including garnishment and attachment in which exclusive jurisdiction is not vested in the superior court and the amount demanded or the value of the property claimed does not exceed $15,000.00, provided that no prejudgment attachment may be granted;

(6) The issuance of summons, trial of issues, and issuance of writs and judgments in dispossessory proceedings and distress warrant proceedings as provided in Articles 3 and 4 of Chapter 7 of Title 44;

(7) The punishment of contempts by fine not exceeding $200.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding ten days or both;

(8) The administration of any oath which is not required by law to be administered by some other officer;

(9) The granting of bail in all cases where the granting of bail is not exclusively committed to some other court or officer;

(10) The issuing of subpoenas to compel attendance of witnesses in the magistrate court and subpoenas for the production of documentary evidence before the magistrate court;

(11) Such other matters as are committed to their jurisdiction by other general laws;

(12) The trial and sentencing of misdemeanor violations of Code Section 16-9-20, relating to criminal issuance of bad checks, as provided by Article 10 of this chapter;

(13) The execution or subscribing and the acceptance of written waivers of extradition in the same manner provided for in Code Section 17-13-46;

(14) The trial and sentencing of misdemeanor violations of other Code sections as provided by Article 13 of this chapter;

(15) The foreclosure of liens on animals as established in Title 4;

(16) The foreclosure of liens on abandoned mobile homes as established in Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 44;

(17) The foreclosure of liens on abandoned motor vehicles as established in Article 1A of Chapter 11 of Title 40, “The Abandoned Motor Vehicle Act”;

(18) The trial and sentencing of unlawful squatting violations as provided in Code Section 16-7-21.1; and

(19) Proceedings against intruders and unlawful squatting as provided in Code Sections 44-11-30, 44-11-31, 44-11-32, and 44-11-33.

(b) Each magistrate shall have authority to perform any judicial act which he or she is lawfully entitled to perform, regardless of where such magistrate is located when such judicial act is performed.

## History

Code 1981, § 15-10-2, enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 884, § 2-1; Ga. L. 1985, p. 1003, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 701, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 399, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 448, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 1032, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 320, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 338, § 1; Ga. L. 1999, p. 834, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1155, § 1; Ga. L. 2008, p. 324, § 15/SB 455; Ga. L. 2016, p. 178, § 8/SB 356; Ga. L. 2018, p. 666, § 2/HB 381; Ga. L. 2019, p. 872, § 1/HB 307; Ga. L. 2021, p. 423, § 1-5/HB 635; Ga. L. 2024, p. 400, § 2/HB 1017, effective April 24, 2024.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2024, p. 400, § 1/HB 1017, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Georgia Squatter Reform Act.’”

## Amendments

The 2021 amendment, effective May 4, 2021, designated the existing provisions of this Code section as subsection (a) and added subsection (b).

The 2024 amendment, effective April 24, 2024, deleted “and” from the end of paragraph (a)(16); substituted “Act’:” for “Act.’” at the end of paragraph (a)(17); and added paragraphs (a)(18) and (a)(19).