---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-12-74. Grand jury presentment of offenses; publication or filing of findings.
collection: code
id: 15-12-74
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-12-74 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-74
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-74.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-74/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch12-25-(v13a)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=487ea255_0#page=17
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: COURTS / JURIES / GRAND JURIES / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-12-74. Grand jury presentment of offenses; publication or filing of findings.

(a) Grand jurors have a duty to examine or make presentments of such offenses as may or shall come to their knowledge or observation after they have been sworn. Additionally, they have the right and power and it is their duty as jurors to make presentments of any violations of the laws which they may know to have been committed at any previous time which are not barred by the statute of limitations.

(b) If a true bill is returned by the grand jury on any count of an indictment or special presentment, the indictment or special presentment shall be published in open court. If a no bill is returned by the grand jury on all counts of an indictment or special presentment, the prosecuting attorney shall file such indictment or special presentment with the clerk.

## History

Laws 1829, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 553.; Code 1863, § 3828; Code 1868, § 3849; Code 1873, § 3917; Code 1882, § 4709; Penal Code 1895, § 830; Penal Code 1910, § 834; Code 1933, § 59-304; Ga. L. 2016, p. 186, § 2/HB 941.

## Law Reviews

For article on the 2016 amendment of this Code section, see 33 Georgia St. U. L. Rev. 79 (2016).

## Amendments

The 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, designated the existing provisions of this Code section as subsection (a) and added subsection (b).