---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-21-54. Creation of claim for benefit of county against fine and bond forfeiture fund; priority of payment; rights of county to enforcement.
collection: code
id: 15-21-54
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-21-54 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21-54
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21-54.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21-54/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch12-24-(v13a)-2015-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=cbb30143_0#page=462
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21-53.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-21-55.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / PAYMENT AND DISPOSITION OF FINES AND FORFEITURES / LIMITATION PERIOD AND RULES FOR CLAIMS AGAINST FINE AND BOND FORFEITURE FUND
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-21-54. Creation of claim for benefit of county against fine and bond forfeiture fund; priority of payment; rights of county to enforcement.

In all criminal cases in which a county pays costs or fees to any officer of any court, the amount of the costs and fees so paid shall thereupon become a claim against the fine and bond forfeiture fund for the benefit of the county. The claim for the benefit of the county shall at all times take the same priority of payment as against the fine and bond forfeiture fund as though the claim or the costs and fees were still held by the officer who received the payment. Upon payment of the costs or fees, the county shall become subrogated to the rights of the officer regarding payment out of the fine and bond forfeiture fund, with all rights enjoyed by the officer to enforce same at any time.

## History

Ga. L. 1949, p. 1168, § 2D; Ga. L. 2015, p. 693, § 3-33/HB 233.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2015, p. 693, § 4-1/HB 233, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: ‘‘This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2015, and shall apply to seizures of property for forfeiture that occur on or after that date. Any such seizure that occurs before July 1, 2015, shall be governed by the statute in effect at the time of such seizure.’’

## Other Notes

The 2015 amendment, effective July 1, 2015, substituted ‘‘fine and bond forfeiture fund’’ for ‘‘fine and forfeiture fund’’ in three places in this Code section. See editor’s note for applicability.