---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-8-1. City courts as courts of record.
collection: code
id: 15-8-1
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-8-1 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-8-1
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-8-1.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-8-1/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch1-11a-(v13)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=d8a8826c_0#page=410
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
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publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / CITY COURTS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-8-1. City courts as courts of record.

City courts created by special Act of the General Assembly shall be courts of record.

## History

Ga. L. 1924, p. 83, § 1; Code 1933, § 24-2204.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 1996, p. 627, effective July 1, 1996, re-creates a system of state courts of limited jurisdiction for each city having a population of 300,000 or more so as to give such courts jurisdiction to try offenses against certain traffic laws and ordinances.

Ga. L. 1998, p. 559, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, and effective April 2, 1998, provides for conditions for the appointment of judges pro hac vice for state courts of limited jurisdiction for cities of 300,000 population or more.

Ga. L. 1999, p. 830, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, and effective April 28, 1999, amends Ga. L. 1996, p. 627, § 3, and re-creates a system of state courts of limited jurisdiction and venue for each city having a population of 300,000 or more so as to give such courts jurisdiction to try offenses against certain traffic laws and ordinances.

Ga. L. 2004, p. 885, § 2, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: ‘‘On the effective date of this Act, all cases and matters pending in any court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall be transferred to the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located. The chief judge of such municipal court shall then transfer those cases over which the municipal court does not have jurisdiction to the appropriate court. All records, books, minutes, files, and documents relating to such cases or prior cases of the city court shall be likewise transferred. This Act shall be applicable only with an executed intergovernmental agreement between all affected jurisdictions.’’ This Act became effective January 1, 2005.

Ga. L. 2004, p. 885, § 3, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: ‘‘On the effective date of this Act, each judge of a court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall become a judge in the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located and shall be subject to retention until the expiration of the judge’s current term of office. On the effective date of this Act, each judge pro hac vice or senior judge of a court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall become a judge pro hac vice in the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located and shall retain such position until at least December 31, 2010.’’ This Act became effective January 1, 2005.