---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-9-16. Authority of retired judge to perform marriage ceremonies.
collection: code
id: 15-9-16
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-9-16 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-9-16
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-9-16.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-9-16/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=436
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/15-9.md
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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 / PROBATE COURTS / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-9-16. Authority of retired judge to perform marriage ceremonies.

A retired judge of a probate court of any county of this state shall be vested with the same authority as an active judge of this state for the purpose of performing marriage ceremonies.

## History

Code 1981, § 15-9-16, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 593, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 8, § 15; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 15; Ga. L. 2018, p. 356, § 1-16/SB 436.

The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, deleted the last sentence of this Code section, which read: ‘‘For purposes of this Code section, a retired judge of a probate court shall be one who has served as probate judge not less than 12 years.’’

## Law Reviews

For comment, ‘‘By the Power Vested in Me? Licensing Religious Officials to Solemnize Marriage in the Age of Same-Sex Marriage,’’ see 63 Emory L. J. 979 (2014).