---
title: O.C.G.A. § 17-12-25. Salary of public defender; private practice prohibited.
collection: code
id: 17-12-25
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 17-12-25 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-12-25
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-12-25.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-12-25/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t17-(v15)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6c4dfdf8_0#page=156
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/17-12.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-12-24.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-12-25.1.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: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE / LEGAL DEFENSE FOR INDIGENTS / PUBLIC DEFENDERS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 17-12-25. Salary of public defender; private practice prohibited.

(a) Each circuit public defender shall receive an annual salary equal to the annual salary of a district attorney and shall receive any cost-of-living adjustments that may be given by the General Assembly in the General Appropriations Act for which district attorneys are eligible. Any increase granted pursuant to this subsection shall become effective at the same time that funds are made available for the increase for such employees. Each circuit public defender may also be entitled to an accountability court salary supplement as set forth in Code Section 17-12-25.1.

(b) The county or counties comprising the judicial circuit may supplement the salary of the circuit public defender in an amount as is or may be authorized by local Act or in an amount as may be determined by the governing authority of the county or counties, whichever is greater.

(c) No circuit public defender shall engage in the private practice of law for profit or serve concurrently in any judicial office.

## History

Code 1981, § 17-12-25, enacted by Ga. L. 2003, p. 191, § 1; Ga. L. 2004, Ex. Sess., p. ES3, § 18/HB 1EX; Ga. L. 2008, p. 846, § 32/HB 1245; Ga. L. 2009, p. 745, § 1/SB 97; Ga. L. 2012, p. 446, § 2-18/HB 642; Ga. L. 2015, p. 919, § 1-7/HB 279; Ga. L. 2022, p. 349, § 1/HB 1391.

## Amendments

The 2022 amendment, effective July 1, 2022, in subsection (a), rewrote the first sentence, which read: “Each circuit public defender shall receive an annual salary of $99,526.00, and cost-of-living adjustments may be given by the General Assembly in the General Appropriations Act by a percentage not to exceed the average percentage of the general increase in salary as may from time to time be granted to employees of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government; provided, however, that any increase for such circuit public defender shall not include within-grade step increases for which classified employees as defined by Code Section 45-20-2 are eligible.” and deleted the former third sentence, which read: “The Office of Planning and Budget shall calculate the average percentage increase.”