---
title: O.C.G.A. § 19-11-126. Support enforcement agency’s services; determining controlling order; foreign currency conversion; enforcement of support order and income withholding order of another state; absence of fiduciary relationship.
collection: code
id: 19-11-126
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 19-11-126 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/19-11-126
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/19-11-126.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/19-11-126/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t18-t19-(v16)-2022-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=b0848ebd_0#page=1237
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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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: DOMESTIC RELATIONS / ENFORCEMENT OF DUTY OF SUPPORT / UNIFORM INTERSTATE FAMILY SUPPORT ACT / CIVIL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 19-11-126. Support enforcement agency’s services; determining controlling order; foreign currency conversion; enforcement of support order and income withholding order of another state; absence of fiduciary relationship.

(a) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this article.

(b) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall:

(1) Take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of Georgia, another state, or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent;

(2) Request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;

(3) Make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;

(4) Within five days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of a written notice in a record from an initiating, responding, or registering tribunal, send a copy of the notice to the petitioner or other appropriate agency;

(5) Within five days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of a written communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent’s attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and

(6) Notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.

(c) A support enforcement agency of this state that requests registration of a child support order in this state for enforcement or for modification shall make reasonable efforts:

(1) To ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or

(2) If two or more child support orders exist and the identity of the controlling order has not been determined, to ensure that a request for such a determination is made in a tribunal having jurisdiction to do so.

(d) A support enforcement agency of this state that requests registration and enforcement of a support order, arrears, or judgment stated in a foreign currency shall convert the amounts stated in the foreign currency into the equivalent amounts in dollars under the applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported.

(e) A support enforcement agency of this state shall issue or request a tribunal of Georgia to issue a child support order and an income withholding order that redirect payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state pursuant to Code Section 19-11-138.

(f) This article does not create a relationship of attorney-client or other fiduciary relationship between a support enforcement agency or the attorney for the agency and the individual being assisted by the agency.

## History

Code 1981, § 19-11-126, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Ga. L. 2013, p. 705, § 1/SB 193.