---
title: O.C.G.A. § 31-3-12.1. Mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases services.
collection: code
id: 31-3-12.1
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 31-3-12.1 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/31-3-12.1
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/31-3-12.1.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/31-3-12.1/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t31-(v23)-2025-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=da7ded69_0#page=160
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 Session of the General Assembly of Georgia
heading_path: HEALTH / COUNTY BOARDS OF HEALTH
---

# O.C.G.A. § 31-3-12.1. Mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases services.

(a) In addition to any other power authorized by law, the county governing authority may authorize the county board of health to enter into a contract with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities or a community mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases service board created under Chapter 2 of Title 37 to provide certain mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases services based on the contractual agreement between the parties. In the event that the county governing authority exercises the authority granted by this subsection, the county board of health shall appoint a director for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases or a supervisor of the specific service which is being provided by the county board of health, whichever is applicable, who shall meet the requirements established by this subsection. The director for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases, or the service supervisor, shall not be required to be a physician and shall be a person other than the director of the county board of health appointed pursuant to Code Section 31-3-12. Further, such director for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases or such supervisor of the specific service shall report directly to the county board of health and shall have no formal reporting relationship with the director of the county board of health.

(b) Pursuant to subsection (e) of Code Section 37-2-6, a county governing authority may authorize the membership of a county board of health to serve as the membership of a community mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases service board, provided that the county governing authority, the county board of health, and any other affected county governing authority act pursuant to subsection (e) of Code Section 37-2-6. If the membership of a county board of health exercises the authority granted pursuant to this subsection and Chapter 2 of Title 37 to serve as the membership of a community service board, the membership of the county board of health shall constitute the membership of the community service board and, at any time that such members are exercising duties and powers related to mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases, the community service board shall be an independent agency and shall operate in accordance with the provisions of Title 37 as a community service board. Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, a community service board and a county board of health which have the same membership may contract with each other, provided that any such contract is approved by the department and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities prior to adoption.

## History

Code 1981, § 31-3-12.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 3; Ga. L. 1994, p. 437, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1324, § 1-3; Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 1/HB 1223; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 3-9/HB 228; Ga. L. 2024, p. 42, § 3/SB 293, effective July 1, 2024.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 18.1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to repeal any provision of Chapter 5 of Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the ‘Community Services Act for the Mentally Retarded.’”

Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 10/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or abate any right accrued or vested prior to July 1, 2006, or any action or proceeding commenced prior to July 1, 2006, under any law amended or repealed by this Act.”

Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 11/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall become effective July 1, 2006, except that those provisions which authorize community service boards to amend their bylaws and authorize county governing authorities to appoint no sooner than May 1, 2006, any community service board members to take office on July 1, 2006, shall become effective upon the approval of this Act by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.” This Act was approved by the Governor on April 21, 2006.

## Amendments

The 2024 amendment, effective July 1, 2024, substituted “Code Section 31-3-12” for “Code Section 31-3-11” at the end of the third sentence in subsection (a).