---
title: O.C.G.A. § 37-3-143. Patients’ rights in regard to personal effects; liability of facility’s employees and staff members for loss of or damage to patients’ personal effects.
collection: code
id: 37-3-143
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 37-3-143 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-3-143
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-3-143.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-3-143/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t37-t39-(v28)-2021-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=c6b9c518_0#page=199
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/37-3.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-3-142.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-3-144.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: MENTAL HEALTH / EXAMINATION, TREATMENT, ETC., FOR MENTAL ILLNESS / RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF PATIENTS, THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, ETC., GENERALLY / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 37-3-143. Patients’ rights in regard to personal effects; liability of facility’s employees and staff members for loss of or damage to patients’ personal effects.

A patient’s rights to his personal effects shall be respected. The chief medical officer may take temporary custody of such effects when required for medical reasons. The facility shall make reasonable efforts to assure the safety of the patient’s belongings, but no employee or staff member shall be responsible for loss of or damage to such property where reasonable safety precautions have been taken.

## History

Code 1933, § 88-502.6, enacted by Ga. L. 1969, p. 505, § 1; Code 1933, § 88-502.8, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 1789, § 1.