---
title: O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-21. Restrictions on use of terms in corporate, partnership, association, or business names.
collection: code
id: 43-10A-21
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-21 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-10A-21
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-10A-21.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-10A-21/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t43-ch1-32-(v30)-2022-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=921d056f_0#page=355
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: PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES / PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS / LICENSING PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 43-10A-21. Restrictions on use of terms in corporate, partnership, association, or business names.

(a) No corporation, partnership, association, or other business entity may use in its corporate, partnership, association, or business name any term or title restricted under subsection (a) of Code Section 43-10A-7 or the term “professional counseling,” “social work,” or “marriage and family therapy,” or any words, letters, titles, or figures indicating or implying that such entity or any of its employees, officers, or agents are practicing a specialty regulated under this article, unless each person practicing a specialty in that entity, except those persons exempt under paragraph (1), (4), (5), (6), (12), (14), or (15) of subsection (b) of Code Section 43-10A-7, is licensed under this article.

(b) Any corporation, partnership, association, or other business entity which violates subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500.00 nor more than $1,000.00 for each offense or by imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.

## History

Code 1981, § 43-7A-21, enacted by Ga. L. 1984, p. 1406, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1484, § 6; Ga. L. 1993, p. 330, § 7; Ga. L. 2021, p. 729, § 3/HB 395; Ga. L. 2022, p. 523, § 1/HB 972.

The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, substituted “this article” for “this chapter” twice in subsection (a).

The 2022 amendment, effective July 1, 2022, substituted “(12), (14), or (15)” for “(11), (13), or (14)” in subsection (a), and added “or by imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both” at the end of subsection (b).