---
title: O.C.G.A. § 49-5-44. Penalties for unauthorized access to records; use of records in public and criminal proceedings.
collection: code
id: 49-5-44
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 49-5-44 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/49-5-44
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/49-5-44.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/49-5-44/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t49-t50-ch1-12-(v38)-2023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=60c992b5_0#page=310
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/49-5.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/49-5-43.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/49-5-45.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: SOCIAL SERVICES / PROGRAMS AND PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH / CHILD ABUSE RECORDS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 49-5-44. Penalties for unauthorized access to records; use of records in public and criminal proceedings.

(a) Any person who authorizes or permits any person or agency not listed in Code Section 49-5-41 to have access to such records concerning reports of child abuse declared confidential by Code Section 49-5-40 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) Any person who knowingly and under false pretense obtains or attempts to obtain records or reports of child abuse declared confidential by Code Section 49-5-40 or information contained therein except as authorized in this article or Code Section 19-7-5 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(c) Records made confidential by Code Section 49-5-40 and information obtained from such records shall not be made a part of any record which is open to the public except that:

(1) A district attorney may use and make public that record or information in the course of any criminal prosecution for any offense which constitutes or results from child abuse; and

(2) The parties in a civil action may use and make public that record or information in the course of a civil action for childhood sexual abuse, as such term is defined in Code Section 9-3-33.1.

## History

Ga. L. 1975, p. 1135, § 3; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1778, § 3; Ga. L. 2015, p. 689, § 6/HB 17.

## Law Reviews

For article, “Practical Challenges to Representing Unaccompanied Children Before the Atlanta Immigration Court,” see 22 Ga. St. Bar J. 35 (April 2017).