---
title: O.C.G.A. § 9-11-3. Commencement of action; filing of civil case filing form.
collection: code
id: 9-11-3
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 9-11-3 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-11-3
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-11-3.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-11-3/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t9-ch11-(v7)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=d2c8b7bf_0#page=7
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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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CIVIL PRACTICE / CIVIL PRACTICE ACT / COMMENCEMENT OF ACTION AND SERVICE
---

# O.C.G.A. § 9-11-3. Commencement of action; filing of civil case filing form.

(a) A civil action is commenced by filing a complaint with the court.

(b) At the time of filing the complaint for a civil action in superior court or state court, the plaintiff shall file the appropriate civil case filing form with the clerk of the court. The form shall contain complete information and shall be substantially in the form prescribed by the Judicial Council of Georgia. The filing of the complaint shall not be delayed for the filing of the case filing form. If, after a civil action has been filed, the court presiding over the civil action decides that the civil case filing form has not been filed or has been filed incorrectly, the court shall require the plaintiff to file the civil case filing form or an amended form. In no case shall the failure to accurately complete the civil case filing form required by this Code section provide a basis to dismiss a civil action.

## History

Ga. L. 1966, p. 609, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 850, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 9; Ga. L. 2006, p. 648, § 1/HB 1195; Ga. L. 2017, p. 632, § 2-1/SB 132.

## Law Reviews

For note, “How to Fill a Procedural Loophole: Re-evaluating the Ragan and Walker Analysis in Light of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(M),” see 52 Ga. L. Rev. 581 (2018).

## Amendments

The 2017 amendment, effective January 1, 2018, substituted “by the Judicial Council of Georgia” for “in Code Section 9-11-133” at the end of the second sentence of subsection (b).