---
title: O.C.G.A. § 9-16-18. Forfeited property vests in state at time conduct giving rise to forfeiture committed; release of property upon entry of judgment in favor of owner.
collection: code
id: 9-16-18
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 9-16-18 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-16-18
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-16-18.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/9-16-18/text
source_url: https://archive.org/download/gov.ga.ocga.2024/T09%20Ch12-16%20%28V7A%29%202015.pdf#page=468
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/9-16.md
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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 / UNIFORM CIVIL FORFEITURE PROCEDURE ACT
---

# O.C.G.A. § 9-16-18. Forfeited property vests in state at time conduct giving rise to forfeiture committed; release of property upon entry of judgment in favor of owner.

(a) All property declared to be forfeited vests in the state at the time of commission of the conduct giving rise to forfeiture together with the proceeds of the property after that time. Any property or proceeds transferred later to any person remain subject to forfeiture and thereafter shall be ordered to be forfeited unless the transferee claims and establishes in a hearing under this chapter that the transferee is a bona fide purchaser for value and the transferee’s interest is exempt under paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 9-16-17.

(b) On entry of judgment for a person claiming an interest in the property that is subject to a civil forfeiture proceeding, the court shall order that the property or interest in the property be released or delivered promptly to that person free of liens and encumbrances.

## History

Code 1981, § 9-16-18, enacted by Ga. L. 2015, p. 693, § 1-1/HB 233.