2025 Code of Georgia
Title 53 - Wills, Trusts, and Administration of Estates (Chs. 1 — 17)
Chapter 3 - Year’s Support (§§ 53-3-1 — 53-3-21)

Annotations

Notes

This chapter was effective January 1, 1998, to the extent that no vested rights of title, year’s support, succession, or inheritance are impaired, as provided by the version of Code Section 53-1-1 enacted by Ga. L. 1996, p. 504, § 10, as amended by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1352, § 1.

Ga. L. 1996, p. 504, § 10, effective January 1, 1998, repealed the Code sections formerly codified at this chapter, and enacted the current chapter. The former chapter consisted of §§ 53-3-1 through 53-3-80, and was based on Laws 1792, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 307; Laws 1805, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 283; Laws 1807, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, pp. 315, 1129; Laws 1810, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, pp. 284, 316; Laws 1838, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 285; Laws 1845, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, p. 348; Ga. L. 1855-56, p. 233, § 14; Ga. L. 1859, p. 33, §§ 3-5; Orig. Code 1863, §§ 2390-2404, 2406, 2448, 2449; Ga. L. 1866, p. 66, § 1; Code 1868, §§ 2386-2400, 2402, 2444, 2445; Code 1873, §§ 2421-2435, 2437, 2480, 2481; Ga. L. 1878-79, p. 146, § 1; Code 1882, §§ 2421-2426, 2428-2435a, 2437, 2480; Ga. L. 1894, p. 102, §§ 1, 4-9; Civil Code 1895, §§ 3279-3292, 3294, 3296-3306, 3350, 3351; Ga. L. 1908, p. 85, §§ 1, 2; Civil Code 1910, §§ 3853-3866, 3868, 3870-3882, 3926, 3927; Code 1933, §§ 113-601 through 113-618, 113-620.1, 113-701 through 113-710; Ga. L. 1943, p. 423, § 1; Ga. L. 1945, p. 142, § 2; Ga. L. 1945, p. 401, § 1; Ga. L. 1946, p. 83, § 1; Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 535, § 1; Ga. L. 1955, p. 217, § 1; Ga. L. 1958, p. 657, §§ 4-9; Ga. L. 1959, p. 136, §§ 2-4; Ga. L. 1961, p. 558, §§ 1, 3, 4; Ga. L. 1966, p. 455, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1967, p. 28, §§ 1-5; Ga. L. 1975, p. 764, § 1; Ga. L. 1976, p. 640, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 1605, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 511, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 658, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 681, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 834, §§ 3, 4; Ga. L. 1985, p. 149, § 53; Ga. L. 1985, p. 1650, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1986, p. 436, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 982, §§ 18, 19; Ga. L. 1990, p. 350, § 1.1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 394, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1081, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 10, § 53.

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

In light of the similarity of the statutory provisions, decisions under former O. C. G. A. T. 53, Ch. 5 are included in the annotations for this Code section.

Former O. C. G. A. T. 53, Ch. 5 was not unconstitutional, since a 1979 amendment to this chapter removed gender classification for year’s support eligibility, and since the year’s support statute when first adopted was not violative of the Constitution under court interpretations of that period. Adams v. Adams, 249 Ga. 477, 291 S. E.2d 518, 1982 Ga. LEXIS 1149 (1982) (decided under former O. C. G. A. Ch. 5, T. 53).

O. C. G. A. § 9-11-55(a), a provision of the Civil Practice Act regarding the opening of default judgments, governs an application for year’s support and caveat filed in probate court. Greene v. Woodard, 198 Ga. App. 427, 401 S. E.2d 617, 1991 Ga. App. LEXIS 69 (1991) (decided under former O. C. G. A. Ch. 5, T. 53).

Research References & Practice Aids

Prosecution by surviving spouse, children, and others of action concerning chose in action assigned by deceased plaintiff to spouse, children, and others as part of year’s support, § 9-2-30.

For annual survey of law of wills, trusts, and administration of estates, see 38 Mercer L. Rev. 417 (1986).

For note, “Determining Eligibility for Year’s Support in Georgia: The Tension Between Status and Dependence Requirements,” see 22 Ga. L. Rev. 1167 (1988).

For annual survey of wills, trusts, and administration of estates law, see 41 Mercer L. Rev. 411 (1989).

O. C. G. A. Title 53