Georgia Code
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 15-6-3. Terms of Court

The terms of court for the superior courts for each of the judicial circuits shall commence as follows:
provided, however, that if any term of court in the Alapaha Circuit begins on an official state holiday, the term of court shall commence on the following Tuesday; and if any other day within the term of court shall be an official state holiday, the court shall be closed for that holiday.

(2.1)
Appalachian Circuit:

Fulton County — First Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
Forsyth County — Second Monday in March, July, and November.

(5.1)
Bell-Forsyth Circuit:

Cherokee County — Second Monday in January, May, and September.
Clayton County — First Monday in February, May, August, and November.
Cobb County — Second Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November.

(11.1)
Columbia Circuit:

Columbia County —Fourth Monday in March and September.
Dougherty County — Second Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November.

(15.1)
Douglas Circuit:

Douglas County — Second Monday in April and October.
Chatham County — First Monday in March, June, September, and December.

(17.1)
Enotah Circuit:

Henry County — Fourth Monday in January, April, and October and second Monday in July.
Gwinnett County — First Monday in March, June, and December and second Monday in September.
Houston County — First Monday in January, April, July, and October.
Paulding County — Second Monday in January and July.

(31.1)
Paulding Circuit:

Rockdale County — First Monday in January, April, July, and October.

(32.1)
Rockdale Circuit:

Floyd County — Second Monday in January, March, July, and September and first Monday in May and November.
DeKalb County — First Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
provided, however, that in the Tallapoosa Circuit, if the Monday set for the term of court to begin is a legal holiday, the term of court shall commence on the Tuesday next following that Monday.

(40.1)
Towaliga Circuit:

provided, however, that the grand jury shall not be required to be impaneled on the first day of each new term but upon a date and time as scheduled by the court.
History. Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 15; Ga. L. 1982, p. 439, §§ 1, 5; Ga. L. 1982, p. 536, § 2; Ga. L. 1982, p. 546, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 3, § 12; Ga. L. 1983, p. 405, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 415, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 418, § 1; Ga. L. 1983, p. 761, § 4; Ga. L. 1984, p. 22, § 15; Ga. L. 1984, p. 331, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 351, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 439, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 440, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 498, § 1; Ga. L. 1985, p. 281, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 230, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1526, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 2, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 37, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 250, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 294, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 296, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 257, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 258, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 551, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 283, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 920, § 2; Ga. L. 1991, p. 372, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1786, § 4; Ga. L. 1993, p. 447, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 805, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 360, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 1052, § 1; Ga. L. 1996, p. 829, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 220, § 4; Ga. L. 1999, p. 67, § 15; Ga. L. 1999, p. 81, § 15; Ga. L. 1999, p. 158, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1242, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1312, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 405, § 3-4; Ga. L. 2002, p. 468, §§ 1, 3; Ga. L. 2006, p. 701, § 1/SB 264; Ga. L. 2006, p. 873, §§ 1, 2/HB 1496; Ga. L. 2006, p. 893, § 1/HB 1423; Ga. L. 2007, p. 47, § 15/SB 103; Ga. L. 2007, p. 89, § 1/SB 177; Ga. L. 2007, p. 278, § 1/HB 53; Ga. L. 2008, p. 324, § 15/SB 455; Ga. L. 2009, p. 847, § 1/HB 216; Ga. L. 2013, p. 570, § 3-1/HB 451; Ga. L. 2014, p. 482, § 1/SB 386; Ga. L. 2018, p. 231, § 1/HB 808; Ga. L. 2019, p. 313, § 1/HB 296; Ga. L. 2021, p. 5, § 4-3/SB 9.
The 2018 amendment, effective January 1, 2019, deleted “second Monday in” preceding “October” in subparagraph (41)(A); substituted “February and August” for “January and second Monday in September” in subparagraph (41)(B); in subparagraph (41)(C), substituted “Second” for “Fourth”, and substituted “August” for “September”; in subparagraph (41)(D), substituted “Second” for “Third”, and substituted “September” for “October”; substituted “Third Monday in March and September” for “First Monday in May and first Monday in December” in subparagraph (41)(E); substituted “Second Monday in April and October” for “First Monday in April and second Monday in November” in subparagraph (41)(F); and substituted “the grand jury shall not be required to be impaneled on the first day of each new term but upon a date and time as scheduled by the court” for “if any term of court in the Waycross Circuit begins on an official state holiday, the term of court shall commence on the following Tuesday; and if any other day within the term of court shall be an official state holiday, the court shall be closed for that holiday” in the proviso of the ending undesignated paragraph of paragraph (41).
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, substituted “Second Monday in January, April, and July, and first Monday in October” for “First Monday in May and November and second Monday in January and July” in subparagraph (26)(B).
The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, deleted former subparagraph (5)(B), which read: “Columbia County — Fourth Monday in March and September.”; redesignated former subparagraph (5)(C) as present subparagraph (5)(B); and added paragraph (11.1).
Code Commission notes.
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1998, paragraph (18.1) was redesignated as paragraph (5.1).
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1999, punctuation was revised in subparagraphs (29)(B) and (29)(C) and in subparagraph (40.1)(A).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 1999, p. 67, §§ 1-10, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for the creation of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit, for the offices of the judge and district attorney, for transfer of pending litigation from the superior courts of Butts, Lamar, and Monroe counties, and other similar matters.
Ga. L. 2002, p. 468, § 4, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “As Section 2 of this Act provides for the Tifton Judicial Circuit, the November, 2002, term of court in Irwin County shall continue until the second Monday in February, 2003; the December, 2002, term of court in Tift County shall continue until the second Monday in March 2003; the October, 2002, term of court in Turner County shall continue until the second Monday in April 2003; and the October, 2002, term of court in Worth County shall continue until the second Monday in January, 2003.” The reference to Section 2 of the Act should be to Section 3 of the Act.
Ga. L. 2021, p. 5, §§ 1-1 through 3-4/SB 9, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for creation of the Columbia Judicial Circuit, which circuit shall be composed of Columbia County, provided for the transfer of pending litigation from the Superior Court of Columbia County at such time as it was a part of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, and provided for terms, election of successors, powers, duties, dignities, jurisdiction, privileges, immunities, and other similar matters.