Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Georgia

At a glance

Requirements one by one

File a verified petition in the resident county

An adult files in the superior court of the county where the adult lives. Georgia states no minimum residence period. The petition must explain the reason for the change fully and particularly and must be verified. See § 19-12-1(b).

Current DeKalb County forms ask for the resident county, year and place of birth, current and proposed names, reason, mailing address, and contact information. The verification is signed under oath before a notary. The statewide statute does not require a fingerprint card, FBI or state-police report, or general criminal- history disclosure, and the current DeKalb adult packet contains no such fields.

Start four-week publication within seven days

Unless the court grants the victim-confidentiality route, the petitioner must send notice to the county's legal organ within seven days after filing. The notice runs once a week for four consecutive weeks and identifies the current and proposed names, court, filing date, and right to object. Proof of publication must reach the court. See § 19-12-1(d).

The court acts after the 30-day waiting period

Once publication is proved and 30 days have passed from filing, the court proceeds at chambers on a date it chooses to hear and determine the adult petition under § 19-12-1(h)(1). Written objections are heard at chambers under § 19-12-2. DeKalb's current instructions tell the filer to schedule and attend the final hearing.

Chapter 12 does not create a categorical felony, incarceration, supervision, or registry bar. It does expressly withhold authorization for a change intended to defraud another person of a legal right. See § 19-12-4.

Family-violence and trafficking victims may seek a sealed route

A petitioner alleging family violence or human trafficking may ask to file the petition under seal. If the court finds that the petitioner is a qualifying victim, it may waive publication, keep the proceeding under seal, and decide the petition. The court may later unseal it or require a redacted public version. See § 19-12-1(c).

DeKalb's instructions also warn a family-violence victim not to put a shelter or confidential home address on the ordinary form. Current Chapter 12 does not create a separate name-change procedure based solely on gender identity.

Filing, publication, and certificate costs are separate

Fees are county-specific. DeKalb's currently linked schedule lists a $213 name-change filing fee and $60 for publication in the Champion. Its adult packet says an approved poverty affidavit waives the filing fee but not the newspaper charge. Confirm current amounts with the filing county.

After final judgment, the clerk must issue a sealed certificate of change on the petitioner's request and payment of the clerk fee. § 19-12-3(a) makes the certificate evidence of the facts it contains.

What trips people up

• The seven-day deadline is for arranging publication, not completing all four weeks. The notice still must run once weekly for four consecutive weeks.
• The 30 days and the publication proof are separate gates. Reaching day 30 is not enough if the four-week notice and proof are incomplete.
• A poverty affidavit does not pay the newspaper in DeKalb. Filing-fee relief and publication cost are handled separately.
• The safety route should be requested before publishing private details. A qualifying victim may seek sealing and a publication waiver under § 19-12-1(c).

Common questions

Do I need fingerprints or a criminal-background report?

Not under Georgia's current Chapter 12 or the current DeKalb adult packet. A filing county may require its own administrative forms, so use that court's live packet.

Is there always a newspaper notice?

Ordinarily yes. A court may waive publication when it finds that the petitioner qualifies as a victim of family violence or human trafficking under § 19-12-1(c).

How soon can the court decide the petition?

For an adult, the statutory hearing or chambers determination occurs after 30 days from filing, and publication must also be completed and proved.

Statutes and sources

• O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1(b), (d), and (h) — resident-county superior court, verified reasons, four-week notice, proof, and 30-day adult hearing; § 19-12-1(c) — sealed victim route and publication waiver. Official public code (accessed 2026-07-26).
• O.C.G.A. § 19-12-2 — hearing written objections at chambers; § 19-12-3 — post-order certificate and evidentiary effect; § 19-12-4 — fraudulent- intent limit. Official public code (accessed 2026-07-26).
• DeKalb County Superior Court adult packet — current local petition fields, notarized verification, publication workflow, hearing, poverty affidavit, and warning about confidential addresses. Official instructions (accessed 2026-07-26).
• DeKalb County Clerk fee schedule — $213 filing and $60 publication amounts. Official schedule (accessed 2026-07-26).