{"data":{"id":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-11-9-516","jurisdiction":"us-ga","citation":"O.C.G.A. § 11-9-516","heading":"What constitutes filing; effectiveness of filing.","body":"(a) What constitutes filing. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, communication of a record to a filing office and tender of the filing fee or acceptance of the record by the filing office constitutes filing.\n(b) Refusal to accept record; filing does not occur. Filing does not occur with respect to a record that a filing office refuses to accept because:\n(1) The record is not communicated by a method or medium of communication authorized by the filing office;\n(2) An amount equal to or greater than the applicable filing fee is not tendered;\n(3) The authority is unable to index the record because:\n(A) In the case of an initial financing statement, the record does not provide a name for the debtor;\n(B) In the case of an amendment or information statement, the record:\n(i) Does not identify the initial financing statement as required by Code Section 11-9-512 or 11-9-518, as applicable;\n(ii) Identifies an initial financing statement whose effectiveness has lapsed under Code Section 11-9-515;\n(iii) Identifies more than one initial financing statement; or\n(iv) Indicates that it is presented to accomplish more than one action, such as amendment and continuation;\n(C) In the case of an initial financing statement that provides the name of a debtor identified as an individual or an amendment that provides a name of a debtor identified as an individual which was not previously provided in the financing statement to which the record relates, the record does not identify the debtor’s surname; or\n(D) In the case of a record filed or recorded in the filing office described in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 11-9-501, the record does not provide a sufficient description of the real property to which it relates;\n(4) In the case of an initial financing statement or an amendment that adds a secured party of record, the record does not provide a name and mailing address for the secured party of record;\n(5) In the case of an initial financing statement or an amendment that provides a name of a debtor which was not previously provided in the financing statement to which the amendment relates, the record does not:\n(A) Provide a mailing address for the debtor; or\n(B) Indicate whether the name provided as the name of the debtor is the name of an individual or an organization; or\n(6) In the case of an assignment reflected in an initial financing statement under subsection (a) of Code Section 11-9-514 or an amendment filed under subsection (b) of Code Section 11-9-514, the record does not provide a name and mailing address for the assignee.\n(c) Rules applicable to subsection (b) of this Code section. For purposes of subsection (b) of this Code section:\n(1) A record does not provide information if the filing office is unable to read or decipher the information; and\n(2) A record that does not indicate that it is an amendment or accurately identify an initial financing statement to which it relates, as required by Code Section 11-9-512, 11-9-514, or 11-9-518, is an initial financing statement.\n(d) Refusal to accept record; record effective as filed record. A record that is communicated to the filing office with tender of the filing fee, but which the filing office refuses to accept for a reason other than one set forth in subsection (b) of this Code section, is effective as a filed record except as against a purchaser of the collateral which gives value in reasonable reliance upon the absence of the record from the files.","path":["TITLE 11 Commercial Code","Article 9 Secured Transactions","PART 5 Filing","Subpart 1 Filing Office; Contents and Effectiveness of Financing Statement"],"source_url":"https://archive.org/download/gov.ga.ocga.2018/release86.2022.11/gov.ga.ocga.title.11.odt","current_through":"Release 86 (2022-11)","vintage":"Public.Resource.Org bulk O.C.G.A., Release 86 (2022-11), retrieved 2026-09-17","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T19:34:57Z","sha256":"e2b98707e77492fcbd36ace632152eb1019c15a3bcd30a2a36b9cd2f270d57b9","source_id":"us-ga","stale":false,"prev":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-11-9-515","next":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-11-9-517"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}