{"data":{"id":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-15-11-151","jurisdiction":"us-ga","citation":"O.C.G.A. § 15-11-151","heading":"Time limitations for filing petition.","body":"(a) If a child was removed from his or her home, a petition alleging dependency shall be filed within five days of the preliminary protective hearing.\n(b) If a child was not removed from his or her home or if a child was removed from his or her home but was released from protective custody at the preliminary protective hearing, a petition alleging dependency shall be filed within 30 days of the preliminary protective hearing.\n(c) Upon a showing of good cause and notice to all parties, the court may grant a requested extension of time for filing a petition alleging dependency in accordance with the best interests of the child. The court shall issue a written order reciting the facts justifying the extension.\n(d) If a petition alleging dependency is not filed within the required time frame, the complaint shall be dismissed without prejudice.","path":["TITLE 15 Courts","CHAPTER 11 Juvenile Code","Article 3 Dependency Proceedings","PART 5 Dependency Petitions"],"source_url":"https://archive.org/download/gov.ga.ocga.2018/release86.2022.11/gov.ga.ocga.title.15.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":"3b2e7c6bf2402aa2d26ec3bb609cc37b153c31db866c44a73ae18fca939c9df3","source_id":"us-ga","stale":false,"prev":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-15-11-150","next":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-15-11-152"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}