TITLE 31 HEALTH

Section 10. Vital Records, 31-10-1 through 31-10-33.

ARTICLE 10 DRUG REPOSITORY PROGRAM

31-10-25. Disclosure of information contained in vital records; transfer of records to State Archives.

1. To protect the integrity of vital records, to ensure their proper use, and to ensure the efficient and proper administration of the system of vital records, it shall be unlawful for any person to permit inspection of, or to disclose information contained in, vital records or to copy or issue a copy of all or part of any such record except as authorized by this chapter, Code Section 19-7-46.1, and regulation or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction. Regulations adopted under this Code section shall provide for adequate standards of security and confidentiality of vital records. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to court records or indexes of marriage licenses, divorces, and annulments of marriages filed as provided by law.
2. The department shall authorize by regulation the disclosure of information contained in vital records for research purposes.
3. Appeals from decisions of custodians of vital records, as designated under authority of Code Section 31-10-6, who refuse to disclose information or to permit inspection or copying of records as prescribed by this Code section and regulations issued under this Code section shall be made to the state registrar whose decisions shall be binding upon such custodians.
4. Information in vital records indicating that a birth occurred out of wedlock shall not be disclosed except as authorized by this chapter, Code Section 19-7-46.1, and regulation or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
5. When 100 years have elapsed after the date of birth or 75 years have elapsed after the date of death or application for marriage, or divorce, dissolution of marriage, or annulment, the records of these events in the custody of the state registrar shall be transferred to the State Archives and such information shall be made available in accordance with regulations which shall provide for the continued safekeeping of the records.
6. Official copies of records of deaths, applications for marriages and marriage certificates, divorces, dissolutions of marriages, and annulments located in the counties shall remain accessible to the public. While in the temporary custody of the probate court before transmission to the state registrar or confirmation of transmission or receipt, application supplement-marriage report forms shall not be available for public inspection or copying or admissible in any court of law.

(Ga. L. 1945, p. 236, § 24; Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 140, § 12; Code 1933, § 88-1723, enacted by Ga. L. 1964, p. 499, § 1; Ga. L. 1965, p. 651, § 2; Code 1933, § 88-1725, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 723, § 1; Code 1981, §31-10-13; Code 1981, §31-10-25, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 723, § 2; Ga. L. 1997, p. 1592, § 6; Ga. L. 2016, p. 304, § 16/SB 64.)

The 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, in subsection (a), inserted a comma following "information contained in" and, near the middle, substituted "chapter, Code Section 19-7-46.1, and" for "chapter and by"; and, in subsection (d), substituted "authorized by this chapter, Code Section 19-7-46.1, and regulation or by" for "provided by regulation or upon the". See Editor's notes for applicability.