HOLIDAY HOURS
December 24, 2024: CLOSED
December 25, 2024: CLOSED
December 26, 2024: CLOSED
January 1, 2025: CLOSED
About Us
The Juvenile Court in Muscogee County is a dependent Juvenile Court organized under Chapter 11 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia. The Court is responsible for all delinquent complaints concerning children under the age of 17 years. If a complaint involves unruly, abused or neglected children, the Court has jurisdiction until the age of 18 years.
The cases referred to Juvenile Court fall in one of the following categories:
Delinquent
A delinquent referral is a referral for an act that is designated a crime by the laws of this State, under federal laws, or by local ordinances, including certain traffic offenses. The act would have been committed by a child under the age of 17 years.
Dependency
A dependency referral is a referral regarding a child who is without parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care or control necessary for one's physical, mental, or emotional health or morals; or who has been place for care or adoption in violation of law; or one who has been abandoned by parents or other legal custodian; or one who is without a parent, guardian, or custodian.
Termination of Parental Rights (TPR)
A Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) referral is a referral for the legal and permanent severance of the parent-child relationship; if parental rights are terminated, the child may become eligible for adoption.
Child in Need of Services
A Child in Need of Services (CHINS) referral is a referral for a violation of a law that is only applicable to a child. Such offenses include, but are not limited to truancy, runaway, curfew violation, and being habitually disobedient of the reasonable and lawful commands of one’s parents (ungovernable).
Traffic
A traffic referral is a referral for traffic charges against a person under 17 years of age. The code mandates certain traffic offenses be transferred to the delinquent docket.