At a glance
Adult subject — e.g., a spouse
Your own minor child
As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”
General (any subject)
Recording & consent
Georgia splits audio and video. For audio, Georgia is one-party consent — you may record a conversation you take part in (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-66). But Georgia's surveillance statute (§ 16-11-62) requires all-party consent to visually record someone in a private place. So you can record the sound of a conversation you're in, but hidden video in a private place is a stricter, separate rule.
The surveillance statute is a felony (one to five years). Conversations in public with no reasonable expectation of privacy can be recorded without consent. The federal overlay still applies.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-62, 16-11-66Recording law enforcement
Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — the Eleventh Circuit, covering Georgia, has recognized the right — as long as you don't physically interfere. Georgia's one-party audio rule means openly recording a public encounter you're part of raises no wiretap problem.
GPS & vehicle tracking
Georgia added a GPS provision to its surveillance statute in 2022 (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62(8)): it's a crime to clandestinely place a GPS or electronic tracking device on a vehicle owned or leased by someone who holds a protective order against you. Outside that, tracking a vehicle you own is generally fine, and secretly tracking someone else can implicate stalking law. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.
O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62(8)Private-investigator licensing
Georgia requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under O.C.G.A. § 43-38, through the Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies (Secretary of State). Georgia requires both a company license and an individual registration for each investigator.
O.C.G.A. § 43-38 · Regulator: GA Board of Private Detective & Security AgenciesOut-of-state investigator reciprocity
Georgia offers no reciprocity for company licenses, but the board may enter limited license-recognition agreements with states whose requirements are substantially equal — capped at 30 days per investigation per agency (O.C.G.A. § 43-38-6). An investigator licensed elsewhere generally needs Georgia licensure for ongoing work. Confirm current terms with the board.
O.C.G.A. § 43-38-6Hidden cameras in private areas
Using any device to observe, photograph, or record a person's activities in a private place and out of public view, without consent, is a felony in Georgia (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62). This all-party video rule covers hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing areas, and similar private spaces.
O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62Cameras in your own home / nanny cams
You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the § 16-11-62 felony — and remember audio is one-party in Georgia, so recording a conversation you're part of is fine, but capturing others' private conversations you're not part of is not.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-62, 16-11-66Doorbell & outdoor cameras
A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard (Georgia's private-place video rule), or capture private conversations you're not part of. Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.
Workplace & employee recording
Georgia's one-party audio rule applies at work: someone who is part of a conversation may record its sound. But secret video of employees in a private place needs all-party consent (§ 16-11-62), and secretly recording conversations you're not part of runs into the surveillance statute. Employers should still give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-62, 16-11-66Drone surveillance
Georgia has no drone-specific privacy statute, and state law preempts local drone rules (O.C.G.A. § 6-1-4). But its surveillance statute (§ 16-11-62) is device-agnostic: using a drone camera to record someone in a private place out of public view is a felony. General flight and filming from public vantage points remain legal; FAA rules govern the airspace.
O.C.G.A. § 16-11-62 · § 6-1-4 (preemption) · FAANeed this handled the right way in Georgia?
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General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Georgia Codes and consult a licensed Georgia attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.