Public records are works "created or received in the performance of duty and paid for by public funds". O.C.G.A § 50-18-102. This includes all "documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, computer based or generated information, data, data fields, or similar material prepared and maintained or received by an agency..." O.C.G.A § 50-18-70. All public records "shall be open for personal inspection and copying, except those which by order of a court of this state or by law are specifically exempted from disclosure" O.C.G.A § 50-18-71 (a) (2024).

Georgia's statutes do not permit any agency to claim copyright for "public records" unless authorized to do so by law. The following agencies are permitted to claim copyright (as well as trademarks) and any works of these agencies should be assumed to be copyrighted without clear evidence to the contrary:

• Georgia Court of Appeals – O.C.G.A § 50-18-34 (2023) (official reports of the decisions of the Court of Appeals, together with the usual title pages, indexes, etc.)
• Supreme Court of Georgia – O.C.G.A § 50-18-34 (2023) (official reports of the decisions of the Supreme Court, together with the usual title pages, indexes, etc.)
• Georgia Department of Revenue – O.C.G.A § 40-2-60.1, 85.3,and 86.1 (2023) (certain license plate designs)
• Georgia Lottery – O.C.G.A § 50-27-9 (2023)
• Georgia Department of Economic Development – § 50-7-8, O.C.G.A (2014)

Works by defunct state agencies may be copyrighted if these rights were transferred to a new or different agency (note that legislation transferring such right may not have been codified into Georgia Statutes). State and municipal government agencies may claim copyright for software used or maintained by the agency (O.C.G.A § 50-18-72(a)(44) (2023)).