Section 11-9-515. Duration and effectiveness of financing statement; effect of lapsed financing statement; record of mortgage as financing statement.

   (a)  Five-year effectiveness. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, a filed financing statement is effective for a period of five years after the date of filing or until the twentieth day after any earlier maturity date required to be specified on the filed financing statement.

(b)  Lapse and continuation of financing statement. The effectiveness of a filed financing statement lapses on the expiration of the period of its effectiveness unless before the lapse a continuation statement is filed pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section. Upon lapse, a financing statement ceases to be effective and any security interest or agricultural lien that was perfected by the financing statement becomes unperfected, unless the security interest is perfected otherwise. If the security interest or agricultural lien becomes unperfected upon lapse, it is deemed never to have been perfected as against a purchaser of the collateral for value.

(c)  When continuation statement may be filed. A continuation statement may be filed only within six months before the expiration of the five-year period specified in subsection (a) of this Code section or the occurrence of any earlier maturity date required to be specified on a filed financing statement.

(d)  Effect of filing continuation statement. Except as otherwise provided in Code Section 11-9-510, upon timely filing of a continuation statement, the effectiveness of the initial financing statement continues for a period of five years commencing on the day on which the financing statement would have become ineffective in the absence of the filing or, where both (1) the collateral described consists only of consumer goods as defined in paragraph (24) of subsection (a) of Code Section 11-9-102 and (2) the secured obligation is originally $5,000.00 or less, any earlier maturity date of the secured obligation specified on such continuation statement. Upon the expiration of the five-year period or the earlier occurrence of a required specified maturity date, the financing statement lapses in the same manner as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, unless, before the lapse, another continuation statement is filed pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section. Succeeding continuation statements may be filed in the same manner to continue the effectiveness of the initial financing statement.

(e) Record of mortgage as financing statement. A record of a mortgage that is effective as a financing statement filed as a fixture filing under subsection (c) of Code Section 11-9-502 remains effective as a financing statement filed as a fixture filing until the mortgage is released or satisfied of record or its effectiveness otherwise terminates as to the real property.

Code 1981, § 11-9-515, enacted by Ga. L. 2001, p. 362, § 1; Ga. L. 2013, p. 690, § 13/SB 185.