Section 11-9-519. Numbering, maintaining, and indexing records; communicating information provided in records.

   (a)  Filing office duties. For each record filed in a filing office, the filing office shall:

   (1) Assign a unique number to the filed record;

   (2) Create a record that bears the number assigned to the filed record and the date and time of filing;

   (3) Maintain the filed record or a microfilm or other photostatic, microphotographic, photographic copy, or optical image of the filed record for public inspection;

   (4) Transmit each record to the authority in such form and manner as may be required by the authority within 24 hours of filing. Weekends and holidays shall not be included in the calculation of the 24 hour period; and

   (5) Promptly upon discovering any discrepancy between a filed record and the information as it appears in the central indexing system, retransmit such record to the authority with a notation as to the discrepancy and a request for correction of the central indexing system information.

(b)  Central indexing system.

   (1) The authority shall administer, maintain, and modify a central indexing system which shall contain the records transmitted to it by filing offices pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of this Code section. The authority shall, within 24 hours after receipt of each record, include the record in the central filing system and make such information available to the public through the central index. Weekends and holidays shall not be included in the calculation of the 24 hour period.

   (2) The authority may designate one or more agents who will be responsible for any or all of the duties and functions of the authority set out in this Code section.

(c)  Indexing; general. The authority shall:

   (1) Index an initial financing statement according to the name of the debtor and index all filed records relating to the initial financing statement in a manner that associates with one another an initial financing statement and all filed records relating to the initial financing statement; and

   (2) Index a record that provides a name of a debtor which was not previously provided in the financing statement to which the record relates also according to the name that was not previously provided.

(d)  Indexing; real property related financing statement. If a financing statement is filed as a fixture filing or covers as-extracted collateral, crops, or timber to be cut, it must be filed for record and the filing office shall index it:

   (1) Under the names of the debtor and of each owner of record shown on the financing statement as if they were the mortgagors under a mortgage of the real property described; and

   (2) To the extent that the law of this state provides for indexing of records of mortgages under the name of the mortgagee, under the name of the secured party as if the secured party were the mortgagee thereunder, or, if indexing is by description, as if the financing statement were a record of a mortgage of the real property described.

(e)  Indexing; real property related assignment. If a financing statement is filed as a fixture filing or covers as-extracted collateral, crops, or timber to be cut, the filing office shall index an assignment filed under subsection (a) of Code Section 11-9-514 or an amendment filed under subsection (b) of Code Section 11-9-514:

   (1) Under the name of the assignor as grantor; and

   (2) To the extent that the law of this state provides for indexing a record of the assignment of a mortgage, under the name of the assignee.

(f)  Retrieval and association capability. The authority and each filing office shall maintain a capability with respect to the records they are required to index:

   (1) To retrieve a record by the name of the debtor and by the file number assigned to the initial financing statement to which the record relates; and

   (2) To associate and retrieve with one another an initial financing statement and each filed record relating to the initial financing statement.

(g)  Removal of debtor's name. The authority may not remove a debtor's name from the central index until one year after the effectiveness of a financing statement naming the debtor lapses under Code Section 11-9-515 with respect to all secured parties of record.

Code 1981, § 11-9-519, enacted by Ga. L. 2001, p. 362, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 11.