Section 33-4-1. Venue of actions

   Except for actions arising against unauthorized insurers or under surplus line contracts which are provided for in Chapter 5 of this title, whenever any person shall have a claim or demand on any insurer, such person may bring an action in any of the following places:

   (1) In the county where the principal office of the company is located;

   (2) In any county where the company shall have an agent or place of doing business;

   (3) In any county where such agent or place of doing business was located at the time the cause of action accrued or the contract was made out of which such cause of action arose; or

   (4) In any county where the property covered by an insurance contract upon which an action is brought is located or where the person entitled to the proceeds of an insurance contract upon which action is brought maintains his legal residence. For the purpose of this paragraph, personal property shall be deemed to be located in the county of the legal residence of the owner of such personal property, and, for the purpose of bringing an action under this paragraph, a company which has written a contract of insurance upon persons or property located in a particular county or which has become surety for the performance of an obligation in a particular county shall be deemed to be transacting business in such county and shall be deemed to be a legal resident of such county; provided, further, that any action on the bond of a sheriff or other arresting or law enforcement officer or superior court clerk or deputy clerk or clerk or deputy of any court of record, upon which any guaranty or surety company or fidelity insurance company is bound and obligated as surety, shall be instituted in the county of the residence of the officer and not in any other county; and the county of the residence of the officer is hereby fixed as the venue of any action on such bond; and the officer may be made a party defendant or may by intervention become a party defendant.

Ga. L. 1861, p. 58, § 1; Code 1868, § 3331; Code 1873, § 3408; Ga. L. 1878-79, p. 54, § 1; Code 1882, § 3408; Civil Code 1895, § 2145; Ga. L. 1902, p. 53, § 1; Civil Code 1910, § 2563; Code 1933, § 56-601; Code 1933, § 56-1201, enacted by Ga. L. 1960, p. 289, § 1; Ga. L. 1969, p. 740, § 1.