Georgia Civil Court Records

The state Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals are the two highest courts in Georgia. These courts hear appeals made in their jurisdictions.

The Superior Courts, also called the trial courts of general jurisdiction, are the next level of court in the state after the Courts of Appeals. It handles civil and criminal cases and a wide range of other matters.

The trial courts with limited jurisdiction are the lowest level of courts in Georgia. These are the Magistrate, Juvenile, Probate, State, and Municipal courts.

Georgia does not have a central Civil Court system, so Magistrate Courts handle most civil cases. But the Civil Courts in Augusta-Richmond and Macon-Bibb Counties handle civil cases in these counties.

The Civil Court branch of the Macon-Bibb Civil hears civil matters involving sums in dispute not exceeding $25,000, like the Superior Court under Article III of the Code of Ordinances. It contrasts the Magistrate Court, which presides over civil cases involving less than $15,000 in damages.

Are Georgia Civil Court Records public? The Georgia Open Records Act asserts that you can see most court records in the state. However, the right of access to court records doesn't apply to every document because some records may be too sensitive for the general public to see. Examples of those records are information related to juvenile court cases.

Bankruptcy filing in Georgia helps people, businesses, and other organizations restructure, reduce or remove their debts using different methods from the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The most common bankruptcy filings in Georgia are Chapter 7 and Chapter 11.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy, also called "liquidation bankruptcy," is a common way for corporations, people, and small businesses to get out of debt when they don't want to keep their business or can't make payments on time.

Debtors in Georgia may file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy if they haven't done so in the last eight years and if they pass the means test.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Georgia can stay on a credit report for up to 10 years.

On the other hand, Chapter 13 bankruptcy involves reorganizing debts, coming up with a plan for paying them back, and making monthly payments over three to five years.

Only self-employed people who run small businesses without a corporation can file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Georgia can appear on a debtor's credit report for up to seven years.

When you file for bankruptcy in the state,  all provided information will be part of the Georgia Bankruptcy Records.

Georgia Bankruptcy Records are court documents with information about the personal and financial lives of people and businesses that have filed for bankruptcy in the state. In these documents, you can find information about your gross income, assets, income sources, investments, real properties, and creditors.

How To Find Georgia Bankruptcy Records?

In Georgia, there are two bankruptcy district courts where you can obtain Georgia Bankruptcy Records.

The first is the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Georgia. This court serves 46 counties in northern Georgia.

The second is the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Middle District of Georgia. This court is in charge of bankruptcy cases in the middle part of the state. There are 69 counties in this area, and it has five divisions. The main office is in Georgia Macon, and a divisional office is in Columbus, Georgia.

Electronic access to the records kept by the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts of Georgia is possible through the Multi-Court Voice Case Information System (M.C.V.C.I.S.), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

You can also visit the Court Clerk's office where the case occurred to review bankruptcy records.

Specifically, a Georgia Bankruptcy Record will include the following details:

• Case number
• Name of the principal party (petitioner)
• Filing date and type (voluntary or involuntary)
• Chapter type
• Attorney contact details
• 341 meeting details
• Names of the appointed bankruptcy judge and trustee
• The dates of case closure and discharge
• Asset and creditor listing
• Case standing and resolution

In Georgia, a property lien of the Georgia Civil Court Records is a security interest on a debtor's property. Most of the time, financial or legal obligations usually underlie this claim.

The lien lets the creditor keep any real or personal property of the debtor until the debt is paid off. A creditor can also sell or seize these assets if the debtor can't pay back the debt or goes bankrupt.

Property lien records in Georgia have different types, and these include:

Tax Lien

In Georgia, a tax lien is a legal claim on someone's real or personal property because they haven't paid their taxes. The federal or state government can put this kind of lien on a property through an authorized agency.

Judgment Lien

Georgia law provides judgment liens, allowing a judgment creditor (plaintiff) to sell or confiscate a debtor's assets to settle a debt.

The General Execution Docket holds a Georgia judgment lien, known as a Writ of Fieri Facias (FIFA), for seven years and renewable for another seven years.

Mechanic's Lien

Contractors and suppliers on a building project in Georgia can file this lien to get paid if they don't receive a payment. A mechanics lien is a legal tool that gives the unpaid person a right to the property as security.

To successfully execute a lien in Georgia, lien claimants must follow the steps in O.C.G.A. 44-14-360 through 44-14-369.

Mortgage Lien

Like most other states, a mortgage lien in Georgia allows a creditor to foreclose on a debtor's house if they fail to pay. Financing a house purchase creates this property lien. The homeowner can remove this lien by paying the property.

UCC Lien

Like in other states, the U. S. Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) governs commercial transactions in Georgia.

Under this code, when a debtor takes out a commercial loan, the lender can file a U.C.C. lien to ensure that the debtor pays back the loan within the agreed-upon time frame. It gives the creditor legal rights to the debtor's business assets if a debt goes unpaid.

In Georgia, the Secretary of State's office does not handle U.C.C. filings like in other states. Instead, you must file with the Clerk of the Superior Court of a county, no matter where the primary location of the asset is.

How To Check Georgia Property Lien Records?

You can check Georgia Property Lien Records by visiting or calling the Clerk of the Superior Court and the Records and Deeds office. On average, you can search for four hours for $5.

Alternatively, some counties and local government offices have online ways to search for liens. For free, you can use the Department of Revenue's search portal to look up property records online. The department's Motor Vehicle Division also has a tool that you can use to look for liens on vehicles.

Georgia Civil Driving Violation Records are minor offenses or traffic infractions that don't appear on a state criminal record.

Some of the offenses under the Georgia Civil Driving Violation Records include:

• Speeding
• Running red lights
• Violating super speeding laws
• Running stop signs
• Violating school bus laws

In Georgia, drivers can get tickets for several traffic infractions. Many of these offenses come with penalties, fines, and sometimes more fees. Also, paying the ticket can leave a permanent mark on the driving record, raising auto insurance rates and giving points that can put driving privileges at risk.

How To Look Up Georgia Civil Driving Violation Records?

You can look up tickets and cases of traffic violations in Georgia online. The state has a central database where you can find traffic tickets. You can search by using the person's name, date of birth, and city/county of issuance.

You can also get a Motor Vehicle Report (M.V.R.) from the Georgia Department of Driver Services to look up traffic records. This report tells about a person's past driving record and usually includes all convictions, tickets, and other similar information about traffic offenses committed in the state.

Georgia Legal Judgment Records are written accounts of the decisions made by Georgia courts in legal cases.

The Georgia Code of Civil Practice explains the state's laws about judgment. It often spells out different rules about the nature, types, and forms of decisions and how long they last.

Georgia Code 9-12-60 asserts that a court can't rule on a case after seven years have passed. But this rule doesn't apply to a child or spousal support.

How To Look Up Georgia Legal Judgment Records?

You can get a copy of a Georgia judgment file at the courthouse where the case took place. The Judicial Branch of Georgia has a website where you can find the locations and phone numbers of the state courts in Georgia.

In Georgia, the Small Claims Court is a branch of the Magistrate Court that hears cases with claims of up to $15,000. Since it is a less formal court, the process at the Magistrate Court is cheaper and faster than other courts in the state.

The Magistrate Court handles the following types of small claims:

• Breaking a contract (oral or written)
• Libel or slander
• Cases about landlords and renters
• Compensation for workers
• Collection of debts

In Georgia, if you want to sue another person for small claims, you must do so in the county where the defendant lives. But if there is more than one defendant, you can file the lawsuit in the county where any defendants live. Also, if you want to sue a corporation, the corporation must file the case in the county where its office is registered.

Once you know where to file, go to the Magistrate Court in that county and file the case with the Court Clerk.

Get the Statement of Claims Form from the court to start the filing process. On this form, you need to write down the defendant's address, the claim amount, and your reason for filing it.

After filing, the information and documents along the proceedings will be part of the Georgia Small Claims Records.

As part of the Georgia Civil Court Records, Small Claims Records show what happened in court, who was there, how much money was at stake, and what the judge decided. However, unlike any other state, a small claims judgment in Georgia does not appear on a credit report.

How To Look Up Georgia Small Claims Records?

Even though Georgia's Magistrate Courts are not record-keeping courts, some counties, like Jackson County, keep records of small claims cases.

So, for most Georgia Small Claims Records, visit the Magistrate Court Clerk or, like with other Georgia court records, use the abovementioned online platforms that the court runs.

In Georgia, only people who live in the state can file for a divorce. Whether the divorce is contested or not, it is over when the judge signs the divorce decree.

Georgia has both "fault-based" divorce and "no-fault" divorce.

The state requires evidence of irreconcilable differences to get a no-fault divorce. In contrast, there are twelve fault-based grounds for divorce in Georgia. These include drug misuse, impotence during the marriage, adultery, and other forms of infidelity.

After filing, the Superior Court makes Georgia Divorce Court Records, and government agencies keep track of it in three ways:

Divorce Certificate

A Georgia divorce certificate includes the parties' names and the location and date of the final divorce. It contains no information on the specifics of the divorce.

It is often requested when one party wishes to alter the name on their driver's license or while ordering a marriage certificate.

In most jurisdictions, only the parties to the divorce and the attorneys who oversaw the court procedures have access to this sort of document.

Divorce Decree

A divorce decree in Georgia is the court's case on the dissolution of a marriage. It typically includes property distribution, custody facts, and spousal/child support payments.

Similar to a divorce certificate, this document is exclusive to the divorced parties and their counsel.

Divorce Record

A Georgia divorce record is a case file comprising data from the divorce certificate, decree, and other divorce-related court papers.

Frequently, parties will utilize these documents to contest the terms or judgments included in the record.

How To Look Up Georgia Divorce Court Records?

Because divorces are so personal, it is usually much harder to find Georgia Divorce Court Records than it is to find other kinds of public records.

The main option for gaining access to Georgia Divorce Court Records is contacting the Superior Court Clerk of the county where the divorce occurred.

But suppose a divorce occurred between June 1952 and August 1996. In that case, the Georgia Office of Vital Records under the Georgia Department of Public Health can confirm the divorce upon request.

Before 1952 and after 1996, you can obtain divorce verifications from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce occurred.

Note that you cannot make divorce verification requests through email or telephone. All requests for vital record searches must be physically signed and filed, per Georgia law.

Georgia Probate Courts aim to expedite the settlement of disputes and prosecutions within the state. Under Article VI of the Georgia Constitution, it has exclusive jurisdiction over the following:

• Administration of estates
• Appointment of guardians
• Involuntary hospitalizations
• Marriage licenses
• Probate of wills
• Provision of pistol licenses

Georgia Probate Court Records are about the estate of a person who has died, whether they left a will or not. Whether the deceased left a large estate or a few personal goods, a local court may have a probate file that details property distribution, minor care, or debt payment.

How To Look Up Georgia Probate Court Records?

On microfilm, the Georgia Department of Archives has a lot of probate records from the 1930s and 1940s.

The information in a probate file can vary from case to case, but some things are usually in all of them. And these are the names, addresses, and relationships of the beneficiaries to the deceased person.

If you think the probate record you want is from a county or not in this collection period, you can try calling the county courthouse to see if the document you want is available.

You can look up most Georgia Civil Court Records either in person or through online resources.

The best option is to visit the courthouse where the case occurred and fill out the necessary forms. Here, you can give specifics about the court records you want and any other information that will help the record search.

With online requests, you can use the E-Access Court Records portal. You can look at court records online by clicking on the courts you want. Each court tells you how to get to these files or information and how much you have to pay.

However, you must sign up for an account to get to the records on the site. You must provide your complete name, email address, and password. After signing up, you can search online with either the name of a party to the record or the case number.