How to search Georgia court records
Georgia has no statewide trial-court search at all. Each county runs its own independent case-management system, so finding a record means first identifying the right county, then searching that county's own portal. Cost varies by record type — some searches are free, others require a paid account or a formal records request.
county by county varies criminal data
Open the official Georgia portal →
What's actually there
No free statewide trial-court name search. The state's E-Access page links each court to its vendor, PeachCourt or re:SearchGA, and both require an account; vendor document fees apply.
Other official lookups for Georgia
How Georgia's courts are organized
Georgia has two appellate courts, the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals, and several classes of trial courts. Superior court is the general trial court. Every one of the 159 counties has a superior court, and the counties are grouped into 50 judicial circuits. Superior courts handle all felony trials and have exclusive jurisdiction over divorces.
Below superior court sit the limited-jurisdiction courts. A state court exists only in counties where the legislature created one; it hears misdemeanors, including traffic cases, and civil cases not reserved to superior court. Every county also has a magistrate court, which issues warrants, hears minor offenses, and takes civil claims of $15,000 or less, plus a probate court for wills, estates, guardianships, marriage licenses and weapons carry licenses. In counties without a state court, the probate judge may hear traffic cases and some misdemeanors. Juvenile courts handle cases involving children under 18, and cities run municipal courts for traffic tickets and local ordinance violations. There is also a statewide business court for large commercial disputes.
Searching court records online
Georgia has no single public name search covering every trial court. Each county's clerk keeps its own records and picks its own online system. The Judicial Council of Georgia's E-Access to Court Records page lists courts county by county, mostly superior and state courts, and sends you to the provider each court uses. The page states plainly that you will be redirected to the provider's website and must have an account to search.
Two outside vendors appear on that list: PeachCourt and re:SearchGA, which is run by Tyler Technologies. Each requires its own sign-up, and the vendors, not the state, set any charges for viewing or buying documents. A court that is missing from the list may still have records searchable in person at the clerk's office.
- Magistrate, probate, juvenile and municipal courts are mostly not on the state list; contact that court's clerk directly.
- The Court of Appeals has its own free docket search covering every case since January 2003. You can search by appellate docket number, trial court case number or party name, but emergency motions are not shown.
Getting copies and certified copies
Copies of superior and state court files come from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the case was filed. Magistrate and probate courts keep their own files. Most clerks accept requests in person, by mail or by email, and many list their fees online.
Fees vary by county, so check the clerk's posted schedule. As one example, the Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court charges $2.50 for the first page of a certified or exemplified copy and $0.50 for each page after that. Plain copies there cost $0.50 per page if you make them yourself or $1.00 per page if staff make them. The Court of Appeals sells record indexes and case histories through its own court store.
Restricted and sealed records
Georgia calls record clearing record restriction. It is governed by O.C.G.A. 35-3-37 and handled by the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI. A restricted arrest is hidden from the state criminal history used for employment and licensing checks, but police and courts can still see it. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, there is no application: the prosecutor decides on restriction, often at sentencing, and the court papers should say so. For older arrests you apply through the arresting agency, which may charge up to $50, and after the prosecutor approves you send GCIC a $25 fee.
Senate Bill 288, signed in 2020, added a way to petition the sentencing court to restrict and seal certain misdemeanor convictions. The person must have finished the sentence, have no conviction for at least four years and no pending charges. Some offenses are excluded, including several family violence offenses, child sex offenses and serious traffic offenses, and there is a lifetime limit of two such petitions. Restriction alone does not remove the case from the clerk's files. Under subsection (m) of the same law, a person with a restricted record can petition the court to seal what the clerk holds, and the clerk must then restrict those documents within 60 days of the order.
This is a factual summary, not legal advice. Talk to a lawyer or use the Georgia courts' record restriction self-help page, which lists legal aid groups and county restriction desks.
Tip: start with the right court
Because Georgia splits criminal cases between courts, a single charge can leave records in more than one place. A felony usually starts in magistrate court for the warrant and first hearing, then moves to superior court. A misdemeanor or traffic ticket may sit in state court, probate court or a city municipal court, depending on the county and where the ticket was written. If a search at the superior court comes up empty, check the state court for the same county, then the municipal court for the city where the arrest happened.
Sources
- Judicial Council of Georgia, Your Guide to the Georgia Courts (2022)
- Georgia Courts, Navigating the Courts
- Georgia Courts, E-Access to Court Records
- Georgia Courts, E-Access vendors
- Court of Appeals of Georgia, Docket Search
- Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, Fee Schedule
- GBI, Georgia Criminal History Record Restrictions
- Georgia Courts, Record Restrictions/Expungement self-help
- Office of the Governor, SB 288 as signed (2020)
- Georgia Courts, Self-Help Resources
Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.
Federal cases filed in Georgia
State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.
Largest counties in Georgia
- Fulton County — Georgia's most populous county.
Search tips
- Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
- Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
- A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
- An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to search Georgia court records online?
It depends on what you're looking for. Some record types on Georgia's portal are free; others require payment or a formal request.
Does this include criminal records?
Yes. Georgia's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.
Does one search cover the whole state?
No single search. Georgia has no statewide index — you need to find the right county first, then search that county's own system.
Links move. If the Georgia portal link above is dead, tell us on the corrections page.