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Georgia public records: who holds what

In Georgia, deeds are recorded by the Clerk of Superior Court, birth and death certificates come from the County vital records office and requests for other government records fall under the Georgia Open Records Act. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Georgia
  2. Public records law in Georgia
  3. Divorce records in Georgia
  4. How Georgia organizes its records
  5. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  6. Counties in Georgia
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in Georgia

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsClerk of Superior Court in each county (official deed, lien and plat dockets)1Uncertified copies at the Clerk of Superior Court: $0.50/page without clerk assistance; $1.00/page with assistance; electronic/telephonic transmission $2.50 first page, $1.00 each page after2
Property recordsCounty Board of Tax Assessors values property3—
Court recordsNot unified at the trial level: separate classes of court (Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, Municipal) with a Superior Court and elected Clerk of Superior Court in every county; Supreme Court and Court of Appeals above.4Clerk copy fees: $0.50/page uncertified (no assistance), $1.00/page with assistance, certified $2.50 first page + $0.50 each additional2
Marriage recordsCounty Probate Court (issues licenses and keeps marriage records)5$10.00 non-refundable search fee (one certified copy if found); $5.00 each additional copy6
Divorce recordsClerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted7Clerk copy fees: $0.50/page uncertified; certified $2.50 first page + $0.50 each additional2
Birth certificatesGeorgia DPH State Office of Vital Records (1919-present) and all 159 county vital records offices8$25.00 (includes one certified copy or not-on-file letter); $5.00 each additional copy9
Death certificatesDPH State Office of Vital Records (1919-present) and county vital records offices10$25.00 + $5.00 for additional copies9
Probate and willsCounty Probate Court (wills, estates, guardianships; also marriage and weapons carry licenses)11Probate fees are set by statute (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60); Cobb County example: certified copies $10.00 first page, $1.00 each additional page12

Public records law in Georgia

Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq.) Read the law13

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person, including people outside Georgia; no statement of purpose required14
Response time
Within a reasonable time not to exceed 3 business days; if records are not available within 3 business days, the agency must give a description and timeline within that period and produce as soon as practicable.14
What is exempt
Exemptions are listed in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, are construed narrowly, and only the exempt portion is withheld; agencies must cite the specific Code section, subsection and paragraph when withholding.14
Official guide
A Citizen's Guide to Open Government ('Red Book', Sunshine Laws: A Guide to Open Government in Georgia, 6th ed., June 2019): law.georgia.gov/…15
Fees: copy per page
Up to 10 cents per page (letter/legal); actual cost for other documents; actual media cost for electronic records14
Fees: search retrieval
Prorated hourly salary of the lowest-paid qualified full-time employee; no charge for the first quarter hour14
More on the Georgia Open Records Act
Fees: statutory fees override
Where another law sets a specific fee (e.g., certified copies), that fee applies14
Fees: faq states older rate
AG online FAQ says copies 'not to exceed 25 cents a page' (outdated vs. statute text of 10 cents)16
Fees: estimate and prepayment
Notice of estimate required within 3 business days if costs will exceed $25; prepayment may be required if estimate exceeds $50014
How to ask
Orally or in writing to the agency's records custodian; only written requests are enforceable13
Appealing a value: administrative
No formal administrative appeal; the Attorney General runs an informal Open Government Mediation Program for disputes with local governments15
Appealing a value: which court
Civil action in superior court by any person, firm, corporation or other entity (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-73); the AG may also sue14
Court records note
Court files are governed by court rule rather than the ORA: Uniform Superior Court Rule 21 makes all court records public unless limited by law or court order.17
GSCCCA records note
Records held by GSCCCA on behalf of a clerk are excluded from the ORA but may be obtained from the clerk of superior court (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(50)).14

How to write a public records request

Divorce records in Georgia

Who holds it
Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted7
Fees
Clerk copy fees: $0.50/page uncertified; certified $2.50 first page + $0.50 each additional2
Access
Public unless sealed/limited by court order (USCR 21)17

How this works in other states: divorce records by state.

How Georgia organizes its records

  • GSCCCA (Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority) is a state authority that runs the statewide index of deeds, liens, plats, PT-61 and UCC filings on behalf of the county Clerks of Superior Court.18
  • Marriage records: the state holds only 1952-1996; everything else is at the county probate court.7
  • Since January 1, 2025 (HB 1292) a process validates identity of people filing deeds and other real/personal property records.19
  • Some probate courts also handle vital records, traffic/misdemeanor cases or elections.11

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), Georgia Bureau of Investigation20
Who may order
Own record via local law enforcement; another person's full record only with that person's signed consent (O.C.G.A. 35-3-34); felony convictions are public without consent20
Online felon search
Georgia Felon Search (services.georgia.gov/…, Georgia Technology Authority, GCIC data): $15 per search, charged even if no record found, and $15 for each record chosen when multiple possibilities return; credit card required; no misdemeanors, sealed/expunged, or juvenile records21
Fingerprint fees
GCIC fingerprint checks (employment/licensing etc.): GA only $30.00 ($39.99 via GAPS); GA/FBI $42.00 ($51.99 via GAPS)22
No name checks at GCIC
GCIC does not do name-based checks; contact local law enforcement20
More about criminal history checks
Restriction
Record restriction (formerly expungement) under O.C.G.A. 35-3-37; GCIC fee $25.0022

Sex offender registry

Agency
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12)23

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Georgia Department of Corrections Offender Search: services.gdc.ga.gov/…24

Voter records

Public or restricted
Public self-lookup of registration status, polling place and ID requirements on the Secretary of State's My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov/s)25
County offices
County Board of Registrars offices: mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/county-election-offices25

Business names (DBA)

Secretary of State role
Secretary of State tracks annual corporate filings26
Companies and LLCs
Corporations, LLCs, LPs register with the Secretary of State; online business search at ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch27
Sole proprietorships
Sole proprietorships are not registered with the Secretary of State28
Trade name DBA
Trade names (DBA) are registered with the county Clerk of Superior Court (O.C.G.A. 10-1-490); registration cost $175.00 (includes law library and ADR fees) plus newspaper publication, $15 per 100-word insertion for 2 weeks (Superior Court cost schedule effective July 1, 2024)29
Name reservation fee
$25 nonrefundable (SOS name reservation)27

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filing
UCCs filed with any county Clerk of Superior Court go into one statewide central index (GSCCCA)2
UCC search
Free at search terminals in every clerk of superior court office; online by subscription; certified search $15.00 per debtor name2
UCC filing fee
UCC-1 Financing Statement $25.00 (fee schedule on GSCCCA UCC page)2
Lien index
Statewide lien index (liens other than UCC) since at least January 1, 2004, incl. Department of Revenue pending lien search30
Lien recording fee
$25.00 for general execution or lien recordings29

GIS and parcel maps

Plats
Recorded plats: GSCCCA Plat Index (all counties since at least 2004)31

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Georgia Archives (University System of Georgia), georgiaarchives.org; in-person research, no mail/email research or distance copies for private individuals32
Marriage microfilm
Pre-1900 county marriage records mostly on microfilm at the Archives (many in the Virtual Vault); post-1900 from county Probate Judge33
Births
Archives holds no birth certificates; statewide registration began 191934
Deaths
Death certificates 1919-1927 online in Virtual Vault; 1944-present from DPH35

Counties in Georgia

25 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 159 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.36

Warnings from official sources

  • Georgia AG Consumer Protection: companies charge upwards of $50 for a certified copy of a homeowner's deed that is available from the county clerk for a minimal fee or free.37
  • Georgia AG: title theft warning; sign up for free GSCCCA FANS filing alerts.19
  • Georgia AG: unsolicited real-estate purchase offers must state 'THIS OFFER MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE FAIR MARKET VALUE OF THE PROPERTY.' (since May 2, 2024)19
  • DPH: its approved online ordering channels for birth certificates are ROVER, GO Certificates and VitalChek.38

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Georgia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 41 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Real Estate IndexGSCCCA
  2. UCC System (incl. UCC Fee Schedule and Clerk copy fees)GSCCCA
  3. Property Records Online (links to county tax offices)Georgia Department of Revenue
  4. Superior Courts of Georgia (state organization listing)Georgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  5. Apply for a Marriage LicenseGeorgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  6. Marriage RecordsGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records
  7. Request Vital RecordsGeorgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  8. About Vital RecordsGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records
  9. Vital Records FeesGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records
  10. Death RecordsGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records
  11. Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia (state organization listing)Georgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  12. Common Probate Court Fees (Cobb County example)Cobb County Probate Court
  13. How to Make an Open Records RequestOffice of the Georgia Attorney General
  14. Sunshine Laws: A Guide to Open Government in Georgia (Sixth Edition, June 2019), incl. reprint of O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 et seq.Office of the Georgia Attorney General (with Georgia First Amendment Foundation)
  15. Open GovernmentOffice of the Georgia Attorney General
  16. Open Government Frequently Asked QuestionsOffice of the Georgia Attorney General
  17. Uniform Superior Court Rules (April 9, 2026)Supreme Court of Georgia
  18. Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (state organization listing)Georgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  19. Title Theft and Unsolicited Real Estate, Brokerage, and Mortgage SolicitationsGeorgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
  20. Obtaining Criminal History Record Information FAQGeorgia Bureau of Investigation (GCIC)
  21. Georgia Felon SearchGeorgia.gov / Georgia Technology Authority
  22. GCIC Fees (Effective January 1, 2025)Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GCIC)
  23. Georgia Sex Offender RegistryGeorgia Bureau of Investigation
  24. Find an OffenderGeorgia Department of Corrections
  25. Register to VoteGeorgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  26. Georgia Secretary of State (state organization listing)Georgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  27. Reserve a Business Name with Georgia Secretary of StateGeorgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  28. Select a Business StructureGeorgia.gov (State of Georgia)
  29. Superior Court Cost Schedule - Effective July 1, 2024Superior Court Clerks of Georgia (Clerks Council/Association)
  30. Lien IndexGSCCCA
  31. Plat IndexGSCCCA
  32. Research ServicesGeorgia Archives (University System of Georgia)
  33. Vital RecordsGeorgia Archives (University System of Georgia)
  34. Birth RecordsGeorgia Archives (University System of Georgia)
  35. Death RecordsGeorgia Archives (University System of Georgia)
  36. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  37. Don't Overpay for a Copy of Your Homeowner's DeedGeorgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
  38. Birth RecordsGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records
  39. Find My ClerkSuperior Court Clerks of Georgia
  40. Vital Records Office LocationsGeorgia Department of Public Health
  41. Pay Property Tax Online (links to county tax commissioners)Georgia Department of Revenue