Atlanta Court Records Search
Atlanta court records cover filings handled by Fulton County Superior Court and Atlanta Municipal Court, two separate systems that together serve Georgia's largest city. Whether you need civil judgments, criminal case files, or traffic citations, this guide walks you through the main ways to search Atlanta court records - online, by mail, or in person at the courthouse.
Atlanta Quick Facts
Atlanta Court Records: Two Systems to Know
Atlanta sits almost entirely within Fulton County, so most civil and criminal court records are held by the Fulton County Superior Court Clerk. That office handles felony criminal cases, civil suits, domestic relations filings, and real property records. The Clerk's office can be reached at (404) 613-5313, and their online portal at fultonclerk.org lets you pull basic case information without visiting the courthouse. For more detailed document access, the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) maintains a statewide index you can search by name or case number.
Separate from Superior Court is Atlanta Municipal Court, located at 150 Garnett Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. The phone number is (404) 658-6950, and the court operates Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Municipal Court handles traffic violations, city ordinance violations, and minor criminal matters. It does not handle felonies. If you're looking for a speeding ticket or a code enforcement case, Atlanta Municipal Court is the right place to start. Their website at atlantaga.gov/government/municipal-court has docket information and payment options.
Knowing which court filed a case saves time. Felonies, divorces, and large civil suits go to Superior Court. Traffic and city code matters go to Municipal Court. Some misdemeanor cases can land in either, depending on how they were charged.
How to Search Atlanta Court Records Online
The fastest way to search Atlanta court records is through the GSCCCA online search portal. This statewide database covers Superior Court filings across all Georgia counties, including Fulton. You can search by party name, case number, or document type. Basic index information is free. Full document access runs $0.50 per page through PeachCourt, Georgia's official e-filing and document retrieval platform. PeachCourt covers cases filed from roughly 2005 forward.
For older Atlanta court records, you'll need to contact the Fulton County Clerk directly or visit the courthouse at 136 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta. Some older case files are archived and may require a formal records request. The Clerk's staff can tell you what's available and in what format. Allow a few days for retrieval of archived materials.
The Georgia Judicial Gateway is another useful starting point. It links to court websites across the state and provides general guidance on how Georgia's court system is organized. For Atlanta Municipal Court matters specifically, you can look up and pay tickets through the statewide ticket portal.
The GSCCCA portal pulls data directly from clerk offices statewide. Here's what the search interface looks like when accessing Georgia court records.
Results are indexed by name and case number, making it straightforward to locate filings without knowing the exact court division.
Types of Atlanta Court Records Available
Fulton County Superior Court holds a wide range of public records. Civil case files include lawsuits between private parties, contract disputes, and property matters. Criminal records cover felony indictments, arraignments, pleas, trial outcomes, and sentencing documents. Family law cases - divorce petitions, child custody orders, adoption decrees - are filed here too. These are generally public records unless a judge has sealed them, which happens mainly in cases involving minors or sensitive evidence.
Atlanta Municipal Court records are more limited in scope. They cover traffic citations, city ordinance violations, and low-level misdemeanors. These records are also public, though the process for getting copies may differ slightly from Superior Court. Call the Municipal Court clerk at (404) 658-6950 to ask about specific case records and how to request them.
Georgia's open records law, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, gives the public the right to inspect and copy records held by government agencies, including courts. Most court records in Atlanta are accessible under this law. Exceptions exist - juvenile records, certain mental health filings, and sealed cases are not open - but those are the minority. If you're denied access to a record, you can cite this statute and ask the clerk to explain the specific exemption being applied.
In-Person Access and Certified Copies
Some records are only available in person. If you need a certified copy of a court document - for legal proceedings, immigration purposes, or other official uses - you'll typically need to request it from the clerk's office directly. Fulton County Superior Court Clerk is at 136 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta. Bring photo ID and know the case number if possible. Fees vary by document type and number of pages.
The clerk's staff can help you locate a case even if you don't have the case number. They can search by party name and approximate date range. This is useful when dealing with older records that predate online indexing. Don't assume a case doesn't exist just because it doesn't show up in an online search - older filings may only be in the physical index.
Legal Aid and Court Resources in Atlanta
Atlanta has several legal aid organizations that help people navigate the court system. The Atlanta Legal Aid Society provides free civil legal help to qualifying low-income residents. Georgia Legal Services Program covers broader regions but has Atlanta-area staff. The State Bar of Georgia's Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with an attorney if you need paid representation.
For those handling their own cases, the Fulton County Law Library at the courthouse has self-help resources, form packets, and staff who can point you toward the right forms. They can't give legal advice, but they can help you understand procedural steps.
The FANS (Filing Activity Notification System) from GSCCCA lets you set up email alerts when new documents are filed in cases you're monitoring. This is useful if you have an ongoing legal matter or need to track activity in a specific case without checking the portal daily.
PeachCourt is Georgia's official e-filing platform for Superior and State courts. The image below shows how the system looks when attorneys and parties file documents electronically for Fulton County cases.
Members of the public can also use PeachCourt to purchase document copies at $0.50 per page without needing an attorney account.
Fulton County Court Records
Atlanta's court records are primarily maintained by Fulton County. The Superior Court Clerk handles the bulk of civil, criminal, and family court filings for the city. Visit the county page for clerk contact details, courthouse hours, and additional search options specific to Fulton County.
Nearby Georgia Cities
Other Fulton County cities and nearby qualifying cities also have court records pages with local courthouse and search details.