Search Heard County Court Records

Heard County court records are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Franklin, Georgia, the county seat. This guide covers how to find and access Heard County court records online through statewide Georgia platforms, by mail, or in person at the Franklin courthouse.

Heard County Superior Court Clerk Office

The Superior Court Clerk in Franklin serves as the official keeper of Heard County court records. The office maintains filings for civil cases, felony criminal matters, domestic relations cases, and real property documents. Georgia law makes most of these records open to any member of the public who requests them.

Heard County is a small, rural county with a courthouse located in Franklin. The clerk's office handles all superior court filings for the county and can assist you in locating a case by name, case number, or filing date. If you're searching for an older file, the office may need to pull archived records, so it helps to call ahead before visiting.

The Find My Clerk directory maintained by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority lists current contact details for the Heard County clerk, including phone, address, and hours.

Staff can process in-person requests during normal business hours on weekdays. Certified copies carry a fee per page set by state law. If you only need to view a document, you may not need to pay for a copy at all.

Online Access to Heard County Court Records

Georgia's statewide court record platforms cover Heard County. The primary tool is the GSCCCA search portal, which indexes real estate records, UCC filings, and civil case data from all 159 counties. Searching the index is free, and the system goes back many decades for real estate documents recorded with the county clerk.

The image below shows the GSCCCA search interface, which is the main statewide portal for finding Georgia court and real estate records including those from Heard County.

This portal is worth checking first, especially for property-related searches or older civil case index data.

For case filings since 2005, PeachCourt gives you access to superior court case documents. Documents are $0.50 per page to view or download. You can search by party name or case number. PeachCourt is the fastest way to pull up recent Heard County court filings without going to the courthouse.

Types of Court Records Available in Heard County

Heard County Superior Court handles felony criminal cases, civil suits above the magistrate threshold, divorce and custody matters, equity cases, and real property disputes. The clerk's office files and stores all documents related to these proceedings. Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, gives the public a right to inspect most of them.

Sealed records, juvenile filings, and records tied to ongoing investigations are exempt from public access under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. If a record can't be found through standard channels, it may be sealed or filed under a restricted category.

Magistrate court handles smaller civil claims and local ordinance matters in Heard County. Those files are separate from superior court records and kept by the magistrate court clerk. If you are looking for a small claims case or a bad check matter, ask about magistrate court records specifically.

Requesting Records from Heard County In Person or by Mail

You can request Heard County court records at the Franklin courthouse in person during business hours. Bring identifying details: the full name of a party, the approximate year the case was filed, and the case type if you know it. Staff will search the index and pull the relevant file or direct you to the archived records room.

Mail requests work for simple record searches too. Write out what you need, include your contact information and return address, and send payment for copy fees. Call the clerk first to confirm how much you need to include and what forms of payment they accept. Processing times for mail requests depend on the complexity of the search.

FANS Alerts and eCertification for Heard County

The Filing Activity Notification System (FANS) is a free GSCCCA service that sends email alerts when new documents are filed under a name or property you track. This is useful for monitoring Heard County property activity or watching for new filings tied to a specific case or person.

For certified court record copies with legal standing, GSCCCA's eCertification portal lets you order official certified copies of certain documents online. Not every record type is available this way, but it covers many real estate documents and some court filings. Check the portal to see if the specific document you need is available for electronic certification.

The Georgia Judicial Gateway is another resource. It gives general guidance on how the court system works in Georgia and can point you to the right court type for a given matter in Heard County.

Nearby Counties

Heard County is in west-central Georgia. Neighboring counties each have their own Superior Court Clerk and courthouse for court record requests.