Georgia Court Records: Why There's No Statewide Case Search, and How to Find Yours

Georgia has no public website that searches every court case in the state by name. The one statewide portal most people find first, GSCCCA, is not a case search at all, and understanding that trap is the first step to actually finding a Georgia court record.

Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.

The GSCCCA Trap: Not a Case Search

Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, at gsccca.org, is the most prominent statewide records portal in Georgia, and it is genuinely useful for what it does. Its own search page lists the categories it covers: UCC indexes, real estate (consolidated) indexes, the PT-61 index, lien indexes including state revenue liens, plat indexes, notary indexes, and the carbon registry. There is no civil case filing or court docket search offered anywhere on that page. A reader looking for a divorce case, a criminal charge, or a civil lawsuit will not find it on GSCCCA, no matter how the search is phrased, because that is not what the system indexes. GSCCCA access runs on paid subscription tiers, priced as of July 1, 2025 at $14.95 per month for a regular account and $29.95 per month for a premium account with additional search options, but that pricing applies to property and lien records, not case dockets.

PeachCourt and Participating-Court Portals

PeachCourt (peachcourt.com) is a civil and criminal e-filing and document-access portal that a number of Georgia state and superior courts use, but it covers only participating courts, not every court in Georgia. A court that has not signed on to PeachCourt will not appear there at all. Anyone searching PeachCourt should confirm first that the specific court and county they need is actually a participant.

Finding a Specific Court's Records

Because Georgia has no unified statewide index, the reliable method is to identify the specific court, whether Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, or Municipal, where the case was or would have been filed, then contact or search that court's Clerk directly. Some clerks offer their own free online search; others require a phone call, an in-person visit, or a written records request. PeachCourt is worth checking as a first step for civil and criminal cases in participating counties, but a negative result there does not mean the case does not exist, since a court outside PeachCourt's network would simply not show up.

Before paying for portal access, know that Georgia law gives you a free option at the courthouse itself. Under O.C.G.A. 15-6-11(e) for superior courts and O.C.G.A. 15-7-5(e) for state courts, once the clerk has accepted a pleading or document filed electronically, it "shall be publicly accessible for viewing at no cost to the viewer on a public access terminal available at the courthouse during regular business hours." For a case in a superior or state court that takes electronic filings, that terminal is a no-cost way to read the file even when the online portal charges for the same documents.

What's Public and What's Restricted

The access standard for Georgia's superior courts is Uniform Superior Court Rule 21, which states that "all court records are public and are to be available for public inspection unless public access is limited by law or by the procedure set forth below." Under Rule 21.1, a court may limit access to a file "upon motion by any party to any civil or criminal action, or upon the court's own motion, after hearing," and the order must specify the part of the file affected, the nature and duration of the limitation, and the reason for it. Rule 21.2 allows such an order only on "a finding that the harm otherwise resulting to the privacy of a person in interest clearly outweighs the public interest."

Two details matter to anyone trying to read a file. Rule 21.3 lets a court grant a temporary limitation of access, not to exceed 30 days, ex parte, "under compelling circumstances" and on a motion accompanied by a supporting affidavit, so a file can go dark briefly without the other side being heard. Rule 21.5 runs the other way: after notice to all parties of record and a hearing, an order limiting access may be reviewed and amended at any time on the motion of any person for good cause, which is the route a member of the public actually has.

Rule 21 is the superior courts' rule. Georgia's state, magistrate, and municipal courts operate under their own uniform rule sets, so confirm the access procedure with the clerk of the specific court you are dealing with rather than assuming Rule 21 controls. Certain categories stay restricted regardless of the general presumption, including juvenile court files, adoption records, mental health commitment records, and grand jury deliberation materials.

Sealing a Georgia Court Record

Georgia has no single broad statutory "expungement" scheme for adult convictions. What it has instead runs on two tracks, and they are easy to confuse.

The first is administrative. Under O.C.G.A. 35-3-37, certain arrest and criminal history information held by the Georgia Crime Information Center is restricted through the arresting agency and the prosecuting attorney, with no judge involved.

The second is a court process, which is the part most summaries miss. O.C.G.A. 35-3-37(m) lets an individual whose record has been restricted petition the court with original jurisdiction over the charges, in the county where the clerk of court is located, for an order sealing the criminal history record information the clerk maintains. The court grants it on finding by a preponderance of the evidence that the harm to the individual's privacy clearly outweighs the public interest, the same balancing Uniform Superior Court Rule 21.2 applies, and the clerk must restrict the covered physical and electronic documents within 60 days of the order. O.C.G.A. 42-8-62.1 handles first offender records separately, and it too runs through the court rather than an agency. So restriction and sealing are not simply court versus non-court: eligibility and mechanics differ by offense and case outcome. For the eligibility rules and filing steps, see Georgia expungement and record restriction laws, which this page does not duplicate. Georgia is not on the current list of states with an automatic, broad conviction-sealing law.

Certified Copies

A certified copy of a Georgia court document comes from the Clerk of the specific Superior, State, or Magistrate court where the case was filed, and for superior courts it is a statutory duty rather than a courtesy. O.C.G.A. 15-6-61(a)(8) requires the clerk "to make out and deliver to any applicant, upon payment to the clerk of legal fees, a correct transcript, properly certified, of any minute, record, or file of the clerk's office," except for records that by law are not to be released. Courts that do not participate in PeachCourt generally require an in-person visit or a mailed request.

Using Georgia Court Records the Right Way

Because there is no single search covering the whole state, a Georgia records search takes real legwork, and that legwork should stay focused on legitimate personal-use purposes, such as checking your own case, confirming a court date, or researching a specific matter you have reason to look into. It is not a substitute for a background check. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, a criminal conviction is exempt from the seven-year reporting-window limit that applies to arrests and most civil judgments, meaning a conviction can be reported indefinitely; only Georgia's own restriction or sealing process removes it from a compliant background report. The FTC's 2023 settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following federal background-check law, is a reminder that using a court or land-records portal to screen a person for housing or a job carries real legal exposure if it is not done through an FCRA-compliant process.

Disclaimer

This article explains how Georgia court records are organized and searched. It is general legal information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed legal or background-screening professional. Portal features and fees change without notice; verify current details directly with the relevant clerk or portal. Consult a Georgia-licensed attorney for advice about a specific case.

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Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Georgia have a statewide court records search?

No. Georgia has no single free website that searches every court's case records. GSCCCA, the state's best-known records portal, covers land, lien, UCC, and notary records, not court case dockets.

Can I find a criminal or civil case on GSCCCA?

No. GSCCCA's own search page lists only property, lien, UCC, plat, and notary categories. A criminal or civil case docket is not part of that system regardless of how the search is entered.

What is PeachCourt used for?

PeachCourt is an e-filing and case-document portal used by a number of Georgia state and superior courts for civil and criminal cases. It covers only the courts that participate, not every court in the state.

How do I find a Georgia court case if there's no statewide search?

Identify the specific court where the case was filed and check whether it participates in PeachCourt. If it does not, contact that court's Clerk directly by phone, in person, or through a written records request.

Are Georgia court records public?

Generally yes. Uniform Superior Court Rule 21 presumes court records are public, and a judge may limit access only on a party's motion or the court's own motion, after a hearing, and only on a finding that the harm to a person's privacy clearly outweighs the public interest. Rule 21.3 allows a temporary ex parte limitation of up to 30 days under compelling circumstances. Categories like juvenile, adoption, mental health commitment, and grand jury records stay restricted by default. Rule 21 governs the superior courts; state, magistrate, and municipal courts have their own uniform rules.

Is there a free way to read a Georgia court file?

Yes, at the courthouse. O.C.G.A. 15-6-11(e) and 15-7-5(e) provide that a pleading or document filed electronically in a superior or state court, once accepted by the clerk, must be publicly accessible for viewing at no cost on a public access terminal at the courthouse during regular business hours. That right covers viewing; certified copies still carry the clerk's legal fees.

Can I use a Georgia court records search for a background check on a tenant or employee?

Not on its own. A do-it-yourself search is not built for that purpose, and criminal convictions do not age off a background report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Screening decisions for housing or employment should go through an FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agency.