Search Chatham County Court Records
Chatham County courts point users to the court-system home page, re:SearchGA, Odyssey Portal guidance, Probate Records, and the Recorder's Court payment portal. The broad court case route is re:SearchGA, which Chatham links for public access to cases and e-filed documents. Georgia Courts notes that users are redirected to the provider site and must have an account to search court records.
The Odyssey Portal guide says Chatham County Courts went live with Odyssey in July 2017 and covers Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, and Recorder's Court records. Anonymous users can view public court records, while registered users may request document access and purchase documents when the clerk or court allows it. Public files can also be reviewed at clerk offices in the courthouse when online access is not enough.
- Start with the Chatham court-system home page and choose the eService tied to the record type.
- Use re:SearchGA for case access across courts when a provider account is available.
- Search by party name or case number, then narrow by court, date, or proceeding type.
- For documents, register and request access if the portal requires clerk approval.
- For certified copies, older files, or records not online, contact the clerk that holds the file.
The Chatham County court-system home page is the starting point for court links, eFile, re:SearchGA, Probate Records, live feeds, and courthouse addresses.
The home page matters because Chatham County Court records are not held by a single portal or one clerk counter.
Chatham County Court System
Georgia does not use a district-court model for Chatham County trial work. The state court guide identifies Superior Court, State-wide Business Court, State Court, Juvenile Court, Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Court as Georgia trial-level court classes. Chatham County is in the Eastern Judicial Circuit, and the local court site lists Superior Court, State Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court, Juvenile Court, Recorder's Court, and city municipal courts.
Superior Court is the broad general-jurisdiction court for felonies, divorce, major civil matters, equity, and some review of lower-court work. State Court handles civil matters within its jurisdiction and many misdemeanors and traffic cases that come from Recorder's Court or municipal courts. Magistrate Court handles civil claims up to $15,000, dispossessory cases, arrest and search warrants, and preliminary hearings. Probate Court holds estates, guardianships, marriage licenses, and related probate filings.
| Court | Common Chatham County Records | Access Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | Felony, divorce, civil, equity, family violence, adoption processing, and real estate-related clerk records. | Clerk of Superior Court at 400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 178. |
| State Court | Misdemeanor, bound-over traffic, civil, subpoenas, arraignment, and accusation records. | Public terminals are in Suite 127 lobby. |
| Magistrate Court | Small claims, dispossessory, warrants, preliminary hearings, garnishment, and docket questions. | General line 912-652-7181. |
| Probate Court | Estates, wills, guardianship, conservatorship, marriage licenses, weapons carry, and probate copies. | Record Room is appointment and mail based. |
| Recorder's and Municipal Courts | Traffic citations, city ordinance matters, payments, and bench-trial settings. | Some cases can be bound over to State Court. |
Local case flow: Recorder's or municipal citation › State Court review when bound over › District Attorney accusation when required › arraignment, plea, trial, or disposition.
Chatham County Clerk Records
The Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court is the primary clerk for Superior Court civil, domestic, criminal, real estate, lien, UCC, and related filings. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority identifies Tammie Mosley as Clerk of Superior Court, with office hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is at the Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse, 400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Room 178, Savannah, Georgia 31401.
The clerk page says the office was created in 1798 by Georgia's constitution and holds records from the early 1700s to the present. Common services include civil and domestic filing, criminal filing and processing, family-violence filing, notary certificates, real estate and plat recording, UCC recording, liens, trade names, garnishments, appeals, registry funds, and evidence security. Criminal filings, adoptions, and temporary protective orders are not accepted by e-file at this time.
Clerk of Superior Court
400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 178
Savannah, GA 31401
912-434-8920
supctclk@chathamcounty.org
Coleman Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Recorder's Court: 912-652-7425
Probate Court Room 509
Chatham County Sheriff's Office
1050 Carl Griffin Drive
Savannah, GA 31405
912-652-7634
Corrections: 912-652-7700
Chatham County Court Record Types
Chatham County Court records include case files, dockets, orders, judgments, charging papers, citations, probate pleadings, and vital-record-adjacent files. The correct search path depends on which court created the record. A felony case is not searched the same way as a marriage copy, and a Recorder's Court ticket is not the same as a DDS driver history.
- Superior Court files include felony, divorce, civil, domestic, equity, lien, garnishment, and appeal records.
- State Court files include civil matters and misdemeanor or traffic cases that are bound over from lower courts.
- Magistrate Court files include small claims, dispossessory warrants, arrest and search warrant applications, and preliminary hearings.
- Probate Court files include estates, wills, guardianship, conservatorship, marriage license, and record-room copy requests.
- Recorder's Court files include traffic citations, payment records, bench trial settings, FTA actions, and ordinance cases.
re:SearchGA is the statewide provider portal Chatham links for public case searching and e-filed documents.
For Chatham County Court record searches, re:SearchGA is useful for case access, while certified copies still come from the clerk or court that maintains the official file.
What Chatham Court Records Show
Chatham court records can show both docket information and case-file content. The court home page's proceedings list includes name, case number, courtroom, type, session time, judge, attorney, start time, and court session ID. Clerk and Odyssey sources add party names, proceeding entries, filings, hearings, motions, orders, judgments, accusations, pleas, sentencing, and document-purchase access where allowed.
| Field | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Case No. | The court's tracking number for the file or proceeding. |
| Parties | The plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or criminal defendant. |
| Proceeding | A hearing, motion, filing, arraignment, trial setting, or order entry. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a case or charge, such as dismissed, guilty, judgment, or closed. |
| Document Access | Whether a document can be bought online, viewed at the clerk counter, or withheld. |
- Disposition
- The final result of a case, claim, or charge.
- Accusation
- A prosecutor-filed charging document often used in Georgia State Court misdemeanor cases.
- Certified copy
- A clerk-issued copy with official certification for legal use.
- Record restriction
- Georgia's process for limiting public access to eligible criminal history without destroying the record.
Chatham County Public Records Law
Georgia open-records law starts with broad public access, but Chatham County Court records still depend on the rules for the specific file. Court orders, statutes, sealed cases, juvenile laws, and privacy redactions can limit what appears online or at a public counter. The Superior Clerk also says scanned filing images are not displayed on the public internet because filings may contain identity-theft information.
Key Statutes:
O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 supports broad construction of Georgia public-records access.
O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 covers inspection and copying unless a record is confidential by law or court order.
O.C.G.A. 15-6-11 affects disclosure timing for electronically filed Superior Court documents.
O.C.G.A. 35-3-37 governs criminal-history review, correction, and restriction.
Restricted Chatham records may include juvenile files, adoption filings, mental-health proceedings, sealed criminal records, restricted criminal history, and filings with personal identifiers. The practical rule is simple: use the public portal for public case data, then contact the clerk or agency when the record is sensitive, older, sealed, or not displayed online.
Chatham County Court Filing Tools
Chatham County courts link eFile Georgia for electronic filing. The Clerk of Superior Court says the office provides e-filing of UCCs, real estate documents and plats, and civil/family documents. It also says criminal filings, adoptions, and temporary protective orders are not accepted by e-file at this time. That distinction matters for users who are looking for records tied to criminal, adoption, or protective-order filings.
The eFile Georgia portal is shown in the manifest for Chatham County Court electronic filing access.
Electronic filing can create the record, but public disclosure still depends on clerk acceptance, case type, and the court's access rules.
Chatham County Traffic and Jail Records
Traffic, warrant, and jail records are often related, but they are not the same file. Recorder's Court handles many traffic citations and provides a portal that can search by citation number, driver's license, Social Security number and date of birth, vehicle plate, name and date of birth, or business name. Failure to appear can lead to a warrant, contempt fee, DDS suspension, or further State Court issues.
The Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Richard S. Coleman, publishes 24-hour and 72-hour booking reports and provides direct numbers for Corrections, Jail Records, Receiving and Discharge, Front Lobby, Shift Commander, Visitation, Cashier, and Street Operations. No Chatham County Sheriff Georgia app-only inmate or warrant lookup was found in the research. Chatham County Police and Savannah Police apps support tips, reports, useful links, community resources, and notifications, not official court lookup.
For booking details, use Chatham County inmate records. For active-warrant concerns, the safe search path is the issuing court, Recorder's Court, Magistrate Court, State Court, municipal court, or Sheriff's Street Operations line.
Chatham Marriage Divorce Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by Chatham County Probate Court. The Probate Court page places the court at 133 Montgomery Street, Room 509, and states that licenses, permits, and the Record Room are processed until 4:30 p.m. Marriage license applications are appointment-only, and applicants must complete the online fillable application before the appointment. Certified marriage copies can be requested online through Georgia Probate Records, by mail with payment, or through the Record Room by appointment.
Divorce records are Superior Court records in Georgia, not Probate Court records. Search public divorce case information through re:SearchGA or Odyssey access where available, then contact the Clerk of Superior Court for certified copies or older case files. Probate records for estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and mental-health emergency pleadings follow Probate Court appointment, mail, drop-box, and fee rules.
Chatham County Records Fees
Fee rules vary by court and record type. Probate Court has the clearest record-room fee schedule in the research file. Magistrate Court also publishes copy and certification fees. Recorder's Court payment rules are separate from copy fees and should be checked with the court before paying or mailing funds.
| Office or Item | Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Probate Record Room research | $10 for mailed requests or staff-assisted onsite research. |
| Probate certified copy, one page | $10 process/certified copy. |
| Probate certified copy, more than one page | $10 process fee plus $1 per page. |
| Probate digital certified marriage copy | $18 plus 5% convenience fee. |
| Magistrate copies | $0.25 per page; certified first page $2.50 plus $0.25 each added page. |
| Probate card payments | 5% convenience fee; no American Express; no personal checks. |
Federal and Specialty Courts
Chatham County is also served by federal courts in the Southern District of Georgia. Federal district and bankruptcy cases are not held by the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court. Use PACER or the federal court's own systems for federal case access. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia has a Savannah presence, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia serves 43 counties with several offices, including Savannah.
Specialty-court records need careful handling. Chatham County Drug Court is identified by the Council of Accountability Court Judges with Program Judge James F. Bass Jr. and Program Coordinator Tiffany Shuff. The Chatham County Juvenile Mental Health Court is also listed, but juvenile mental-health case files should not be treated as ordinary public files. State Court navigation identifies a DUI Court Program, though eligibility details were not located in the captured research.
Georgia Courts' e-access page explains that court-record searches route through a provider site and account access.
The e-access source helps explain why a Chatham County case search may require a provider account even when the record is public.
Chatham Court Search Limits
Several local timing rules can explain missing search results. Recorder's Court citations may take three to four weeks to process. State Court says bound-over misdemeanor cases may take one to six weeks before documents arrive and are entered, and the District Attorney reviews charges to decide whether an accusation will be issued. The DA has two years from the offense date to issue an accusation.
Older and non-digitized records may require the clerk counter, public terminals, mail requests, or appointment-based Probate Record Room research. Agency-created arrest, jail, incident, and police records belong with the Sheriff's Office, Chatham County Police Records Unit, Savannah Police, or another municipal police agency instead of the court case portal.
The Chatham court-system map and directions page identifies the Coleman and Gadsden courthouse buildings used for Chatham County Court records access.
That building split is one of the main local reasons to confirm the office before visiting for Chatham County Court records.
Note: Always verify Chatham County Court record details with the court, clerk, sheriff, or agency that created the record.
Chatham County Court FAQ
Where do most Chatham County Court record searches start?
Start with the Chatham court-system home page, then use re:SearchGA, Odyssey access, Probate Records, Recorder's Court, or a clerk office based on the record type.
Can Chatham County scanned filings be viewed online?
The Clerk of Superior Court says scanned filing images are not displayed on the public internet because filings may contain identity-theft information. Registered portal document access may still exist for allowed documents.
Who keeps Chatham County divorce records?
Divorce is a Superior Court matter in Georgia, so Chatham divorce records route to Superior Court and the Clerk of Superior Court, not Probate Court.
Is a Recorder's Court ticket the same as a DDS record?
No. The court file shows citation and case activity. The Georgia DDS driving history shows license status, reported convictions, points, and suspensions.