Civil Court Records in Augusta, Georgia

Augusta civil court records are maintained through the Richmond County consolidated government court system. Augusta and Richmond County merged into a single government in 1996, so civil court filings in Augusta go through the Richmond County Clerk of Superior and State Courts. This guide explains where to search for Augusta civil court records, how to contact the clerk's office, and which online tools cover Augusta cases.

Augusta and Richmond County Civil Records

Augusta operates as a consolidated city-county government. Because of this, there is no separate city court system for civil filings. All civil court records in Augusta are filed and maintained through Richmond County court offices. The Augusta-Richmond County Courthouse is the central location for civil case filings, Superior Court dockets, and record requests across the consolidated government.

The consolidation happened in 1996, meaning civil case records in Augusta before that date may have been filed under either Augusta City or Richmond County. Records from the mid-1990s and earlier may require direct contact with the clerk's office to confirm where they are stored. For records from 1996 forward, the Richmond County consolidated court system is the single source for all civil filings in Augusta.

Civil cases in Augusta cover contract disputes, property actions, tort claims, domestic relations matters, civil appeals, and cases seeking damages. The Superior Court handles cases with no upper dollar limit, while the Magistrate Court and Civil Magistrate Court handle smaller civil matters and landlord-tenant disputes. Both fall under the Richmond County consolidated government structure.

Richmond County Clerk of Superior Court

The Clerk of Superior, State, and Juvenile Courts for Augusta-Richmond County serves as the primary keeper of civil court records in Augusta. The clerk's office is housed at the Augusta Richmond County Courthouse. The main clerk contact page is at augustaga.gov/296/Clerk-of-Superior-State-Juvenile-Court. This page lists office hours, phone numbers, and instructions for filing or requesting civil court documents in Augusta.

The clerk's office is responsible for receiving and indexing all civil filings, collecting court fees, maintaining case files, and providing public access to civil court records in Augusta. Staff at the courthouse can help confirm what documents are on file and how to order certified copies. Copy fees apply to plain copies and certified copies alike. For the current fee schedule, contact the clerk's office directly through the Augusta government website.

Georgia's Open Records Act requires the clerk to produce civil court records within three business days of a written or oral request. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, standard copy fees of around $0.10 per page apply unless the clerk sets a different rate by local policy. Certified copies carry a higher per-page fee plus a certification charge.

Note: Because Augusta operates under a consolidated government, the Clerk of Superior Court also serves the functions that would otherwise be split between a city clerk and county clerk in a non-consolidated jurisdiction.

Search Augusta Civil Court Records Online

Richmond County participates in re:SearchGA, Tyler Technologies' multi-county case search platform. This system lets you search civil court records across 25 Georgia counties, including Richmond County, from one interface. You can search by party name, case number, or attorney. Attorneys of record and pro se parties who e-file can view full documents for free. General public users may see case index data with limited document access.

The GSCCCA search portal covers recorded civil judgments, liens, UCC filings, and real estate instruments for Richmond County and all other Georgia counties. When a civil judgment in Augusta is recorded against property as a lien, it appears in the GSCCCA system. This is an important secondary source when you are researching the outcome of a civil case and want to know if a judgment was perfected as a property lien. Standard GSCCCA accounts cost $14.95 per month.

The Augusta government also provides the GSCCCA clerk profile for Richmond County at gsccca.org/clerks/clerk-results?cid=11, which links to office contact details and filing information specific to the Augusta-Richmond County clerk. This is a useful reference for finding the correct contact within the clerk's office for civil record requests.

Augusta Civil Magistrate Court

Augusta has a dedicated Civil Magistrate Court that handles smaller civil claims and related matters. The Civil Magistrate Court page is at augustaga.gov/67/Civil-Magistrate-Court. This court is the venue for civil claims up to the Magistrate Court's jurisdictional limit in Georgia, which covers small claims disputes, landlord-tenant actions, and civil warrant matters. If your civil matter involves a smaller dollar amount, the Civil Magistrate Court may be the right starting point rather than Superior Court.

The image below shows the Augusta Civil Magistrate Court page on the city's official website, which is the entry point for small claims and civil warrant filings in Augusta.

Visit the Augusta Civil Magistrate Court page to find filing instructions, forms, hearing schedules, and contact information for small claims and civil matters in Augusta, Georgia.

Civil Magistrate Court records in Augusta are part of the Richmond County consolidated court system and are separate from Superior Court civil filings, though both are maintained through the same consolidated government structure.

For a full list of office contacts within the Augusta-Richmond County court system, the office contacts page at augustaga.gov/441/Office-Contacts lists direct phone numbers and email addresses for each division, including civil court clerks, magistrate court staff, and the Superior Court clerk's office.

Having the right contact information saves time when you need to request civil case files, ask about filing deadlines, or confirm a case number before visiting the Augusta courthouse.

Civil Court Access in Augusta

Civil court records in Augusta are public records under the Georgia Open Records Act. Unless a judge has specifically sealed a file under Uniform Superior Court Rule 21, any person can inspect civil court filings at the Augusta-Richmond County Courthouse or request copies through the clerk's office. The three-business-day response requirement under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 applies to all clerk record requests in Augusta.

Attorneys who practice in Augusta courts can file civil cases electronically through the Odyssey eFileGA system. Self-represented litigants may also use this platform or file paper documents at the courthouse. Each new civil filing must include a case information form under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-7.1. The e-file system sends status updates by email and makes file-stamped copies available once the clerk accepts the filing.

For property fraud alerts tied to Augusta civil judgments and liens, the GSCCCA's free FANS service at fans.gsccca.org lets property owners register to receive notifications when documents are recorded against their real property in Richmond County. This is a practical tool for Augusta residents who want to monitor their property records for unauthorized filings related to civil disputes.

Nearby Georgia Cities

Augusta is the largest city in eastern Georgia. Several nearby communities in Columbia County are close to Augusta. Civil cases from those areas are filed in Columbia County Superior Court rather than Richmond County. The cities listed below have their own qualifying pages in this directory.