Find Civil Court Records in DeKalb County

DeKalb County civil court records are held by the DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur. The clerk's office at dksuperiorclerk.com maintains civil case filings, court orders, final judgments, real estate documents, and other instruments tied to civil matters filed in the county. DeKalb County made a major shift to paperless civil court records starting January 1, 2018, with mandatory e-filing for attorneys having begun the year before, making this one of Georgia's more digitally accessible civil record systems.

DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk Office

The DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk maintains the official civil court records for the county. The main office is at the DeKalb County Courthouse, 556 North McDonough Street, Ground Floor, Decatur, GA 30030. The main phone line is 404-371-2836. The general email address is cscinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov. Office hours for judicial and real estate matters run Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Passport processing ends earlier, at 3:30 PM on weekdays.

Parking near the DeKalb County Courthouse is available in the deck located behind the courthouse on the corner of West Trinity and Commerce. The parking fee is $6 and is payable by cash, debit, or credit card. Do not park in surrounding business parking lots, as booting is enforced in that area. If you are making a quick records request or filing at the clerk's window, allow extra time to find parking and walk to the courthouse entrance on McDonough Street in Decatur.

The screenshot below shows the DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk homepage, where you can find direct links to civil records search, contact information, and online services for civil court matters in DeKalb County.

The DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk website is the starting point for civil records requests, e-filing registration, eCertification ordering, and contact information for each division of the clerk's office.

From this page you can navigate to the Civil and Family Division, Real Estate Division, and contact information for supervisors in each section of the DeKalb County clerk's office.

DeKalb County Clerk Divisions and Civil Records

The DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk's office is divided into specialized sections that each handle different types of civil court records. The Civil and Family Division is supervised by Tara Jackson. This division handles civil and family cases including divorce, name changes, contract disputes, damages claims, bond validations, foreign judgments, and real property actions. It also processes magistrate court appeals, writs, judicial review petitions, subpoenas, and certified copy requests for civil matters in DeKalb County.

The Real Estate and Land Records division is managed by supervisors Jeffrey Miller and Jordan Logan, with Vivian Cook as manager. You can reach Cook at vcook@dekalbcountyga.gov. This division handles deeds, cancellations, assignment of security deeds, grantor-grantee recording, liens, ad valorem filings, UCC instruments, and plats. Real estate records often intersect with civil court records in DeKalb County when a civil judgment results in a recorded lien against property. The Notary and Trade Names section is managed by Lisa Oakley at loakley@dekalbcountyga.gov and handles notary commissions and trade name registrations.

The Criminal Division supervisor is John Bryant, reachable at jbryant@dekalbcountyga.gov. For archived civil court records in DeKalb County, contact Melissa Turner at 404-687-3868 or 404-371-2250. Archive record request fees apply: final judgments and decrees cost $5, and settlement agreements cost $10. These fees are set separately from the standard copy fee schedule.

The contact page for the DeKalb County clerk's office provides phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing information for each division. The image below shows this contact page where you can find the right staff member for your specific civil records request in DeKalb County.

The DeKalb County Clerk contact page lists direct contacts for each division including Civil and Family, Real Estate, Criminal, Notary, and archive records requests for civil matters filed in the county.

Using the direct division contacts listed on this page saves time compared to calling the main line when you know exactly which type of civil court record you need in DeKalb County.

DeKalb County Civil E-Filing and Paperless Records

DeKalb County is one of the more advanced Georgia counties when it comes to electronic civil court records. Mandatory e-filing for attorneys began January 1, 2017. The clerk's office went fully paperless on January 1, 2018, meaning all civil court records filed after that date exist as digital documents. This shift has made it easier to access DeKalb County civil court records online without having to visit the courthouse in Decatur in person.

E-filing in DeKalb County is done through the Odyssey eFileGA system at efilega.tylertech.cloud, which is also accessible at odysseyefilega.com. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-94, the Superior Court Clerk is responsible for receiving and recording all civil filings in DeKalb County. Each new civil case must include a case filing information form as required by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-7.1, which indexes the filing in the case management system. The eCertification portal at ecert.gsccca.org lets you order certified copies of recorded civil documents without visiting the Decatur courthouse.

DeKalb County also participates in re:SearchGA, the statewide case management search platform. This system gives you access to civil court records from DeKalb County alongside participating counties across Georgia, which is useful when a civil matter spans multiple jurisdictions. The GSCCCA search portal covers recorded DeKalb County civil instruments including liens, security deeds, UCC filings, and plats.

Note: DeKalb County State Court also handles civil matters with its own clerk. The State Court Clerk is Kimberly Brock, located at Room 230 of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Her main number is 404-371-2261. For civil inquiries, email dcsccivilinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov. For criminal matters, use dcsccriminalinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov.

Property Fraud Registry and Civil Records

DeKalb County participates in the FANS residential property fraud notification service through the GSCCCA. Property owners in DeKalb County can sign up at fans.gsccca.org to receive alerts when documents are recorded against their property. This is particularly relevant to civil matters involving fraudulent deed transfers, unauthorized lien recordings, or title disputes in DeKalb County.

The DeKalb County Real Estate Division also operates its own property fraud verification service. If you suspect a fraudulent document has been recorded against your property in DeKalb County, call the Real Estate Division at 404-687-3812 to verify. Civil cases involving property fraud often generate both Superior Court civil court records and recorded instruments in the GSCCCA database. Checking both systems gives you the most complete picture of any title or lien dispute involving DeKalb County property.

For broader civil records research across Georgia, CourtTRAX at courttrax.org aggregates civil court data from multiple counties. The open courts access rules for Georgia civil records are explained at the Reporters Committee open courts guide, which covers what documents are public and how to request civil court records under Georgia law. The FANS and GSCCCA systems together make DeKalb County one of the more transparent jurisdictions for civil property records in the state.

Cities in DeKalb County

DeKalb County includes a mix of large suburban cities and smaller communities east and northeast of Atlanta. All civil cases from cities in DeKalb County are filed with the Superior Court Clerk at 556 North McDonough Street in Decatur or the State Court Clerk at Room 230 of the same courthouse, depending on which court has jurisdiction over the matter.

Other communities in DeKalb County include Decatur, Avondale Estates, Clarkston, Stone Mountain, Pine Lake, Lithonia, and Doraville. Civil court cases from all of these areas are handled through the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court in Decatur.

Nearby Counties

DeKalb County borders several Georgia counties. Civil cases must be filed in the county where the defendant lives or where the incident occurred. If you are unsure which county has jurisdiction over a civil matter, check the address of the property or party involved and consult the neighboring county records below.