Wilkes County Civil Court Records

Civil court records in Wilkes County are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Washington, the county seat, and are part of the Northern Circuit court system. You can search available records online through the GSCCCA portal at gsccca.org/search, or you can contact the clerk's office directly for copies of specific filings. This page covers the main ways to access civil records, what types of cases are kept on file, and how to use the state's digital tools to find what you need.

Superior Court Clerk of Wilkes County

The Superior Court Clerk in Washington, Georgia is the official custodian of all civil court records filed in Wilkes County. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-94, the clerk is required by law to index and maintain all filings coming through the Superior Court. That duty covers civil suits, judgment records, liens, divorce filings, and other matters heard in the Northern Circuit.

The clerk's office is at the Wilkes County Courthouse in downtown Washington. Staff can help you search for a case by party name or case number, pull documents from the file, and provide copies. Certified copies require payment of the applicable fee.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is a good idea to call before visiting to confirm hours and ask whether the specific record you need is available in the office or in storage. Older records may take extra time to retrieve.

• Address: Wilkes County Courthouse, Washington, GA 30673
• Phone: (706) 678-2423
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Judicial Circuit: Northern Circuit

GSCCCA Online Search Portal

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) runs a statewide online database of civil court filings. You can search Wilkes County records at gsccca.org/search without visiting the courthouse. The system indexes filings by party name and lets you view document details and, in many cases, the documents themselves.

The GSCCCA homepage at gsccca.org is the starting point for all of Georgia's statewide civil court record tools. The screenshot below shows the homepage and the resources it offers.

From this starting point you can navigate to the search portal, eCertification, FANS alerts, and other tools. The GSCCCA serves all 159 Georgia counties, including Wilkes, and is updated regularly as new filings come in from the clerk's office.

Searches on the portal are free. Some document types require a fee to view or download. If you need a certified copy, you will either use the eCertification system or contact the clerk directly.

Civil Record Types Filed in Wilkes County

The Superior Court in Wilkes County takes in a wide range of civil case types. The clerk keeps records of all of them. Common categories include:

• General civil lawsuits (contract disputes, debt actions)
• Real property disputes and quiet title actions
• Divorce, legal separation, and related domestic matters
• Adoptions and name changes
• Tort and personal injury claims
• Judgment liens and execution of judgment
• Garnishments
• Equity actions and injunctions

The Magistrate Court in Wilkes County handles smaller civil claims, usually those under $15,000. Those records are kept at the magistrate court level separately from the Superior Court files. If your case falls in that smaller range, contact the magistrate court clerk in Washington for those records.

Probate Court records, which deal with wills and estates, are held by the Wilkes County Probate Court. Those are not part of the Superior Court civil record system but are still public records and can be accessed at the probate court office.

eCertification: Certified Copies Without a Trip to the Courthouse

The GSCCCA eCertification portal at ecert.gsccca.org lets you get certified copies of court documents online. You search for the document, pay the fee, and download or receive a certified copy. This is useful for attorneys, title companies, lenders, and anyone who needs an official copy quickly.

The eCertification system is a fast way to get official court documents from Wilkes County without a trip to Washington. Below is a screenshot of the portal's login and search interface.

eCertified documents are accepted in many legal and financial proceedings. If you are not sure whether the party receiving the document will accept an eCertified copy, check with them before ordering. Some proceedings still require a paper copy with a physical court seal, in which case you would contact the Wilkes County clerk's office directly.

Not all records are available through eCertification. Older filings that were not digitized may need to be requested directly from the clerk's office. If you search and cannot find the document you need, call the clerk to ask about availability.

FANS: Filing Activity Notification System

FANS (Filing Activity Notification System) is a free alert service from the GSCCCA. You register names you want to watch, and FANS sends you an email whenever a new document is filed in any participating Georgia Superior Court under that name. This covers Wilkes County filings as soon as they are entered in the system.

FANS is useful for property owners who want to know if a lien or judgment is filed against their property. It is also used by businesses to monitor for unexpected legal actions. You can sign up at fans.gsccca.org. The service is free and takes only a few minutes to set up.

You can monitor multiple names and multiple counties from a single FANS account. If you have interests in Wilkes County and neighboring counties, you can set up alerts for all of them at once.

Georgia Open Records Act and Public Access

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, civil court records in Wilkes County are public records. Any person can request them. You do not need to show a reason or prove you are a party to the case. The clerk must respond to a written records request within three business days.

Some records may be sealed or restricted by court order or by law. For example, adoption records and cases involving minors are typically not open to the public. If the record you need is restricted, the clerk will tell you. You can challenge a denial through a formal process under the Open Records Act.

Copy fees apply. The rate is set by state law and applies per page. For a large request, ask the clerk for a cost estimate before you submit. Mail-in requests should include payment in the form of a check or money order along with your contact information and a description of the records you want.

Nearby Counties

Civil cases must be filed in the county where the defendant lives or where the dispute arose. Check these neighboring county records if you are unsure which court has jurisdiction.