Appling County Court Docket Records
Appling County court docket records are public documents maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court in Baxley, Georgia, and are open to inspection by any member of the public under Georgia's Open Records law. This page explains how to search the Appling County court docket, how to contact the clerk's office, and which official Georgia state tools support online and in-person access to local court records.
Appling County At a Glance
Appling County Court Docket - Search Options
The Appling County Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction for the county. It handles felony criminal cases, domestic relations matters including divorce and custody, civil suits above the Magistrate Court threshold, and equity actions. The Clerk of Superior Court in Baxley maintains the official Appling County court docket and all related case records. This docket is public. Any person may search it or request copies from it. You do not need to be a party to a case or have legal representation to access Appling County court records.
The statewide re:SearchGA portal at researchga.tylerhost.net is the first place to check for Appling County court docket entries online. This free tool indexes Superior Court case filings statewide and lets you search by party name or case number without needing an account. Results show the case type, filing date, assigned judge, parties of record, and scheduled hearing dates when available. The portal is updated as new Appling County filings are processed by the clerk's office, typically within one to two business days.
The GSCCCA statewide index at GSCCCA.org covers deed records, liens, and UCC filings tied to Appling County. This system is separate from the case docket but relevant if you are tracking a civil judgment and want to confirm whether it was recorded as a lien on Appling County property. Using both re:SearchGA and GSCCCA together gives you the most complete view of any Appling County court action from filing through enforcement.
Note: Appling County is part of the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Some circuit-level information and court schedules may reference the circuit name rather than Appling County specifically.
Appling County Clerk of Superior Court
The Clerk of Superior Court for Appling County is at 69 Tippins Street, Baxley, GA 31513. Phone: (912) 367-8126. The clerk's office manages all incoming case filings for Appling County Superior Court, maintains the official docket index, issues certified copies of court records, and handles Open Records requests from the public. In-person docket searches are available during regular business hours at the Baxley courthouse. Come with the case number or party name ready to make your search faster at the counter.
Certified copy fees for Appling County court records follow the statewide schedule set by O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77. The first certified page costs $2.50, and each additional page costs $0.50. Uncertified plain copies run $0.50 per page. These fee rates are set by Georgia statute and apply to all Superior Court clerks' offices statewide. For mail requests, contact the clerk at (912) 367-8126 first to confirm payment methods, current processing times, and any specific requirements for your records request before sending payment. Include a check or money order payable to the Clerk of Superior Court with your written request, along with the case number or party names and the type of documents you need.
The Appling County Clerk of Superior Court office in Baxley is your direct point of contact for any records that cannot be accessed through online systems, including older case files that predate electronic filing in the county.
Online Access to Appling County Court Records
Several Georgia state systems support online access to Appling County court docket records and related documents. The Georgia Courts E-Access directory at georgiacourts.gov/eaccess-court-records lists court-specific search tools for counties across the state and links directly to those systems. Use this page to find the right portal for a specific Appling County record type if you are unsure which system covers what you need.
For certified electronic copies of Appling County court documents, the eCertification portal at GSCCCA lets registered users order official certified copies online without traveling to Baxley. The electronic certified copies delivered through this portal have the same legal standing as paper-certified copies for most purposes. Registration is free and open to the public. Attorneys, title companies, and researchers use this system regularly for Appling County and other Georgia county court records.
The GSCCCA's FANS filing alert service allows you to set up name-based notifications for Appling County court filings. When a new case involving your monitored name is filed in the Appling County docket, you get an email. This is a practical way to track Appling County litigation without running manual searches repeatedly. The GSCCCA eFiling portal also supports electronic case submissions in Appling County Superior Court when local court rules permit electronic filing.
Georgia's official statewide portals connect to Appling County court docket data and support free public access to case filings and status information.
Georgia Open Records Act and Appling County
O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 through § 50-18-74 gives the public broad rights of access to Appling County court docket records. The law defines public records to include any document made or kept by the clerk's office in the course of official court business. Case filings, docket entries, judgments, orders, and case histories in Appling County Superior Court are all public records under this definition. The clerk's office cannot require you to explain why you want these records.
When you submit an Open Records request for Appling County court records, the clerk must respond within three business days. The response might be the records themselves if they are readily available, a written denial citing the specific legal exemption that applies, or a notice that a large or complex request will take additional time to fulfill. The first 15 minutes of staff search time are free. Standard copy fees for letter and legal size documents are capped at 10 cents per page under the Open Records Act. Certified copies are priced separately under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77 and cost more per page.
Sealed cases require a court order and are the primary exception to public access in Appling County. Juvenile records are also confidential by statute. Outside these narrow exceptions, the Appling County court docket is fully open. Any written denial of an Open Records request must cite the specific statutory basis, and you have the right to appeal or challenge an improper denial.
Appling County Court System
Appling County's court system includes Superior Court, Magistrate Court, and Probate Court. Superior Court holds the main Appling County court docket covering felony criminal, domestic relations, civil, and equity case filings. Magistrate Court handles small claims up to $15,000, county ordinance violations, and bad check matters on its own separate docket. Probate Court manages wills, estate administrations, and guardianship proceedings. Neither of these lower courts is managed by the Superior Court clerk. If you need Magistrate or Probate records in Appling County, contact those courts directly in Baxley. Their offices may or may not share the same courthouse building as the Superior Court clerk.
State Court, if active in Appling County, handles misdemeanor criminal matters and certain civil cases. Confirm with the Baxley courthouse which courts are currently active and accepting filings before directing a records request or a case filing to a specific office.
Nearby Counties
Appling County is in southeast Georgia and borders several neighboring counties. Multi-county cases involving parties or property across county lines may require searching more than one court docket system.