Jeff Davis County Court Docket Access

Jeff Davis County court docket records are kept by the Superior Court Clerk in Hazlehurst, Georgia. These public records document civil, criminal, and domestic cases filed in the county's court system. You can search Jeff Davis County dockets online through Georgia's statewide tools or request records directly from the clerk's office. This page explains how the search process works, what records exist, how to get copies, and which legal resources are available to residents.

Jeff Davis County Clerk of Superior Court

The Jeff Davis County Superior Court Clerk's office is located at 14 Jeff Davis Street, Hazlehurst, GA 31539. The main phone number is (912) 375-6615. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The clerk handles all filings for the Superior Court, which covers felony criminal cases, civil suits above the jurisdictional threshold, and family law matters including divorce and custody.

Jeff Davis County is in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, which covers Jeff Davis, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Tift, and Turner counties. This is a large circuit, and circuit judges travel throughout the region. The clerk's office manages local scheduling and case records for Jeff Davis County. Additional county information may be found at jeffdaviscountyga.gov.

You can visit the clerk's office during business hours to search records by case number or party name. Staff will pull the relevant file and direct you to paper or digital records as available. For older archived cases, it helps to call ahead. Staff cannot give legal advice, but they can help you understand how to locate a specific case on the docket.

Search Jeff Davis County Court Dockets Online

Georgia's re:SearchGA portal is the main tool for online Superior Court docket searches. It covers all counties in the state, including Jeff Davis. You can search by case number, party name, or filing date. The results show docket entries, case status, and in some cases links to scanned court documents. The basic search function is free.

The re:SearchGA portal provides statewide docket search for Jeff Davis County Superior Court filings.

This tool lets you search by party name, case number, or filing date at no cost for basic lookups.

The GSCCCA is a statewide index maintained by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority. It includes property records, liens, and other court-related filings for all 159 counties. Use the FANS portal for UCC filing searches. The eCertification portal processes orders for certified document copies online.

Requesting Jeff Davis County Court Records

In-person copy requests can be made at the clerk's office at 14 Jeff Davis Street in Hazlehurst. Give the clerk the case number or party name so the right file can be pulled. Copies are made at the office and payment is by cash or check. Large requests may take extra time, so come prepared with a clear list of what you need.

Under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77, Georgia Superior Court copy fees are set by statute. Standard copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 for the first page and $0.50 for every page after that. If you need a certified copy for court use or a financial institution, ask for certification when you submit your request.

To request records by mail, write to Jeff Davis County Superior Court Clerk, 14 Jeff Davis Street, Hazlehurst, GA 31539. Include the case number, party names, and a description of the documents you want. Attach a check or money order for the estimated copy cost. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the documents returned by mail. Expect a few business days for routine requests.

What the Jeff Davis County Docket Contains

The docket is a time-stamped list of every action taken in a case. Civil case dockets include the original complaint, answers from the defendant, discovery orders, dispositive motions, and the final judgment. Criminal dockets list the charges, grand jury actions, arraignment details, bond information, trial dates, verdicts, and sentencing records. Domestic dockets cover divorce petitions, temporary orders, child custody agreements, and final decrees.

Some records are not open to the public. Juvenile court records in Georgia are sealed by state law. Cases that have been expunged or restricted by judicial order will not appear in a standard public search. Victim information and certain health-related court records may also be protected and redacted before release. If you cannot find a record you expect to be there, contact the clerk's office to verify whether it is sealed or misfiled.

Georgia Open Records Law

Court dockets and filed documents are public records under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, the Georgia Open Records Act. Anyone can request to inspect or copy these records. You do not have to explain why you want them. The law applies to all government agencies in the state, including Superior Court clerks.

Agencies must respond within three business days. They must provide the records, give a deadline for when they will be ready, or explain in writing why they are being withheld. If only part of a document is exempt, the agency must release the rest with the exempt portions redacted. Jeff Davis County's clerk follows these same rules.

Common exemptions cover Social Security numbers, bank account information, and certain victim details. Records placed under seal by a judge are fully exempt from the open records law. If you believe a request was improperly denied, you can file a complaint with the Georgia Attorney General's Open Government office.

Statewide Resources for Jeff Davis County

The Georgia Courts e-Access portal connects you to court record systems across the state. The GSCCCA eCertification portal is the fastest way to order certified copies without visiting Hazlehurst. Federal cases tied to Jeff Davis County fall under the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Federal dockets are available through PACER at pacer.gov.

Georgia Legal Services Program at www.glsp.org offers free civil legal help to income-eligible residents, including those in Jeff Davis County. The State Bar of Georgia at www.gabar.org can connect you with a private attorney through its referral program if you need paid legal representation in the Alapaha Circuit.

Cities in Jeff Davis County

Hazlehurst is the county seat and main city in Jeff Davis County. Denton is a small community also within the county. Neither Hazlehurst nor any other community in Jeff Davis County meets the 25,000-population threshold for a dedicated city docket page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Jeff Davis County is located in southeast Georgia and borders several other counties. You can search court dockets for adjacent counties through the same statewide tools or by contacting each county's clerk directly.

Neighboring counties include Appling County, Coffee County, Telfair County, Laurens County, Montgomery County, and Toombs County.