Access Telfair County Court Docket

Telfair County court docket records are held by the Clerk of Superior Court in McRae, Georgia. The docket covers every civil, criminal, and family law case that goes through the Telfair County Superior Court. Each entry records what happened in a case, who filed what documents, and what rulings the court issued. This guide covers how to search the Telfair County docket online, how to get physical copies of records, what information you will find, and the public access rules that govern these records under Georgia law.

Telfair County Clerk of Superior Court

The Telfair County Clerk of Superior Court is at 19 East Oak Street, McRae, GA 31055. The clerk's office phone is (229) 868-6525. The clerk handles all filings and maintains the docket for the Telfair County Superior Court, which covers the full range of civil, criminal, and domestic matters in the county. More information is available at www.telfaircountyga.gov.

The clerk's staff can locate case records by party name or case number. For records from several years ago, some files may be stored in an archive and may take a short time to retrieve. Calling ahead before a visit lets you confirm the file is accessible and saves time. Staff are generally helpful with guiding you through the process of locating and ordering records.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Telfair County courthouse is in McRae. Telfair County is in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, so some cases may be heard by circuit judges who rotate among the counties in the circuit.

Search Telfair County Dockets Online

The re:SearchGA portal at researchga.tylerhost.net lets you search Superior Court dockets from Georgia counties that use the Tyler Technologies case management system. You can enter a party name or case number to find Telfair County cases if the county participates in re:SearchGA. Results show filing dates, document types, hearing dates, and case status.

The re:SearchGA portal is the main online tool for searching Telfair County court dockets and other Georgia Superior Court records.

The GSCCCA portal at gsccca.org covers real estate, liens, and UCC filings recorded by the Telfair County clerk. For civil cases that involve property disputes or security interests, a search on GSCCCA can round out the picture. If you need help finding a specific case not yet online, call the clerk at (229) 868-6525 directly.

Requesting Court Records

Copies of Telfair County court records are available in person at 19 East Oak Street in McRae or by mail. For in-person requests, bring the case number or party names and the clerk will locate the file and make copies. Mail requests should include a description of the records you need, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment for copying costs.

Per O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77, the fee for plain copies is $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 for the first page plus $0.50 for each additional page. Most requests are handled by check or money order for mail-in requests. Call (229) 868-6525 to verify accepted payment methods and any current processing backlogs before submitting.

The eCertification portal at ecert.gsccca.org allows online ordering of certified copies of specific document types. This is a convenient alternative when a trip to McRae is not practical. Confirm the availability of the document type you need for Telfair County before using this service.

What's in the Telfair County Docket

The Telfair County court docket provides a complete record of every case in the Superior Court. Each entry shows the date, the type of action, and any order or ruling made by the court. Civil dockets track complaints, motions, discovery disputes, and final judgments. Criminal dockets cover everything from arraignment to sentencing for felony cases. Domestic relations dockets document divorce filings, custody determinations, support orders, and any later modifications.

The docket names all parties to a case and their attorneys of record. It lists every document filed and every court action taken. Not all attached exhibits appear in the public docket, but the entries are detailed enough to identify what you need and request it from the clerk. Reviewing the docket first saves time when planning a records request.

Open Records and Public Access

O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, Georgia's Open Records Act, ensures that court docket records in Telfair County are available to the public. You are not required to give a reason for your request. The clerk must respond in writing within three business days. The actual records may take longer to produce if the request is large.

Most docket records are public. Certain exceptions apply. Records sealed by a judge's order, juvenile court records, and records covered by specific state or federal protections are not accessible to the general public. If part of a file is sealed, the clerk will acknowledge it exists but will not release the restricted content without a court order.

Records that were expunged or restricted after a case closed do not show up in public docket searches. The clerk can confirm that a restriction order exists but cannot describe the restricted records. If access to sealed records is needed for legal reasons, a motion to the court is the proper channel.

Statewide Search Tools

The Georgia Courts E-Access portal at georgiacourts.gov/eaccess-court-records connects users to court record systems across the state. Telfair County is in the Southern District of Georgia for federal purposes, so federal cases can be found through PACER at pacer.gov.

Georgia Legal Services Program at glsp.org provides free legal help to qualifying residents who need assistance understanding their rights or navigating court records. The eFileGA system at odysseyefilega.com handles electronic court filings for attorneys. Once processed, those filings appear in re:SearchGA for public viewing.

Cities in Telfair County

McRae is the county seat of Telfair County. Helena and Jacksonville are other small communities in the county. None of these towns reach the population threshold for a city page on this site. The nearest qualifying city in the region is Valdosta in Lowndes County to the south, though the more directly accessible regional center is Douglas in Coffee County.

Nearby Counties

Telfair County shares borders with several south Georgia counties. To the north is Dodge County and Laurens County. To the east are Jeff Davis County and Appling County. To the south is Coffee County. To the west are Wilcox County and Ben Hill County. Each county maintains its own Superior Court docket records through its own clerk's office.