Access Clarke County Dissolution Of Marriage Records

Clarke County dissolution of marriage records are filed with and maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Athens, Georgia. Athens is the county seat and the home of the University of Georgia, and the county operates under a unified Athens-Clarke County government. All dissolution of marriage cases in Clarke County go through the Superior Court, and the files are public records under Georgia's Open Records Act. Whether you need a certified copy of a final decree, want to confirm a case exists, or are researching older records for legal or personal reasons, this guide walks through the steps to access what you need.

Superior Court Clerk Contact Details

The Clarke County Superior Court Clerk is located at 325 East Washington Street, Athens, GA 30601. Mailed requests go to PO Box 1805, Athens, GA 30603. The office phone is (706) 613-3190. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no separate clerk website listed, so phone and mail are the main options for remote requests.

When you contact the clerk's office, be ready with the full names of both spouses and an approximate year or case number if you have it. The clerk can search by name or case number. In-person visits allow you to view the file and order copies right away. Certified copies carry a per-page charge plus a certification fee set by state law. Plain copies are cheaper and may be sufficient for personal use. If you are mailing a request, include a check payable to the Clerk of Superior Court, a return address, and a clear description of the record you need.

Athens-Clarke County operates under a unified city-county government, which makes it somewhat unique in Georgia. However, for court purposes, the Superior Court Clerk still operates at the county level, and all dissolution filings for the territory of Athens-Clarke County go through the clerk's office on East Washington Street. Clarke County is in the Western Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Oconee County. The same circuit means cases may occasionally involve judges who also preside in Oconee County, but all filings for Clarke County remain with the Clarke County clerk.

Finding Cases Through State Portals

Georgia maintains several online tools that can help you find dissolution case information without a courthouse visit. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority at gsccca.org runs a statewide records portal that pulls data from counties across Georgia. Some document types are accessible for free; others require a fee or an account to retrieve in full. GSCCCA's phone number is (404) 327-9058.

This screenshot shows the Find My Clerk directory at the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Association, a quick way to get contact information for the Clarke County clerk and every other county in the state.

Source: Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Association - Find My Clerk

The Find My Clerk tool at gaclerks.org is kept current and provides addresses, phone numbers, and any online portal links for each county's clerk of court.

re:SearchGA at researchga.tylerhost.net is another state tool that provides online case docket access for participating counties. If Clarke County is included in the current coverage, you may be able to view case details, dates, and parties online before contacting the clerk. Check the site's county list for current participation status. The Georgia Courts portal at georgiacourts.gov also links to court resources, filing guides, and judicial circuit information for Clarke County and the surrounding Western Circuit.

Georgia Archives and Historical Records

The Georgia Archives holds a statewide dissolution index for records from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1999. This index is searchable by name and can help you confirm that a dissolution was filed and identify the county where it was recorded. It does not contain full case documents, but knowing the county lets you contact the right clerk's office. For Clarke County cases identified in the index, the clerk at 325 East Washington Street can pull the original file. Visit the Georgia Archives at georgiaarchives.org for access to the index and other historical Georgia court records.

The image below is from the Georgia Archives website, showing the statewide resources available including the dissolution index that covers several decades of Georgia court records.

Source: Georgia Archives

The Georgia Archives also holds other historical records that may be relevant to genealogical research, including some early 20th century court records that predate the statewide dissolution index.

For cases from 1952 through 1996, the Georgia Department of Public Health offers a state-level verification service through its Vital Records office. This confirms that a dissolution was recorded with the state but does not provide a copy of the court file. Reach DPH Vital Records at 1680 Phoenix Blvd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349, by phone at (404) 657-2700, or online at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords.

Filing a Dissolution Case in Clarke County

To file for dissolution of marriage in Clarke County, at least one spouse must have been a Georgia resident for six months before the petition date. The case normally goes to the county where the defendant lives. If the defendant has left Georgia, the plaintiff can file in their own county, which would be Clarke County if that is where they reside.

Georgia law provides 13 grounds for dissolution. The most commonly used is that the marriage is "irretrievably broken," a no-fault standard that does not require either party to prove misconduct. This ground is available even if the other spouse does not agree to the dissolution. Once the petition is filed and the other party is served, a 30-day waiting period begins. If both spouses agree on all issues, the case can close quickly after the wait ends. Disputed issues over property, debt, or children extend the timeline and may require mediation or hearings.

The key statutes are in Title 19 of the Georgia Code. You can read the relevant sections at codes.findlaw.com or through Justia's Georgia Title 19 Chapter 5. Both sites present the law in an accessible format that can help you understand the requirements before you take any formal steps.

Legal Aid and Private Counsel

Georgia Legal Services Program at glsp.org serves qualifying lower-income Georgians who need family law help. Georgia Legal Aid at georgialegalaid.org offers self-help guides and online tools that walk through the dissolution process step by step. These resources are especially useful for uncontested cases where both parties have already agreed on the terms.

If you want a private attorney, the Georgia Bar lawyer referral service is available at 1-800-334-6865 or at gabar.org. Athens has a number of family law attorneys who regularly handle cases in Clarke County Superior Court. Given the presence of UGA, the local bar includes attorneys experienced in a wide range of family law matters, including cases involving student loans, academic careers, and complex financial arrangements that sometimes arise in university communities.

Cities in Clarke County

Clarke County operates under a unified government, and Athens serves as the county seat and primary city. Athens has a dedicated page on this site.

Other communities within Clarke County include Winterville and Bogart, neither of which meets the population threshold for a separate page. All dissolution of marriage cases from across the county are handled through the Superior Court Clerk in Athens.

Nearby Counties

If a case may have been filed in a neighboring county, the following pages cover adjacent jurisdictions.