Find Dissolution of Marriage Records in Dodge County

Dissolution of marriage records in Dodge County are kept at the Superior Court Clerk's office at the Dodge County Courthouse in Eastman, Georgia. The clerk at 5401 Anson Avenue is the official keeper of all dissolution filings, from the first petition through the final signed decree. Eastman serves as the county seat for Dodge County in Middle Georgia. This page explains how to find records in person and online, what the filing process involves, what documents are in a case file, how state-level verification works, and where to get legal help in Dodge County.

Dodge County Superior Court Clerk

The Superior Court Clerk in Eastman is the official keeper of all dissolution of marriage records in Dodge County. This office receives petitions, assigns case numbers, tracks all documents throughout the case, and files the final decree once the judge signs it. After that, the record becomes public and anyone may view it or request copies. Staff will search by party name or case number and can confirm what documents are on file.

The courthouse is on Anson Avenue in Eastman. Bring a photo ID when you visit and have the full names of both parties ready so staff can pull up the case quickly. Dodge County does not have a public online case search portal, so in-person visits and written mail requests are the main options. If you want to submit a request by mail, call the office first to confirm the current fee schedule and the right address for payment.

Clerk staff can confirm what is in a file and issue certified copies at the current fee. They will not give legal advice. If you have questions about your legal rights or what to do in a case, see the legal help section below.

How to Search Dodge County Dissolution Records

In-person searching at the Eastman courthouse is the most direct option. The clerk will look up the case by party name or case number and let you view the file. Older records may be in paper form and can take a few minutes to locate. Copy fees apply when you want pages from the file.

Several statewide online tools are worth checking before you make the drive to Eastman. The Georgia Courts portal at georgiacourts.gov offers general access to court information and county-level case systems across the state. PeachCourt at peachcourt.com provides a public civil case search that covers many Georgia counties and may include Dodge County filings. Re:SearchGA at researchga.tylerhost.net indexes records for roughly 25 participating counties and is worth a quick check.

The GSCCCA eCertification portal at ecert.gsccca.org lets you request certified copies of recorded court documents without going to the courthouse. The GSCCCA main site at gsccca.org connects you to the statewide records system. The Georgia Archives at georgiaarchives.org holds historical filings that may not appear in any county system. Archives hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM, at (678) 364-3710.

You can also use the Georgia.gov vital records request page at georgia.gov/request-vital-records as a starting point for state-level dissolution verifications for cases in the 1952 to 1996 range.

The Georgia.gov request portal links directly to the DPH vital records system, which covers dissolution verifications from 1952 through 1996 only. For all other records, contact the Dodge County Superior Court Clerk in Eastman.

Filing for Dissolution of Marriage in Dodge County

To file a dissolution of marriage case in Dodge County, at least one spouse must have been a Georgia resident for a continuous period of at least six months before the petition is submitted. This is required by O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2. The petition goes to the Dodge County Superior Court Clerk at 5401 Anson Avenue in Eastman. Once the petition is filed, you must serve the other party with the petition and summons according to Georgia service rules.

After service is completed, a 30-day waiting period begins. Georgia law requires this wait in every county before a court can enter a final decree. In simple, uncontested cases where both parties agree on everything, the case can close relatively quickly once the waiting period ends. Contested cases take more time because the judge must work through disputes over property, children, or support before finalizing the dissolution.

Georgia lists 13 grounds for dissolution under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3. The most commonly used is the no-fault ground that the marriage is irretrievably broken, which does not require proving fault by either party. When the judge signs the final decree, the clerk files it and it becomes a public record in Dodge County. Certified copies can be requested from the Eastman office at any point after that.

What Dissolution Records Contain

A dissolution of marriage case file in Dodge County holds every document submitted during the proceeding, from the initial petition to the final signed decree. The file is public unless the court has issued a sealing order for any portion of it. Here is what a typical case file includes:

• Petition for dissolution of marriage naming both spouses and stating grounds
• Summons and proof of service confirming the other party was notified
• Settlement agreements or financial disclosures submitted by the parties
• Temporary orders for property use, custody, or financial support, if any were entered
• Parenting plan or custody order if minor children are part of the case
• Final decree of dissolution signed by the Dodge County Superior Court judge
• Post-decree modification orders or enforcement filings added after the case closed

Not every file has all of these components. A simple agreed case with no children will be much shorter. The clerk will show you the case index when you arrive. If you only need to confirm that a dissolution happened and do not need the full file, the clerk can give you that confirmation. You can also check the statewide eCertification system through GSCCCA to see if a certified copy is available for that case.

State Verification Through Georgia DPH

The Georgia Department of Public Health operates a statewide index of dissolution verifications for cases finalized between 1952 and 1996. This is not a copy of the court decree. The DPH verification is a short document that confirms the dissolution occurred and provides basic identifying information. It does not include the full case details found in the Superior Court file.

For cases outside that date range, the Dodge County Superior Court Clerk in Eastman is the only official source. DPH Vital Records is at 1680 Phoenix Blvd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Call (404) 657-2700 or visit dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords. DPH cannot provide certified copies of decrees. If you need the actual court document, you must contact the clerk or use the GSCCCA eCertification portal.

The GSCCCA eCertification portal allows you to request certified copies of recorded court documents from participating Georgia counties. It is a useful tool when you cannot travel to Eastman in person.

Legal Help in Dodge County

If you need legal guidance for a dissolution of marriage case in Dodge County, several organizations serve Middle Georgia residents. Legal Services Georgia at glsp.org provides free civil legal help to low-income residents who qualify. Georgia Legal Aid at georgialegalaid.org offers self-help tools and a directory of offices that serve the Eastman area. Both are good starting points for free or low-cost assistance.

If you prefer to hire a private attorney, the Georgia Bar's lawyer referral service can connect you with licensed family law attorneys in your region. Call 1-800-334-6865 or visit gabar.org to get a referral. Clerk staff in Eastman can help with procedural questions and tell you which forms to file, but they cannot give legal advice or interpret the law. If your case involves children or contested property, talking to a lawyer before you file is a sound step.

Cities in Dodge County

Dodge County is a small, rural county in Middle Georgia. Eastman is the county seat with a population of roughly 5,000. No city in Dodge County meets the 100,000-resident threshold for a separate city records page. All dissolution of marriage filings go through the Superior Court Clerk in Eastman.

Nearby Counties

Dodge County is surrounded by several Middle Georgia counties. If a dissolution case was filed in a neighboring county, you will need to contact that county's Superior Court Clerk directly.