Find Dissolution of Marriage Records in Heard County

Dissolution of marriage records in Heard County are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Franklin, the county seat, and are public records under Georgia law. This page covers how to access those records, what the filing process looks like, and which state tools can help you before you contact the courthouse directly.

Heard County Superior Court Clerk

The Superior Court Clerk in Franklin is the official custodian of all dissolution of marriage records filed in Heard County. The clerk's office handles walk-in requests during business hours and accepts mail requests at the address below. Suite A of the Heard County Courthouse is where the clerk operates. Call ahead before visiting so staff can confirm records are available and pulled for your review when you arrive.

Have the names of both parties and an approximate filing date ready when you call. This saves time and helps the clerk locate the file, especially for older cases that exist only in paper form.

Searching for Heard County Dissolution of Marriage Records

Heard County does not provide a public online case search system. Searches typically start with a direct call or visit to the clerk's office in Franklin. Before you make that contact, a few statewide systems are worth checking.

The Find My Clerk directory at gaclerks.org keeps updated contact information for every Superior Court Clerk in Georgia. Use it to confirm the Heard County clerk's current details before reaching out. The directory is maintained by the Superior Court Clerks' Association of Georgia and reflects changes promptly.

At the state level, the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) maintains a statewide index of recorded documents. Some civil case filings, including dissolution matters, appear in this index. Checking GSCCCA first can tell you whether a case shows up before you contact the clerk directly. Their eCertification tool at ecert.gsccca.org lets you request certified copies online for certain documents.

PeachCourt is Georgia's statewide eFiling platform. Cases filed through PeachCourt may be searchable by the public. If the dissolution case you are looking for was filed recently, this is worth a look before driving to Franklin.

The Georgia Courts portal provides general information about how Superior Courts operate and links to eFiling, case lookup, and other tools used across the state. It does not hold Heard County case files, but it is a useful orientation resource.

The Georgia Archives maintains a statewide divorce index on microfiche. The screenshot below shows the Archives website, which is a key resource for older dissolution case research in Georgia going back several decades.

The Archives index covers cases from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1999. It can help confirm which county handled an older case when the filing county is unknown.

Filing a Dissolution of Marriage in Heard County

All dissolution of marriage petitions in Heard County are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Franklin. Georgia requires that at least one spouse have lived in the state for six months before the filing date. The case is filed in the county where the defendant resides, or where the parties last lived together, depending on the circumstances.

Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3 recognizes 13 grounds for dissolution of marriage. The vast majority of cases filed in Heard County use the no-fault ground of irretrievable breakdown, which does not require proving fault or misconduct by either spouse. Other grounds, such as adultery or habitual intoxication, are still on the books but rarely used in modern filings.

After the petition is filed and the other party is properly served, the court must wait at least 30 days before issuing a final decree. This is a mandatory period built into Georgia law, and no judge can waive it even in a fully agreed case. For contested cases, the wait is typically much longer as the court schedules hearings and the parties work through disputed issues.

The clerk's office in Franklin can tell you which forms are currently required for local filings and whether any local standing orders affect how cases are processed. Procedures can vary slightly from county to county, so it is worth asking about Heard County's specific requirements before you file.

What Dissolution Records in Heard County Include

A dissolution of marriage case file held by the Heard County Superior Court Clerk can contain a wide range of documents. The exact contents depend on the complexity of the case and how far it progressed before a final decree was entered.

In a simple uncontested case, the file may hold only the petition, proof of service, a settlement agreement, and the final decree. In a contested case, the file can grow to include temporary orders, motions, hearings transcripts, financial disclosure statements, guardian ad litem reports, and multiple judge orders. The final decree itself is what most people need for post-dissolution purposes.

Certified copies of the final decree are required for name changes at the Social Security Administration and DMV, for updating financial accounts and titles, and for establishing eligibility to remarry. The clerk can issue a certified copy with a raised seal for a set fee. Check the current fee with the office before your visit.

All dissolution records in Heard County are public under the Georgia Open Records Act unless a judge has issued a seal order on specific documents. Sealed materials are typically limited to cases involving minor children or sensitive financial details. The clerk can tell you if any part of a specific file is sealed before you make the trip to Franklin.

State Verification Records at Georgia DPH

The Georgia Department of Public Health Vital Records office in Atlanta keeps a limited set of divorce verification records for cases filed in Georgia between 1952 and 1996. This is a different system from the court records held in Heard County, and the two serve different purposes.

DPH can issue a verification letter confirming that a dissolution of marriage occurred in Georgia during that date range. The letter is not a certified copy of a court decree and does not substitute for one in most legal contexts. For actual case documents, you need the Superior Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed.

Contact DPH Vital Records at (404) 657-2700, Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. The office is at 1680 Phoenix Blvd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Requests require Form 3917 and a $10 search fee plus $5 per copy. More details are at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords.

Legal Help for Heard County Residents

Heard County residents who need legal help with a dissolution of marriage case have several options, including free services for those who qualify by income.

Legal Services Georgia offers free civil legal assistance to low-income residents throughout Georgia, including Heard County. They handle family law cases and can help with dissolution filings, custody, and support matters. Contact their office to check your eligibility and get started.

Georgia Legal Aid offers a large library of free self-help guides online. The site explains the dissolution of marriage process in plain language and links to the forms used in Georgia courts. This is a solid starting point for anyone handling an uncontested case without a lawyer.

The State Bar of Georgia runs a lawyer referral service at 1-800-334-6865. The service can connect you with a family law attorney who handles cases in the Heard County area. Local counsel will know the practices of the Franklin courthouse and can spot issues that a self-represented party might miss.

For older records research, the Georgia Archives in Morrow holds a microfiche divorce index covering cases from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1999. The Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260, open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM.

Cities in Heard County

Franklin is the county seat of Heard County and serves as the location of the courthouse and clerk's office. The city has a population of roughly 1,000 residents. No city in Heard County currently meets the population threshold for a dedicated records page. All dissolution of marriage cases filed by county residents are handled at the clerk's office at 215 East Court Square in Franklin.

Nearby Counties

Heard County borders several counties in west-central Georgia, each maintaining its own dissolution of marriage records at the local Superior Court Clerk's office.