Access Miller County Dissolution of Marriage Records
Dissolution of marriage records in Miller County are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Colquitt, the county seat, and are open to the public under Georgia law. If you need a certified copy of a final decree, want to confirm that a case was filed, or are searching older records for a legal or personal reason, the clerk's office in Colquitt is where you begin. Note that Colquitt is the city in Miller County, not Colquitt County, which is a separate county to the east. This page covers how to search, what statewide tools to check, how the filing process works, and where to get legal help in southwest Georgia.
Miller County Quick Facts
Miller County Superior Court Clerk
The Superior Court Clerk in Colquitt is the official custodian of all dissolution of marriage records in Miller County. The clerk's office is inside the Miller County Courthouse at 155 South First Street. Staff handle walk-in requests, phone inquiries, and mail submissions during regular business hours. If you are mailing a request, use the PO Box address to make sure your documents and payment reach the right office.
| Office | Miller County Superior Court Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 155 South First Street, Colquitt, GA 39837 |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 66, Colquitt, GA 39837 |
| Phone | (229) 758-4102 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | Find My Clerk Directory |
Before calling or visiting, have the full names of both parties and an approximate filing year ready. That detail helps staff pull the right record quickly, particularly for older files that may still be in paper form only.
How to Search Miller County Dissolution of Marriage Records
Miller County does not maintain a public online case search portal of its own. Most searches will require a direct phone call or visit to the courthouse in Colquitt. A few statewide tools can help narrow the search before you make contact.
The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) runs a statewide index of civil filings and recorded documents. Not every dissolution case from every county is indexed there, but it is a useful first stop. If the case shows up in the GSCCCA system, you can request a certified copy through the eCertification portal at ecert.gsccca.org without making the drive to Colquitt.
The state's courts site at georgiacourts.gov links to case lookup tools and court resources statewide. It does not hold Miller County records directly, but it can help you confirm which court filed a case or connect you with the right contact. PeachCourt, Georgia's eFiling platform, also has case status lookups for courts that participate in the system. Recently filed Miller County cases may appear there.
For older cases or records that predate online systems, a direct visit to the Colquitt courthouse is the most reliable option. Bring a photo ID and expect to pay a per-page or per-document fee for certified copies. The clerk's staff can also tell you if any records from a specific period are stored off site or are in a format that requires special handling.
The Find My Clerk directory page shown below is the statewide tool for locating any Superior Court Clerk in Georgia, including Miller County. It is updated regularly with current contact details for all 159 county offices.
Use this directory to confirm the Miller County clerk's address and phone number before making a trip or mailing a request.
Dissolution of Marriage Process in Miller County
Filing for dissolution of marriage in Miller County requires that at least one spouse has been a Georgia resident for at least six months before the petition is submitted. That requirement is spelled out in O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2. If neither party meets it, the Miller County Superior Court does not have jurisdiction over the case.
Georgia law provides 13 grounds for dissolution of marriage under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3. The most commonly used is the no-fault ground that the marriage is irretrievably broken. No proof of wrongdoing is needed for this ground. The other 12 are fault-based and rarely used in practice. Most cases in Miller County that are uncontested rely on the no-fault option, which simplifies and shortens the process.
After the petition is filed and served, Georgia mandates a 30-day waiting period before any final hearing can be held. This applies to all cases, including agreed ones. The judge cannot sign the final decree until that window passes. When one or both parties contest the terms of the dissolution, including property division, child custody, or alimony, the timeline stretches well beyond 30 days. Those cases can take many months to resolve.
The typical filing steps in Miller County are:
- File the petition and supporting documents with the Superior Court Clerk
- Pay the required filing fee at the time of submission
- Serve the other spouse through the county sheriff or a process server
- Wait the mandatory 30 days after service is completed
- Attend the final hearing for the court to enter the dissolution decree
Contact the clerk's office to confirm which forms Miller County uses locally and whether any requirements differ from what state law prescribes.
What Dissolution of Marriage Records Contain
Case files held by the Miller County Superior Court Clerk reflect the full paper trail of a dissolution proceeding. Simple uncontested cases are often brief. Contested matters can be lengthy, with multiple rounds of pleadings, hearings, and orders.
Documents commonly found in a dissolution of marriage case file include:
- The original petition for dissolution of marriage
- Proof of service confirming the other party was properly notified
- Any response or counterclaim filed by the other spouse
- Settlement agreements or consent orders covering property and support
- Temporary orders entered while the case was active
- The final decree of dissolution of marriage
- Post-decree modification orders for custody or support
The final decree is the document most people need a certified copy of. Courts, banks, employers, and government agencies frequently ask for it when processing name changes, benefit updates, or estate matters. The clerk can certify individual documents from the case file. All court records in Georgia are public under the Open Records Act, though some records may be sealed or restricted by court order if they involve minor children or sensitive matters.
State Divorce Verification Through DPH Vital Records
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Vital Records office holds a limited set of state-level divorce verification records. It is important to understand the scope of what they have before contacting them.
DPH can only confirm that a divorce occurred in Georgia for cases filed between 1952 and 1996. They do not hold actual court files, certified decrees, or case documents. What they provide is a verification letter confirming the event. For cases outside that date range, or if you need court records rather than a verification letter, the Superior Court Clerk in Colquitt is the right contact for Miller County cases.
DPH Vital Records is at 1680 Phoenix Blvd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Phone: (404) 657-2700, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. A search fee applies and Form 3917 is required. Full information is at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords.
PeachCourt, shown below, is Georgia's eFiling and case search platform. It is one of the online tools worth checking when looking for recently filed dissolution cases before contacting the clerk in person.
PeachCourt supports case status lookups and eFiling for courts that participate in the system. Coverage depends on which counties and courts have opted in, so results will vary.
Legal Help for Dissolution of Marriage in Miller County
If you need assistance with a dissolution of marriage case in Miller County, several organizations serve southwest Georgia and can help. Getting the right support early can make the process go more smoothly.
Legal Services Georgia provides free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income residents across Georgia, including Miller County. They handle family law cases involving dissolution of marriage, custody, and support. Contact them to find out if you qualify and to get connected with legal help in this area.
Georgia Legal Aid offers online self-help guides that walk through the dissolution process in plain language. The site covers how to file, how to serve the other party, what to expect at a hearing, and how to handle common issues in uncontested cases. It is particularly useful if you are dealing with a straightforward case and want to proceed without an attorney.
The State Bar of Georgia runs a lawyer referral service at 1-800-334-6865. Attorneys who practice in the Colquitt area understand local court procedures and can help you work through anything specific to Miller County. Even a brief paid consultation can clarify complex issues quickly.
The Georgia Archives in Morrow holds a divorce index on microfiche for cases from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1999. If you are looking for an older Miller County dissolution case and the clerk's records are incomplete, the Archives index may be able to confirm whether and where a filing occurred.
Cities in Miller County
Colquitt is the county seat of Miller County and the location of the courthouse where dissolution of marriage cases are filed and kept. The city of Colquitt in Miller County should not be confused with Colquitt County, which is a separate county to the east with its own clerk and courthouse. No cities in Miller County meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page on this site. All dissolution of marriage records for Miller County are at the Superior Court Clerk's office at 155 South First Street in Colquitt.
Nearby Counties
Miller County sits in southwest Georgia and is bordered by several counties, each with its own Superior Court Clerk handling dissolution of marriage records filed in their jurisdiction.