Find Randolph County Dissolution Of Marriage Records

Randolph County dissolution of marriage records are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Cuthbert, Georgia. Under Georgia's Open Records Act, these case files are public documents that any person may request. Petitions, final decrees, settlement agreements, and other materials in the case file are all accessible through the clerk's office at 93 Front Street. This guide explains how to contact the clerk, which statewide tools are available to search before you visit, what Georgia law requires to file a dissolution case, and where Randolph County residents can get legal help.

Superior Court Clerk - Where Records Are Filed

All dissolution of marriage cases in Randolph County are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Cuthbert. The courthouse is at 93 Front Street, Cuthbert, GA 39840. The clerk's phone number is (229) 732-2216. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mail requests go to PO Box 98, Cuthbert, GA 39840.

Before you call or visit, gather the full names of both parties and an approximate year for the case. That lets staff pull the record efficiently. Once they have it, they can tell you what documents the file contains and give you the current fee for copies. Certified copies carry the court seal and are required for legal purposes, such as proof of single status, name change applications, or remarriage applications in another state. Plain copies cost less and are adequate for most personal and research uses.

Randolph County is a small rural county in southwest Georgia, and the courthouse operates with limited staff. The clerk's office does not have a public online case search portal. In-person visits and mail requests are the main ways to access dissolution records here. Before making the drive to Cuthbert, use the statewide tools described below to confirm that a case was filed in Randolph County and get a case number if possible.

The screenshot below shows the Find My Clerk directory from the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Association. This is the most reliable source for verifying current contact details for the Randolph County Superior Court Clerk before you call or visit.

Source: gaclerks.org/Clerks/FindMyClerk.aspx

Use the Find My Clerk tool to confirm the current phone, address, and hours for the Randolph County Superior Court Clerk. Contact details in small county offices can change, and this directory is kept current across all 159 Georgia counties.

Online Access Through State Portals

Georgia offers several statewide tools that can help you search for dissolution records before contacting the Randolph County clerk. These tools can save you significant time and travel, especially given how rural this part of southwest Georgia is.

The Georgia Courts website provides information about the state court system and links to resources for all levels of courts in Georgia. The screenshot below shows the Georgia Courts portal, the official gateway to court system information statewide.

Source: georgiacourts.gov

The Georgia Courts site covers the full court system, including Superior Courts like the one in Randolph County where all dissolution of marriage cases are filed. It also provides links to case lookup tools and court forms.

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) runs a statewide records portal for certain document types filed across Georgia. Their eCertification portal allows online requests for certified copies of some court records. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Association website and Find My Clerk directory confirm current clerk contact details for Randolph County and neighboring counties. PeachCourt is Georgia's e-filing platform. re:SearchGA covers case lookup for participating counties. The Georgia Archives holds a dissolution index from 1965 to 1971 and 1973 to 1999. The Georgia Department of Public Health provides dissolution verification for records from 1952 to 1996 at $10 per request.

Georgia Residency and Filing Requirements

Filing for dissolution of marriage in Randolph County requires that at least one spouse has been a Georgia resident for six months or more before the petition is submitted. If you recently moved to Georgia, you may need to wait until you meet that threshold. Georgia law also generally requires that the case be filed in the county where the defendant resides. If the defendant has left Georgia, you can file in your own county, which could be Randolph County.

Georgia law lists 13 grounds for dissolution of marriage. The no-fault ground most often used is that the marriage is "irretrievably broken," which does not require proof of any fault by either party. If both spouses agree that the marriage is over and can resolve all outstanding issues between them, this ground is the most direct path to a final decree. Other grounds available in Georgia include adultery, desertion, habitual intoxication, mental incapacity, and cruel treatment. All grounds are listed at Georgia Code Section 19-5-3.

A 30-day waiting period is mandatory after the defendant is served with the petition. The judge cannot enter the final decree until those 30 days are up. For uncontested cases where both parties have signed a settlement agreement, the decree can be issued shortly after the waiting period ends. Contested cases involving disputes over property, alimony, or children require hearings and take more time to finalize, which is typical of any Georgia county but can feel slower in smaller circuits with fewer hearing dates per month.

What Dissolution Records Contain

The Randolph County Superior Court Clerk holds a case file for each dissolution matter from the time the petition is filed until the final decree is entered and any later motions are resolved. Most files contain the original petition, proof of service on the defendant, the defendant's answer or a signed waiver, any marital settlement agreement, and the final decree. Cases involving children include a parenting plan and may have temporary orders on custody or support. More complex cases can hold financial disclosures, discovery materials, and records of court hearings.

Call the clerk before you visit to find out what is in a specific file. You may only need the final decree for your purposes. Certified copies are required for legal transactions. Plain copies are fine for personal use and cost less. Knowing what you need before you visit Cuthbert saves both time and money.

State Vital Records Verification (1952-1996)

The Georgia Department of Public Health provides a dissolution verification service for records reported to the state between 1952 and 1996. This confirms that a case was reported during that window but does not supply the court file itself. The DPH office is at 1680 Phoenix Blvd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349, phone (404) 657-2700. Their website is dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords. Requests use Form 3917 and carry a $10 fee. For records outside that range or for the actual court documents, contact the Randolph County Superior Court Clerk at (229) 732-2216.

Legal Help and Resources in Randolph County

Randolph County residents who need legal assistance with a dissolution case can contact Georgia Legal Services Program at glsp.org for free or low-cost civil legal help based on income. Georgia Legal Aid at georgialegalaid.org offers self-help guides, form instructions, and plain-language explanations of the dissolution process. Both are good starting points for people who want to understand their rights and options before they file or respond.

For private legal representation, the Georgia Bar referral service at gabar.org can connect you with a family law attorney. The toll-free number is 1-800-334-6865. In a small, rural county like Randolph, you may be referred to an attorney who practices in a larger neighboring county such as Terrell or Lee but is licensed to appear in Randolph County Superior Court. A first consultation at low or no cost can help you figure out how much help your case needs.

Randolph County is in the Pataula Judicial Circuit, which covers several counties in southwest Georgia near the Alabama border. Attorneys who work regularly in the Pataula Circuit know the local court calendar, the assigned judges, and the specific procedures used in this part of the state. That kind of local knowledge is valuable, especially in contested dissolution cases.

Cities in Randolph County

Cuthbert is the county seat and largest city in Randolph County, with a population of around 3,400. Shellman is another small community in the county. Neither city meets the population threshold for a dedicated records page on this site. All dissolution filings from any community in Randolph County go through the Superior Court Clerk at 93 Front Street in Cuthbert.

Nearby Counties

If a dissolution case may have been filed in a neighboring jurisdiction, the counties below border or are close to Randolph County.