Chatham County GA Court Records Search: Case Lookup, re:SearchGA, Clerk Copies & Courthouse Guide
Use this guide to find the correct official route for Chatham County court records, including Superior Court, State Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court, Juvenile Court, Recorder’s Court, Georgia appellate cases, federal district cases, and bankruptcy records.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court, Chatham County Courts, re:SearchGA, Tyler Technologies, Georgia Courts, a courthouse, a government agency, PACER, a law firm, or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This guide is general information only and is not legal advice.
Responsible-use warning: a name match does not prove identity. A complaint, warrant, citation, lawsuit, indictment, arrest, filing, or docket entry does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this page for employment, tenant, credit, insurance, licensing, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Chatham County court records are not all searched in one place
Chatham County uses multiple court routes. The official court-system website links users to Case Lookup, re:SearchGA, Probate Records, Recorder’s Court payment tools, court calendars, livestreams, and individual court pages. The correct search depends on whether the matter is Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, Recorder’s Court, appellate, federal, or bankruptcy.
The Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court is the custodian for Superior Court records and explains that open cases can show parties and proceedings, while closed cases can be viewed if the case number is known. The same office also states that scanned filing images are not generally displayed on the public internet because court filings can contain identity-theft risk information.
Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, and Recorder’s Court records use different custodians.
Chatham’s Odyssey/re:SearchGA environment is the key online route for many current court records.
The Superior Civil page lists a $0.50 print cost after account registration and access approval.
Probate Record Room lists a $10 research fee for mailed or staff-assisted research requests.
Chatham County court record route finder
Select the record type. This helper runs in your browser and does not ask for names, case numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver license numbers, or private identifiers.
For indicted Superior Court criminal records, start with re:SearchGA or the official court system. For copies, use the Superior Court Clerk Criminal Division and provide case number, defendant name, year, and the document needed.
Choose the correct Chatham County court before searching
Most failed searches happen because the user chooses the wrong court, wrong portal, or wrong record custodian. Use this table before creating a portal account or paying for copies.
| Need | Correct court or custodian | Best first step |
|---|---|---|
| Felony or indicted criminal case | Superior Court / Clerk of Superior Court Criminal Division | Use re:SearchGA or the official case lookup. For copies, request records from the Criminal Division with case number and document details. |
| Divorce, family, legitimation, name change, family violence, or civil Superior Court case | Superior Court / Clerk of Superior Court Civil Division | Use re:SearchGA or the court portal. For final orders or certified copies, use online copy purchase, mail request, or walk-in request. |
| State Court civil, misdemeanor, or traffic-violations bureau matter | State Court Clerk / Court Administrator | Use the official case lookup, then contact State Court Clerk Suite 127 if the docket or copy route is unclear. |
| Small civil claim, dispossessory, garnishment, warrant/preliminary matters, or Magistrate docket | Magistrate Court Clerk | Use re:SearchGA where available and the Magistrate Clerk page for current contact and docket questions. |
| Estate, guardianship, conservatorship, will, marriage certificate, or probate record | Chatham County Probate Court / Probate Record Room | Use Georgia Probate Records for public records, or request Record Room research by mail/payment or appointment. |
| Juvenile traffic, delinquency, dependency, deprivation, or CHINS matter | Chatham County Juvenile Court Clerk | Contact the Juvenile Clerk. Juvenile records have special confidentiality and access limits. |
| Recorder’s Court ticket or local Recorder’s Court payment | Recorder’s Court | Use the Chatham court-system page for Recorder’s Court payment links and contact Recorder’s Court for case-specific help. |
| Georgia appeal from a Chatham case | Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court of Georgia | Use the proper appellate docket tool and compare the lower-court case number with the Chatham trial-court case. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy case | U.S. District Court or U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Georgia / PACER | Use PACER. Chatham County federal district matters route to the Savannah Division of the Southern District of Georgia. |
How to search Chatham County court records without confusing systems
Start with the official Chatham County Court System website. It provides the county’s central court links, including Case Lookup, re:SearchGA, Probate Records, eFile Georgia, Recorder’s Court payment, livestreams, and court proceedings by date.
Separate Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, Recorder’s Court, appellate, federal district, and bankruptcy records before searching.
Use the official county court site instead of a commercial background-check or people-search page.
Georgia Courts also lists Chatham State and Chatham Superior in its E-Access to Court Records provider list, and users may need an account to search court records.
Chatham Probate Court identifies Georgia Probate Records as the online route for publicly available probate court records.
If you search by name, compare court, party role, filing date, status, attorney, and docket activity before assuming the result belongs to a person or business.
A portal screen, docket printout, or downloaded image may not be a certified record. Use the appropriate Clerk division for copy and certification procedures.
Copy, certification, research, and transcript routes
Copy procedures differ by court. Do not assume one office can certify every Chatham County record. Contact the clerk that holds the original court file and ask for current fees, payment methods, document availability, and whether the file is on site.
| Record or copy type | Official route | Useful fee or procedure detail |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Civil or Family final order | Superior Court Clerk Civil Division | The Civil Division lists online copy purchase through re:SearchGA after account registration/access approval, mail requests, and walk-in purchases Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
| Superior Civil online print | re:SearchGA / Tyler-hosted access | The Civil Division page states the cost is $0.50 if the user decides to print after access is granted. |
| Superior indicted criminal case copy | Superior Court Clerk Criminal Division | Requests can be made by mail, UPS/FedEx, in person, fax, or electronic certified records. If the file is off-site, the Clerk says to allow 48 hours for delivery. |
| State Court copy or fee question | State Court Clerk / Court Administrator | State Court’s fee schedule includes copy, certification, exemplification, subpoena, civil filing, and post-judgment fee details. Verify the current amount before ordering. |
| Probate research request | Probate Record Room | Probate lists a $10 research fee for mailed requests or onsite requests that require staff research. |
| Probate certified copy | Probate Record Room | Probate lists $10 for a one-page certified copy; more than one page is $10 for the process plus $1.00 per page. |
| Marriage certificate copy | Chatham Probate Court / Georgia Probate Records | Probate lists certified marriage certificate ordering through Georgia Probate Records at $18.00 plus a 5% convenience fee, or mail/appointment options. |
| Superior or State Court transcript | Chatham Superior/State transcript request form | The form is for Superior and State Courts only. Recorder’s Court and Magistrate transcript requests must go to those courts directly. |
| Federal court record | PACER / federal clerk | PACER pricing verified September 19, 2026: $0.10 per page, $3.00 cap for many case-specific documents, $30 quarterly waiver threshold; a temporary increase to $0.12 and $40 threshold is announced for January 1, 2027. |
Simple planning calculator for common copy requests
This calculator is not an official fee quote. It helps you estimate common Chatham Probate copy/research costs and a basic Superior online print reference. The responsible clerk’s current quote controls.
Online access, privacy, redaction, and sealed-record limits
Online access does not mean every case document is available to everyone. Georgia and Chatham County court pages warn users about redaction, privacy, and restricted access. The State Court fee page discusses Georgia redaction requirements for Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, financial account numbers, and birth dates in filings.
- Scanned Superior Court filings not displayed on the public internet.
- Confidential, sealed, or restricted records.
- Juvenile matters and child-related records.
- Documents containing protected personal identifiers.
- Older files, off-site files, or records requiring staff retrieval.
- A filing is not proof that an allegation is true.
- An arrest or charge is not the same as a conviction.
- A judgment may not show whether it was paid, appealed, vacated, or satisfied.
- A case status can change after you view the docket.
- A portal result may require clerk verification before official use.
Official Chatham County court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Each important official link below includes a short action guide so users know what to click, what to verify, and when to contact a clerk.
Use this as the central local starting point for court links, case lookup, re:SearchGA, Probate Records, payments, calendars, and court pages.
- Confirm you are on courts.chathamcountyga.gov.
- Select the court that matches your record type.
- Use Case Lookup, re:SearchGA, Probate Records, or Recorder’s Court payment only when appropriate.
- Contact the specific clerk if the record is not online.
Use this for Superior Court civil, family, criminal, deed/property recording, eCertification, and copy-request information.
- Use Civil Division or Criminal Division depending on the case.
- Check copy, eCertification, and mail request instructions.
- Use the listed Clerk phone or email for current cost confirmation.
- Remember clerks cannot give legal advice.
Use this official provider route for Georgia court case access where supported.
- Create or sign in to the required account.
- Search by case number when available.
- If searching by name, compare multiple record fields.
- Request document access only through the portal or clerk-approved process.
Use this for Superior civil, family, divorce, legitimation, name change, answer, copy, and eCertification information.
- Review online copy, mail, and walk-in copy options.
- Use case number and exact document title when requesting copies.
- Confirm cost before mailing payment.
- Use Family Law Resource Center help only for the proper self-help context.
Use this for Superior Court indicted criminal record requests and related copy procedures.
- Search criminal record information through re:SearchGA when available.
- Use the Request for Documents form for copies.
- Choose mail, UPS/FedEx, in-person, fax, or eCertification route if appropriate.
- Allow additional time if the file is off-site.
Use this for State Court civil, criminal, traffic-violations bureau, and court-administration record questions.
- Confirm your case is State Court, not Superior or Magistrate.
- Use the phone and Suite 127 contact details for clerk questions.
- Open the fee schedule for current fees.
- Check the court page before visiting.
Use this for Magistrate civil docket, dispossessory, garnishment, and criminal docket information contacts.
- Confirm whether your matter belongs in Magistrate Court.
- Use the listed phone numbers for the relevant division.
- Use eFile/re:Search resources only where applicable.
- Verify appeal or petition-for-review procedures with the official court.
Use this for probate research, record room appointments, estate copies, marriage documents, certified copies, and payment rules.
- Check whether you need Georgia Probate Records, mail request, or appointment.
- Review research, uncertified, certified, and exemplified copy fees.
- Use money order or cashier’s check for mailed requests.
- Call Probate Records if the record type is unclear.
Use this for juvenile traffic, criminal, deprivation, and juvenile-record questions.
- Do not assume juvenile records are public.
- Use the listed Juvenile Clerk phone or email.
- Prepare proof of authorization if asking about a restricted file.
- Do not publish child-identifying information unnecessarily.
Use this for Recorder’s Court contact details and ticket/payment routing.
- Confirm the case or ticket belongs to Recorder’s Court.
- Use the listed phone or email for case-specific questions.
- Check cashier hours before visiting.
- Do not confuse Recorder’s Court with Superior or State Court.
Use this statewide page to find court-record provider links, including Chatham State and Chatham Superior.
- Find Chatham State or Chatham Superior in the list.
- Follow the provider link.
- Create an account if the provider requires one.
- Return to the local clerk for certified copies.
Use this for federal district, bankruptcy, and federal appellate records.
- Use Case Locator when you do not know the federal court.
- Use the specific federal court for the most current docket.
- Review PACER pricing before opening documents.
- Remember Chatham County portals do not contain federal court records.
Chatham County court locations and record contacts
Many records can be searched online, but certified copies, older records, restricted records, off-site files, and unclear docket issues may require contacting the correct clerk. Always call or review the court page before visiting because departments, counters, and temporary room assignments can change.
400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 178
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: 912-434-8920
Email: supctclk@chathamcounty.org
Walk-in civil/family final order copy reference: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 127
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: 912-652-7224
Fax: 912-652-7229
Use this office for State Court record and administrative questions.
133 Montgomery Street, Room 509
Savannah, GA 31401
Main phone: 912-652-7264
Fax: 912-652-7262
Record Room: open until 4:30 p.m.; Thursday opening is listed later due to staff meetings.
197 Carl Griffin Drive
Savannah, GA 31405
General questions: 912-652-6700
Juvenile Clerk: 912-652-6716
Email: juvclerk@chathamcounty.org
How to read Chatham County docket results carefully
A court docket is a record of filings, events, notices, hearings, and orders. It is not a full legal explanation of the case. Always read surrounding entries and verify the final disposition with the official clerk if the result matters.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, decedent, personal representative, guardian, ward, debtor, and creditor are roles. A role does not always mean wrongdoing.
Complaint, petition, warrant, motion, notice, hearing, order, judgment, plea, sentence, dismissal, and continuance can appear in a docket. Context matters.
Open, active, pending, closed, disposed, dismissed, stayed, reopened, or satisfied can mean different things by case type. Do not infer more than the docket shows.
Where Chatham County appeals, federal cases, and bankruptcy records go
Appeals and federal cases are not searched the same way as local Chatham County trial-court records. A state appeal may be in a Georgia appellate court. A federal civil or criminal case uses the U.S. District Court and PACER. A bankruptcy case uses the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and PACER.
Use the correct Georgia appellate docket tool. Supreme Court of Georgia matters use the Supreme Court docket search. Compare the lower-court case number to confirm the Chatham County origin.
Chatham County is in the Savannah Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. The Savannah clerk’s office is listed with a 912-650-4020 phone number.
Bankruptcy is federal, not a Chatham County civil case. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia and PACER. The Savannah bankruptcy office is listed at 124 Barnard Street, Second Floor.
| Record type | Official route | Important caution |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia state appeal | Georgia appellate court docket tools | The trial-court docket and appellate docket are separate records. |
| Federal civil or criminal case | U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia / PACER | Chatham County portals do not contain federal district court records. |
| Bankruptcy case | U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Georgia / PACER | Bankruptcy records use federal systems and may have archived-file procedures through NARA. |
| Unknown federal court | PACER Case Locator | Use the individual federal court PACER system for the most current docket and documents. |
What to do if a Chatham County court-record search returns no result
- Wrong court: Superior vs State vs Magistrate vs Probate vs Recorder’s.
- Wrong system: re:SearchGA vs Probate Records vs PACER.
- Name spelling, maiden name, business suffix, punctuation, or abbreviation mismatch.
- Closed case requiring a case number.
- Record filed before online coverage or in an off-site file.
- Scanned filings may not be displayed publicly online.
- Juvenile or confidential matters may be restricted.
- Sealed or expunged records are not ordinary public records.
- Document access may require registration or clerk approval.
- Federal or appellate records may be outside county systems.
Use Chatham County court records responsibly
- Do not identify a person from a common name alone.
- Compare case number, court, division, party role, filing date, attorney, and docket activity.
- Do not treat an arrest, charge, warrant, lawsuit, or petition as proof of guilt or liability.
- Verify final disposition with the official clerk when the result matters.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame, or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not republish children’s names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, or protected details.
- Do not bypass sealed, expunged, juvenile, or confidential restrictions.
- Do not use this guide as a consumer-reporting or background-check product.
Frequently asked questions about Chatham County court records
What is the official way to search Chatham County court records?
Start with the official Chatham County Courts website and choose the eService that matches the record type. The site links to Case Lookup, re:SearchGA for case access, Probate Records for probate matters, Recorder’s Court payment tools, and court-specific pages for Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate, Juvenile, and Recorder’s Court.
Can I search Chatham County court records by name?
Yes, when the official portal supports name searching. A name match alone is not enough to identify a person or business. Compare the case number, court, division, filing date, party role, docket activity, and case status before relying on a result.
Why can I see a Chatham County case but not the scanned documents?
The Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court explains that the public can search open cases and see parties and proceedings, and closed cases can be viewed if the case number is known, but scanned filing images are not generally displayed on the public internet because filings can include identity-theft risk information.
Where do I request copies of Chatham Superior Court civil or family records?
Use the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court Civil Division. The Clerk lists online copy purchasing through re:SearchGA after registration and access approval, mail requests to the Clerk of Superior Court, and walk-in copy purchases for civil and family final orders during regular office hours.
Where do I request Chatham Superior Court criminal records?
Use the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court Criminal Division for indicted criminal case records. Requests can be made by mail, UPS/FedEx, in person, fax, or online for electronic certified records. The Clerk notes that off-site files may require additional delivery time.
Where are Chatham County Probate Court records searched?
Chatham County Probate Court uses Georgia Probate Records for publicly available probate court records, and the Probate Record Room accepts research and record requests by mail with payment or by appointment. Probate records are handled at 133 Montgomery Street, Room 509, Savannah.
Are Chatham County juvenile court records public?
Juvenile records are handled differently from ordinary public civil or criminal dockets. The Juvenile Clerk maintains juvenile hearings and court records, but juvenile matters often involve confidentiality and restricted access. Contact the Juvenile Clerk for proper record questions instead of trying to bypass access limits.
What is the difference between court records and jail records in Chatham County?
Court records show filings, hearings, dockets, orders, judgments, and dispositions maintained by a court or clerk. Jail or sheriff records show custody, booking, and detention information. A booking or arrest record is not the same as a court disposition.
Where do I search appeals from Chatham County cases?
Use the Georgia appellate court that received the appeal. Supreme Court of Georgia matters use the Supreme Court docket search, while many other appeals may go through Georgia appellate court resources. The trial-court case and appellate case are separate records.
Where do I search federal cases from Chatham County?
Use PACER and the federal court system, not the Chatham County court portal. Chatham County is in the Savannah Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, and bankruptcy matters use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against official Chatham County Courts pages, Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court pages, Superior Civil Division, Superior Criminal Division, State Court Clerk/Court Administrator, State Court fee schedule, Magistrate Clerk, Probate Court, Probate Research and Records, Juvenile Clerk, Recorder’s Court, Georgia Courts E-Access, Supreme Court of Georgia docket resources, U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Georgia, and PACER pricing resources. Review date: September 19, 2026.