Bibb County Divorce Records

Bibb County divorce records are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Macon, where the county and city governments merged in 2014 to form the Macon-Bibb County consolidated government. All divorce filings in this central Georgia county are kept at the Mulberry Street courthouse and are available to the public under state law.

Where to Get Bibb County Divorce Records

The Superior Court Clerk for Bibb County operates out of the Macon-Bibb County courthouse on Mulberry Street in downtown Macon. This office handles all divorce case filings in the county and maintains the full record archive. Certified copies of divorce decrees, case dockets, and associated documents can be requested in person, and in some cases by mail. Call to confirm mail-in procedures before sending a written request.

Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 makes Bibb County divorce records open to the public. Any person may request access to a divorce file. Sealed records are exceptions granted by the court for specific reasons and are uncommon in routine divorce cases. If a file is sealed, the clerk will tell you and explain the process for seeking court approval to access it.

The Macon courthouse is located in the heart of downtown. Parking is available in nearby lots and on the street. The clerk's office handles a substantial volume of cases given Macon's population, so arriving early in the day often means shorter wait times. If you know the case number in advance, bring it with you to speed up the retrieval process.

The GSCCCA portal screenshot below shows the statewide records search system that includes Bibb County divorce case indexes.

Source: gsccca.org

The GSCCCA system lets you search Bibb County and other Georgia counties for court records by name at no cost, helping you find the case number before visiting the Macon courthouse.

Searching Bibb County Divorce Records Online

Start your search at gsccca.org, the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority portal. This free statewide index includes Bibb County cases. You can search by party name, find the case number, and see the filing date and status. Document images may be available for many Bibb County cases through this system, which is useful for reviewing records before ordering official copies.

The Georgia E-Access portal at georgiacourts.gov/eaccess-court-records/ provides a second online tool for court record searches. Bibb County, as a larger urban county, generally has good online coverage. If you find a case in the index, you can use that information to order certified copies from the clerk in Macon. For cases that are not online, the clerk's office at (478) 621-6500 can help you request a manual search.

Bibb County has a larger filing volume than many Georgia counties. If you are researching older cases from before electronic filing, the clerk maintains paper archives that can be searched by staff. Give both names and the approximate year when you call. Macon's courthouse staff are experienced in handling these requests.

Note: Bibb County's consolidated government with Macon means some older records may reference either Bibb County or the City of Macon depending on when they were filed.

Divorce Filing Process in Bibb County

All Georgia divorces must go through the Superior Court. O.C.G.A. § 19-5-1 gives Superior Courts exclusive jurisdiction. In Bibb County, every divorce petition is filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Macon. No other court in the county can grant a divorce.

Venue rules mean the case is filed in the defendant's county. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2, you file where the defendant lives at the time the case is started. If your spouse lives in Macon or elsewhere in Bibb County, you file here. If your spouse lives in Houston County, Monroe County, or another county, the case is filed there. Bibb County will not have a record of a divorce that was filed elsewhere, even if one party lived in Macon at some other time.

Georgia law sets out 13 grounds for divorce under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3. Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage is by far the most common in Bibb County cases. Fault grounds exist too, including adultery, desertion, and cruel treatment. A mandatory 30-day waiting period after service on the defendant applies in all cases before the court can enter a final decree. Once entered and recorded in Macon, the decree is permanent and public.

Bibb County Divorce Record Fees

The Bibb County Superior Court Clerk sets copy fees. Call (478) 621-6500 or visit the maconbibb.us site for current pricing. Certified copies include the court seal and are accepted by courts, government agencies, and financial institutions. Plain copies are lower cost but are not recognized as official documents for most formal purposes.

The Georgia Department of Public Health offers basic divorce verifications for divorces that occurred between 1952 and 1996. The fee is $10 per verification. Visit dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords to submit a request. This DPH record is not the court decree. It shows names, date, and county, with no case terms included. For the full decree with all orders, go to the Bibb County Superior Court Clerk in Macon.

For divorces outside the 1952 to 1996 window, the DPH has no record. The courthouse file is the only source for any divorce decree in those periods.

Decree vs. State Divorce Records in Bibb County

The Bibb County divorce decree is the full court order entered by the Superior Court judge. It is filed with the clerk in Macon and includes every term of the divorce: property, debts, child custody, child support, and any alimony or other orders. When you need to prove what a divorce said, this is the document you need. It is certified and carries legal weight in any proceeding.

The Georgia DPH verification is a short administrative summary. It covers 1952 through 1996 only. It shows names, date, and county, nothing else. It does not include any case terms. If you only need to show you are no longer married and the requesting party accepts a verification rather than a full decree, the $10 DPH record may work. Otherwise, get the certified decree from the Macon courthouse.

Note: Immigration and naturalization applications often specifically require the full certified decree, not just a verification, so check the exact requirement before ordering.

Legal Help for Bibb County Divorce Cases

Georgia Legal Aid provides free family law services to low-income residents. Bibb County residents who qualify by income can apply for help with divorce cases, including forms, legal advice, and representation. The Macon area has a Georgia Legal Aid office that serves the central Georgia region.

The Superior Court Clerk in Macon provides forms for pro se filers. Uncontested divorces in Bibb County are manageable without an attorney if both parties agree on all terms. For cases with disputes over significant property, a family business, retirement accounts, or children, getting legal representation or at least a consultation is important. Macon has a substantial number of family law attorneys available for paid consultation.

Nearby Counties

Divorce cases involving Bibb County residents may also be filed in these neighboring counties if the defendant lived there at the time of filing.