Clinch County Divorce Record Search

Clinch County divorce records are filed and kept at the Superior Court Clerk's office in Homerville and are open to the public under Georgia law. This page covers how to request Clinch County divorce records, search the statewide GSCCCA database, understand the local filing process, and access legal help if you are handling a divorce case in Clinch County on your own.

Where to Get Clinch County Divorce Records

All divorce records for Clinch County are held by the Superior Court Clerk in Homerville. The clerk maintains every divorce case file going back many decades, including the petition, any agreements filed by the parties, and the final decree signed by the judge. Homerville is the county seat and the courthouse on Court Square is where all record requests are handled.

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 guarantees public access to court records. Divorce records in Clinch County are public documents. Any member of the public can request copies as long as the record has not been sealed by court order. Sealed records are uncommon in standard divorce cases and generally only occur in sensitive matters involving minor children's safety.

Homerville is a small town in south-central Georgia. The courthouse sits on Court Square, which is easy to find and parking is not an issue. If you are traveling from Valdosta, Waycross, or another nearby city, call the clerk at (912) 487-5854 before making the trip to confirm the record you need is available and not in off-site storage.

The image below is from the Georgia DPH Vital Records website at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords, which provides divorce verifications for cases finalized between 1952 and 1996.

DPH handles verification letters only. For certified copies of the full decree, the Clinch County Superior Court Clerk is the right office to contact.

How to Search Clinch Divorce Records Online

Clinch County cases appear in the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority database at gsccca.org. You can search by party name for free and get basic case information including the case number, filing date, and court. This is a good first step before calling or visiting the clerk's office in Homerville, since it lets you confirm whether the case is there and gather key identifiers.

Georgia E-Access at georgiacourts.gov/eaccess-court-records/ also covers some Clinch County records. Smaller counties may have less complete online coverage than metro counties, but the statewide systems still index most electronically filed cases. For records from the paper era, a direct request to the clerk is necessary.

Clinch County does not appear to maintain its own standalone online case search portal, which is typical for smaller Georgia counties. The GSCCCA statewide system is the best public tool available for online research in Clinch County. If you cannot find a record there, a phone call to the clerk is the next step. Staff are generally willing to do a quick name check to help you determine if the case is in their system.

Note: Mail requests for copies from Clinch County should include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with payment and identifying information about the case.

Clinch County Divorce Filing Process

Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 19-5-1 assigns divorce jurisdiction exclusively to the Superior Court. No other court in Georgia can grant a divorce. In Clinch County, the Superior Court is the single court of general jurisdiction that handles all divorce petitions, from simple uncontested matters to complex disputes involving property and children.

Under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2, you file the divorce petition in the county where the defendant lives. If your spouse resides in Clinch County, Homerville is your filing location. The petition goes to the clerk on Court Square, who stamps it, issues a summons, and starts the official record for the case. After the defendant is served, the 30-day response period begins.

In an uncontested case, a settlement agreement covering all issues can be filed along with the petition or shortly after. Once the 30-day window closes and the judge reviews the agreement, the divorce can be finalized without a contested hearing. Contested cases take longer, going through scheduling orders, potential mediation, and hearing dates on the court's calendar. In a small county like Clinch, scheduling can sometimes be faster than in the metro Atlanta courts simply because there are fewer cases in the queue.

Georgia's divorce grounds under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3 include the no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences, which most Clinch County divorces use. This ground requires no proof of wrongdoing and simplifies the process significantly. Fault grounds are an option but require evidence and are rarely used in modern cases.

Fees for Clinch County Divorce Records

Copy fees at the Clinch County clerk vary depending on whether you need a plain copy or a certified copy. Certified copies, which carry the court seal and are required for legal use, cost more per page than plain copies. Call the clerk at (912) 487-5854 to get the current fee amounts before you visit or send a request by mail. Fee amounts are set by state law and may be updated over time.

Georgia DPH charges $10 per verification for divorces finalized between 1952 and 1996. You can request a verification at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords. The verification is a letter confirming the divorce is on record. It does not include the actual decree terms. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-22, Clinch County reports finalized divorces to DPH each month, so the state records are kept current even for recent cases.

For the full divorce decree with all terms, you need to go to the Clinch County Superior Court Clerk rather than DPH. Plain copies work for personal reference. Certified copies are required by the SSA, passport agencies, and most financial institutions. Bring identification when visiting the clerk's office to request your own records.

Note: For mail requests to Clinch County, a money order payable to the Clerk of Court is typically the safest payment method since personal check acceptance policies vary by office.

Legal Resources in Clinch County

Georgia Legal Aid serves south Georgia and provides free civil legal services to qualifying residents of Clinch County. Their attorneys handle family law matters including divorce, custody, and protective orders. Because Clinch is a rural county with few local attorneys, Georgia Legal Aid is an especially important resource for residents who cannot afford private representation.

The Georgia State Bar's lawyer referral service can connect you with an attorney in the region for a reduced-cost initial consultation. Attorneys in Valdosta and Waycross may be available to serve Clinch County clients given the county's location between those two cities. Legal consultations by phone or video have also become more common, which helps residents in rural areas connect with attorneys without long drives.

Georgia E-Forms through the state judicial website provides free standardized forms for uncontested divorces. For a straightforward case where both parties agree on all terms, a pro se filing using these forms is a real option even in small counties like Clinch. The clerk in Homerville can explain which forms to file and where to submit them, though they cannot offer legal advice on how to fill them out. The county library may have internet access and printers for residents who need to download and complete forms on their own.

Divorce Certificates in Clinch County

When people ask for a divorce certificate, they usually mean one of two things: a brief confirmation that the divorce occurred, or the full certified court order. Georgia does not issue a separate short-form divorce certificate the way some states do. The formal document you get from the Georgia courts is a certified copy of the actual decree.

Georgia DPH Vital Records at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords issues verification letters for divorces from 1952 through 1996. These cost $10 and confirm the divorce is on record without reproducing the full decree. The verification is useful when you only need to confirm the fact of divorce and the approximate date for a non-legal purpose.

For a certified copy of the full Clinch County divorce decree, go to the Superior Court Clerk at 25 Court Square in Homerville. Include in your request: both parties' names as they appear on the case, the year of the divorce, and the case number if you have it. Certified copies are the right choice for any official or legal purpose including name changes, passport applications, remarriage, and government benefit claims.

Nearby Counties

Clinch County is in south Georgia near the Florida border. If a divorce may have been filed in a neighboring county, use these links to reach the right clerk's office.