Find Columbia County Divorce Records

Columbia County divorce records are filed and maintained at the Superior Court Clerk's office in Evans and are searchable online through both the county's system and the statewide GSCCCA portal. This guide covers how to access Columbia County divorce records, what the copy fees are, how the filing process works under Georgia law, and where to find legal help in the Augusta metro area.

Where to Get Columbia County Divorce Records

The Columbia County Superior Court Clerk in Evans is the official custodian of all divorce records filed in the county. The clerk's office at 640 Ronald Reagan Drive handles both in-person record requests and written mail inquiries. Columbia County has grown significantly in recent decades as part of the Augusta metro area, and the clerk's office manages a substantial volume of domestic case filings.

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 makes divorce records publicly available. Unless a judge has issued a specific sealing order, any member of the public can request copies. Sealed divorce records are uncommon in routine cases and are typically limited to situations involving sensitive circumstances. Parties to the case have an even stronger right to their own files.

The courthouse is on Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans. Columbia County is a fast-growing suburban county, and the courthouse area on Ronald Reagan Drive is easy to reach by car with ample parking available. If you are coming from Augusta across the river in Richmond County, the drive is short. Call ahead at (706) 312-7139 to confirm the record is available before making the trip, especially for filings from the 1970s and earlier that may be in archived storage.

The image below shows the Columbia County Georgia website at columbiacountyga.gov, which provides links to county departments including the Superior Court Clerk's office.

The county website provides contact details and links to online record search tools for Columbia County residents and researchers.

How to Search Columbia Divorce Records Online

Columbia County participates in the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority system at gsccca.org. The statewide portal allows name-based searches of Columbia County divorce cases at no cost. You can find case numbers, filing dates, and basic docket data, which is enough to confirm whether a divorce was filed and to get the key identifier you need for a copy request.

Georgia E-Access at georgiacourts.gov/eaccess-court-records/ provides another online search layer. Columbia County also maintains online records access through the county's own systems, and the county website may link to additional search resources. For the most recent filings, the GSCCCA statewide tool is typically the fastest starting point.

For cases that do not appear in any online search, contact the clerk directly. Older paper-based records from before electronic filing systems require a manual index search. Columbia County's clerk can handle these requests by phone or in person, and staff are generally responsive and knowledgeable about the county's archival records going back many decades.

Note: Columbia County is listed under its own name on GSCCCA , not under Augusta or Richmond County. Always check the correct county when doing a statewide search, since adjacent counties share the Augusta metro area.

Columbia County Divorce Filing Process

Georgia Superior Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over divorce cases under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-1. All divorce petitions in Columbia County are filed with the Superior Court Clerk in Evans. There is no shortcut to a different court type, regardless of how simple the case may be.

Filing venue follows O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2, which requires filing in the county where the defendant lives. If your spouse lives in Evans or anywhere in Columbia County, this is your filing location. After serving the defendant with the divorce papers, a 30-day waiting period begins. The other party has that window to respond. In a clean uncontested case with a full settlement agreement, the divorce can be finalized shortly after that period ends.

Columbia County is part of the Augusta Judicial Circuit. The circuit includes Columbia County and Richmond County, sharing a bench of Superior Court judges. Cases in Columbia County go before those circuit judges on a rotation. The circuit's judges hear cases in Evans and in Augusta, so your case may be assigned to a judge who also sits across the river. This affects scheduling but does not change how you file or where you appear.

Georgia's grounds for divorce at O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3 include both no-fault and fault options. The no-fault ground of irreconcilable differences is the standard choice in Columbia County divorces. It does not require any evidence of wrongdoing and simplifies the petition considerably. Fault grounds are an option under the statute but are rarely used in modern Columbia County cases.

Fees for Columbia County Divorce Records

The Columbia County clerk sets fees for divorce record copies based on document type. Plain copies cost less per page than certified copies. Certified copies carry the court seal, the clerk's signature, and a certification statement that the copy is accurate. These are required by most government agencies and financial institutions as official proof of divorce. Call the clerk at (706) 312-7139 for current fee amounts before requesting copies.

Georgia DPH at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords offers $10 divorce verifications for cases finalized between 1952 and 1996. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-22, Columbia County reports finalized divorces to DPH monthly. The DPH verification is a letter confirming the divorce is on record. It does not include the terms of the settlement or the custody order. For purposes where only the fact of divorce matters, the DPH verification saves a trip to Evans. For legal transactions requiring the full order, the clerk's certified copy is necessary.

Mail requests to the Columbia County clerk should include the names of both parties as they appeared at the time of the divorce, the approximate year, any known case number, payment in the correct form, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. In-person requests are processed on the same day in most cases.

Note: Columbia County's population growth has increased demand for clerk services. Calling ahead to confirm processing times is especially useful if you need copies quickly for a deadline.

Legal Resources in Columbia County

Georgia Legal Aid serves the Augusta area and provides free civil legal services to qualifying Columbia County residents. Their family law attorneys can help with divorce, custody, child support, and protective orders. Columbia County's growing population is reflected in Legal Aid's service area, and appointments in the Augusta metro region are more accessible than in purely rural parts of the state.

The Georgia State Bar's referral service connects Columbia County residents with local family law attorneys for a reduced-cost initial consultation. The Augusta metro area, including Evans and Martinez, has a robust legal community with many practitioners specializing in domestic relations. Even if you plan to handle the case yourself, a single consultation can clarify whether your situation has any complications worth knowing about before you file.

For pro se litigants, Georgia E-Forms through the state judicial website offers free standardized forms for uncontested divorces including the petition, financial affidavit, settlement agreement, and proposed final order. The Columbia County clerk's staff can point you to the correct forms and explain the filing sequence. Self-representation is common in uncontested Columbia County divorce cases and the process is manageable with the right preparation and the correct forms in hand.

Divorce Certificates in Columbia County

Georgia does not issue a standard short-form divorce certificate. The document available from the Columbia County Superior Court Clerk is a certified copy of the full divorce decree. This is the complete court order, several pages long, with the judge's signature and the court seal. It includes all terms: property division, custody, support, and any other matters the court decided or the parties agreed to.

Georgia DPH handles verifications for divorces from 1952 through 1996 at dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords. The $10 verification letter is useful for confirming a divorce occurred without the full document details. For any legal purpose that requires the actual terms, the certified copy from the Superior Court Clerk is what you need.

To get a certified copy of a Columbia County divorce decree, contact the Superior Court Clerk at 640 Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans. Visit in person or mail a written request including the names of both parties, the divorce year, any known case number, your payment, and a return envelope. In-person service is typically same-day. Mail orders depend on current office volume. The clerk's phone number is (706) 312-7139 for questions before you go.

Nearby Counties

Columbia County is in eastern Georgia near the South Carolina border. If a divorce case may have been filed in a neighboring county, these links lead to the right records office.