Find DeKalb State Clerk Records

DeKalb State Magistrate Clerk

The State and Magistrate Courts Clerk's Office is the official custodian for DeKalb State Court and DeKalb Magistrate Court records. Research from State Court says the office maintains civil case files, criminal misdemeanor case files, garnishments, and dispossessory records. It also supports record processing, retention, fine and fee collection and disbursement, and service coordination across a large local court system.

This secondary clerk page is intentionally separate from the Clerk of Superior Court. Superior Court handles felony, divorce, major civil, title-to-land, appeal, adoption, and land-record matters. State and Magistrate clerk records instead center on State Court civil and misdemeanor cases, Division B traffic, Magistrate small claims, evictions, garnishments, ordinance matters, criminal arrest warrants, and first-step criminal proceedings.

DeKalb State Court Records

DeKalb State Court covers civil and criminal misdemeanor matters within its jurisdiction. The county judicial-system research lists State Court for misdemeanors, civil claims up to $45,000, traffic violations, DUI cases, and the specialized DUI Court program. The Solicitor-General prosecutes misdemeanor and traffic/code matters in State Court, while the clerk keeps the filed record, docket, and payment history tied to the court case.

State Court records may show complaint or accusation, citation, warrant or bond information, hearing dates, motions, plea, disposition, fine or court cost, probation, and final judgment. For misdemeanor cases, the court record is distinct from an arrest record or jail record. For traffic cases, the court record is also distinct from a Georgia DDS motor vehicle report.

• State Court Division A: civil and misdemeanor criminal State Court case records.
• State Court Division B: traffic and DUI case records at Camp Circle.
• Online channels: Judicial Record Search, court calendars, electronic forms, eFileGA, and online traffic payments where eligible.
• Phone fallback: State Court 404-371-2706 or Division B traffic 404-294-2099.

DeKalb Magistrate Clerk Records

DeKalb Magistrate Court identifies itself as the people's court and includes civil, criminal, ordinance, pretrial, and mental-health divisions. Magistrate civil records include claims $15,000 and under, dispossessory or eviction cases, garnishments, foreclosure proceedings, bad-check matters, and other lower civil disputes. Magistrate criminal and ordinance functions include criminal arrest warrants, first appearances or preliminary matters, county ordinance cases, and related hearing records.

The Magistrate Court find-your-case page links users to portal registration and e-file instructions. It states registration is reviewed and approved by the court within one to two business days. That approval step matters because some case access or filing features require an account. For a pending eviction, garnishment, or small-claim case, the case number and party names should be kept with every clerk contact.

McDonough vs Camp Circle

The DeKalb clerk split is not only about court names. It is also about location. Downtown Decatur courthouse functions at 556 North McDonough Street are different from Camp Circle functions at 3630 Camp Circle. State Court Division A and Magistrate civil clerk functions route to McDonough Street. State Court Division B traffic, Magistrate criminal, and Magistrate ordinance matters route to Camp Circle. Going to the wrong location can delay a payment, docket check, copy request, or warrant question.

Use the citation, case notice, or docket entry to confirm the division before traveling. Traffic and DUI case questions for Division B should use the traffic address and phone. Criminal arrest warrant and ordinance questions should use Magistrate criminal or ordinance contacts. Small claims, evictions, and garnishments should start with Magistrate civil clerk functions at the courthouse.

Search DeKalb Clerk Records

State Court links to eFileGA, electronic forms, online traffic payments, and court calendars. Division B docket instructions are specific: select the court date, select the Search icon, then select the Adobe PDF icon to the right of a line item to load the official docket. Magistrate Court's find-your-case page provides docket and e-file registration instructions. Odyssey and DeKalb Judicial Information System links can also support public case lookup depending on the case type.

DeKalb Payment and Filing Channels

Payment and filing channels differ by court. State Court Division B traffic has an online payment link for eligible traffic citations through the State Court site and county Bill Pay path. The payment portal lets users search for a ticket, review fine amounts, and make payments safely and conveniently for eligible citations. Paying may have legal consequences, so a person who wants to contest a ticket should follow the court appearance instructions instead of treating payment as a neutral records lookup.

For State Court and Magistrate filings, eFileGA and Tyler registration paths are the main electronic filing channels identified in the research. Magistrate registration is reviewed by the court before approval. For records that are not visible online, call or visit the correct clerk division with the case number, party names, document requested, copy type, and payment method.

1. Read the case notice, citation, or summons and identify State Court, State Court Division B, Magistrate civil, Magistrate criminal, or Magistrate ordinance.
2. Use the official court page for the matching record type.
3. Search by case number or citation number when known.
4. Use court-date PDF dockets for Division B calendars.
5. Contact the correct clerk location for certified copies or missing records.
6. Use the prosecutor, sheriff, or police open-records route only when the requested record is an agency record rather than a court file.

Recorder's Court Transition

DeKalb has a records-routing quirk from the dissolution of Recorder's Court. State Court's site says State Court Division B was established after Recorder's Court of DeKalb County dissolved effective July 1, 2015. All traffic case records transferred to the Clerk of State Court. All other records, including code-enforcement cases, transferred to the Clerk of Magistrate Court. That transition still matters for older traffic, code, and ordinance records.

For older traffic records, start with State Court Division B. For older code-enforcement or non-traffic Recorder's Court records, start with Magistrate Court. A city municipal citation may still be outside DeKalb State Court if a city court issued it. Check the named court on the citation, warrant, summons, or docket notice before assuming the county clerk has the file.

Note: DeKalb includes many municipalities, so city traffic or ordinance records may be held by a municipal court rather than the county clerk.