How to Search Clayton County Court Records
The official Clayton County Court Case Inquiry system is the main search tool. The landing page is titled Clayton County, GA Court Search Options. It offers Civil Search and Criminal Case Search, each with Name Search and Case Search buttons.
Before starting, decide whether the case is civil or criminal and which court it belongs in. State Court holds misdemeanors and traffic. Magistrate Court holds small claims, dispossessory, garnishment, and warrant-related files. Superior Court holds felony criminal, civil, and divorce cases. A name search needs a last name and a court. A case-number search needs a year, two-letter type, five-digit sequence, and an optional division.
- Open the search-options page and choose Civil Search or Criminal Case Search.
- Choose Name Search if you have a party name. Choose Case Search if the full case number is known.
- Select the right court: State, Magistrate, Superior, or All Courts on a name search.
- Enter the last name and an optional first name or initial, or enter year, type, sequence, and division.
- Submit the form, then click the linked case number in the result row to open the case detail page.
The case-number examples shown by the portal include 2004 CV 03272 LW and 2005 CS 00052 07. A subpoena or e-notice will print the case number in the same year-type-sequence-division shape.
The screen above shows the two main search cards along with the portal's published list of records that are not available for public viewing.
Clayton County Court Records Search Fields
The civil and criminal forms are nearly identical. The only difference is the hidden case-category code. The visible controls are listed below as they appear on the live Criminal Name Search form and the matching Civil Name Search form.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Court | Dropdown | Yes | All Courts, State Court, Magistrate Court, or Superior Court. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes | Maxlength 70. Validation requires a last name. |
| First Name | Text | No | Maxlength 20. Refine with a first initial or first name. |
| Year | Text | Yes (case search) | Four digits, numeric, example 2004. |
| Type | Text | Yes (case search) | Two characters, example CV, CR, TK, WA. |
| Sequence | Text | Yes (case search) | Five digits, example 03272. |
| Division | Text | No | Optional, two characters, example LW. |
| Submit / Reset / New Search | Buttons | n/a | Reset clears fields. New Search returns to the options page. |
The criminal name search form pictured here shows the court dropdown and the last name and first name fields together with the action buttons.
Clayton County Case Number Format
A Clayton case number is four parts. Year is four digits. Type is a two-letter code that tells you what kind of case it is. Sequence is five digits and runs in filing order. Division is two characters and points to the judge or division. Example codes seen in the portal include TK for traffic, CR for criminal, WA for warrant-related, CV for civil, and CS for civil styles. The case-number search form needs each part in its own box.
The criminal case-search form pictured above breaks the number into year, type, sequence, and division. If any of the first three are blank, the portal posts an Incomplete Case Number alert.
Types of Clayton County Court Records
Clayton's portal returns case records from three of the county's courts. Probate Court and Juvenile Court are not on the portal. Public users get civil and criminal data from the State, Magistrate, and Superior courts where those records exist in the Judicial Information System.
The most common categories users look for are below. Each maps to a different court and sometimes a different clerk.
- Superior civil and criminal — Felony cases, civil suits, divorce, equity, and land matters.
- State Court — Misdemeanor crimes, traffic violations, and civil matters not reserved to Superior.
- Magistrate Court — Small claims, dispossessory, garnishment, and warrant-related entries.
- Real estate — Searched through the GSCCCA statewide search from 1985 to current.
- Probate — Filed and searched through Probate Court, not the case portal.
What Clayton County Court Records Show
A Clayton case page is built around the docket. The case summary at the top names the judge and the filing date and shows whether the case is still open. The fields below were taken from a State Court traffic case inspected on the public portal.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Example 2022TK03066 D. Year, type, sequence, and division. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was opened in the court's system. |
| Assigned Judge | Judge currently handling the case. |
| Status | Disposed, Pending, See Paper File, or Bound Over. |
| Parties | Plaintiff or State of Georgia, defendant, party type, and listed attorney. |
| Counts and Charges | Count number and plain-text charge description. |
| Docket Entries | Action date, docket action, and description for each event. |
| Receipts | Receipt number and amount paid or forfeited. |
| Calendar | Court date, time, room, and calendar type. |
Document PDFs were not visible in the inspected sample. Birth year shows in name results, but full date of birth, address, and Social Security number do not.
Public Access Framework for Clayton County Court Records
Court records in Georgia are presumed open under Uniform Superior Court Rule 21. Rule 21 says court files are public unless access is limited by law or by the rule's procedure. The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq. covers county agency records.
Any member of the public can ask for a copy of a public court record. Identification is not usually required to view a record in person, but the clerk may need ID for certified copies. Fees apply for copies, certification, search, and retrieval. The clerk should produce electronic records electronically when feasible under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.
Note: The county portal will not return adoption, juvenile, probate, sealed, pre-JIS, or out-of-county records, even when a case clearly exists.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Clayton County
Several categories are off limits to the public portal. The exclusion notice on the search-options screen lists adoption, Juvenile Court, Probate Court, protective orders, sealed cases, pre-JIS files, and out-of-county cases. Confidentiality is grounded in statute. Juvenile cases sit under O.C.G.A. § 15-11-700 et seq. Criminal-history restriction sits under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37.
To inspect a sealed file, a person normally has to file a motion in the court that ordered the seal. The judge weighs the public-access interest against the reason the file was sealed. Restricting a GBI criminal-history record under § 35-3-37 does not erase a court docket. A separate court order is usually needed to seal the underlying court file.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Clerk of Superior Court counter at the Harold R. Banke Justice Center handles in-person record requests. Bring identification, the case number if you have it, payment for fees, and a list of the documents you need. Walk-in users should expect a metal detector and a bag check at the entrance.
Clerk of Superior Court
9151 Tara Boulevard, Room 1CL25
Jonesboro, GA 30236-4912
(770) 477-3395
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Certified and regular court and real-estate records can be requested electronically through the Clerk's site as well. The page notes that requests can be sent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.