Please feel free to contact our office for assistance.
DeKalb County Courthouse
556 North McDonough Street
2nd Floor Administrative Tower
Decatur, GA 30030
404.371.2261
Robert "Bobby" Burgess
3630 Camp Circle
Decatur, GA 30032
404.294.2099

State Court processes non-criminal, civil court cases brought by a plaintiff (individual, organization, business, institution, or government body) against a defendant. State Civil handles case appeals and transfers to other courts or jurisdictions.

State Criminal is responsible for all filings related to misdemeanor criminal cases prosecuted by the Solicitor General’s Office.

Most state law traffic violations are assigned to Division B of the State Court and are punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 per charge and maximum jail sentence of up to 12 months.

Magistrate Civil processes small claim cases brought by a plaintiff (individual, organization, business, institution, or government body) against a defendant. The maximum for these cases is $15,000.

Magistrate Criminal processes law enforcement arrest warrants, private party warrant applications, search warrants, and first appearance hearings. Public access is available from 8:30 a.m. to midnight, seven days per week.

Dispossessory handles evictions and property recovery through application, answer, writs and warrants. These cases often involve landlord tenant disputes over possession of property. Eviction process is facilitated by the DeKalb County Marshal.

The Garnishment Division handles legal actions filed against the person or business entity that owes funds to the judgment debtor or is holding funds on behalf of the judgment debtor. All account maintenance and payments from the garnishee are handled by this division.

The Ordinance Division is responsible for addressing violations of county ordinances, including those related to property maintenance and animal control. When standard code enforcement efforts are unsuccessful in resolving ongoing issues, the Division may initiate nuisance and abatement proceedings as the next step.