Magistrate Court

Magistrate Court's jurisdiction encompasses civil claims and garnishments of $15,000 or less, county ordinance violations, applications for and issuance of arrest and search warrants, preliminary hearings, dispossessory writs, and pre-warrants. No jury trials are held in this court. Appeals from decisions in landlord, tenant and civil cases are made to the Superior and State courts.

Our court does not issue restraining orders.

Contact Information

Court Main Phone Number: (229) 225-3330

Chief Magistrate – Matthew T. Shiner
Associate Magistrate – David G. Hutchings, Jr.

Information, NOT Legal Advice:

Before filing your first civil action in Magistrate Court, you may want to visit the Council of Magistrate Court Judges' website at www.georgiamagistratecouncil.com. This site offers many tools that will assist you in understanding how our court system operates. There are numerous videos that explain each step of the process. There is also a variety of forms that you can download, some of which are fill-able. You may wish to utilize the Forms Generator, which is a system that will guide you through a series of questions to create a free, customized form that you can file in Magistrate Court.

The forms and information available on this website are not intended as legal advice and should not be considered as such. They are provided only for reference purposes. The content and format of forms not specifically determined by a Georgia statute or court rule may require modification to suit the specific facts of a given case.

The publication of these forms is in no way a representation that they are appropriate for use in a particular case or situation, or that they are adequate for use without modification and/or elaboration. In addition, the law may change at any time, making current forms outdated. You should always research and review those statutes and procedural rules that pertain to your case to ensure that the complaint, answer, motion, or other document you are filing is accurate and in compliance with current Georgia law.

Magistrate Court personnel, including the Judges, are prohibited from providing any legal advice to either party. We can, however, answer questions about filing and procedures. You may want to contact the court before filing to check on the amount of the filing fee and the requirements for filing.

To ensure the proper use of any of these forms, you should consult a licensed attorney.