Brookhaven Divorce Decrees
Brookhaven divorce decree records are kept by the DeKalb County Superior Court, which handles every divorce case filed by Brookhaven residents and others throughout DeKalb County. If you need to find, request, or verify a divorce decree connected to a Brookhaven case, this page covers the clerk's office details, what the records contain, the Georgia laws that govern the process, and where to get help if you need it.
Brookhaven Divorce Decree Quick Facts
DeKalb County Superior Court: Brookhaven Divorce Records
All Brookhaven divorce decrees are filed with the DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk. The clerk's office is located at 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA 30030. Phone: (404) 371-2261. The official website is dksuperiorclerk.com. This is the office that stores, issues, and certifies all divorce decree copies for the county.
DeKalb County provides an eCertification portal through the clerk's website. This online option lets you order certified copies of certain court documents without visiting the Decatur courthouse. It can be a real time-saver for Brookhaven residents who know their case number and just need a certified copy mailed or available for download. Check the clerk's site for current availability and instructions on how to submit an eCertification request.
In-person visits are available during regular business hours. Bring a photo ID and whatever case information you have. The clerk's index is searchable by party name, which helps if you don't know the case number. Staff can assist you with locating the record but are not able to provide legal advice or explain what the decree terms mean for your situation.
The DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk site provides access to the eCertification portal, case search tools, and office contact details for Brookhaven divorce decree requests.
This screenshot shows the DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk's website, which Brookhaven residents use to search records and order certified decree copies through the eCertification portal.
What a Brookhaven Divorce Decree Contains
People often use "divorce certificate" and "divorce decree" interchangeably, but they're different things. A certificate is short and just confirms the divorce took place. A decree is the full court order. It sets out every term the judge ordered at the close of the case, and those terms carry legal weight after the case is over.
A typical Brookhaven divorce decree will include the full names of both parties, the date the divorce was granted, the grounds stated in the petition, how the couple's property and debts were divided, whether alimony was awarded and under what terms, and all custody and child support arrangements if children were part of the case. Name change orders appear in the decree as well if the court approved one. Every term you might need to enforce later is spelled out in this document.
If anything in the case was modified after the original decree, those modification orders are filed separately with the clerk. They don't replace the original decree; they sit alongside it as amendments. Always request the full case file, not just the original decree, if you need to know the current status of any term. The clerk can confirm whether modifications exist.
Note: Certified copies from the clerk carry an official court seal. Only certified copies are accepted by agencies and courts that need proof of a decree's terms.
Georgia Divorce Law in Brookhaven Cases
Georgia law assigns exclusive divorce jurisdiction to Superior Courts. Under OCGA 19-5-1, no other court level can grant a divorce in this state. For Brookhaven residents, that means every divorce case, contested or uncontested, goes through DeKalb County Superior Court.
The residency requirement matters. At least one spouse must have lived in Georgia for six months before the petition can be filed, under OCGA 19-5-2. Once the petition is served, a mandatory 30-day waiting period begins. The judge can't sign a final decree until those 30 days are up. This applies across all divorce cases in the state, not just contested ones.
Georgia law lists 13 grounds for divorce under OCGA 19-5-3. The no-fault ground, which states that the marriage is "irretrievably broken," is by far the most common ground used in DeKalb County cases. The other 12 fault-based grounds are used less often. The divorce petition must be a written, verified document under OCGA 19-5-5.
Georgia Vital Records and Brookhaven Divorce Verification
The Georgia Department of Public Health keeps a statewide index of divorces granted between 1952 and 1996. If you're trying to confirm that a divorce took place but don't know which county it was filed in, the DPH index can help you identify where the record is held. The DPH Vital Records office is at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Phone: (404) 657-2700. Website: dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords.
What DPH can do is confirm whether a divorce is in the index and identify the county. What it can't do is give you a copy of the decree. As the department itself states: "Although the department can confirm divorces, copies of the records are held by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted." For the actual document, you need to contact the DeKalb County clerk.
The Georgia.gov vital records page provides information on how to request vital record verifications, including the DPH divorce index for older Brookhaven area cases.
This screenshot shows the Georgia.gov vital records page, which links to the DPH resources Brookhaven residents can use to verify older divorces before contacting DeKalb County Superior Court.
Note: The DPH index covers 1952 through 1996 only. For divorces before 1952 or after 1996, go directly to the DeKalb County Superior Court clerk.
Public Access to Brookhaven Divorce Records
Divorce decrees filed in DeKalb County are public records. Georgia's Open Records Act, OCGA 50-18-70, makes court records available to the public. You don't have to be a party to the case to request a copy. No specific reason is required. The process is open to anyone.
There are narrow exceptions. Cases where a judge ordered sealing, or where sensitive exhibits were filed under a protective order, may have restricted portions. Records tied to cases involving minors may also have limits. But the main divorce decree in a standard case is almost always accessible. If you run into a record with restrictions, the clerk will tell you what parts of the file are open and what isn't available.
Most people searching for Brookhaven divorce decrees are doing so for straightforward reasons: they need to enforce a term, update a name, or verify a marriage history. The process is meant to be accessible, and the clerk's office is set up to handle these requests on a routine basis.
Legal Help for Brookhaven Divorce Cases
Free legal help is available for income-qualifying Brookhaven residents. The Georgia Legal Services Program serves low-income Georgians in civil matters including family law cases. Their website is glsp.org. They cover DeKalb County, and their staff can help assess whether your case qualifies for services.
Georgia Legal Aid at georgialegalaid.org has plain-language guides on Georgia divorce law, what forms you need, how to serve the other party, and what to expect at each stage of a case. It's a well-organized starting point if you're thinking about a self-represented filing in DeKalb County Superior Court.
The State Bar of Georgia at gabar.org has a lawyer referral service if you need to find a licensed family law attorney in the Brookhaven or DeKalb County area. For cases with contested custody, property disputes, or other complicated issues, working with an attorney is often worth the cost compared to navigating the process alone.