Laurens County Divorce Decree Search
Divorce decree records in Laurens County are stored at the Clerk of Superior Court in Dublin, Georgia. The clerk holds final divorce orders, the full case files, and all documents submitted during each divorce proceeding. Georgia law makes most of these records public, so anyone can request them from the Laurens County courthouse. This page covers the request process, what the records contain, fees, applicable Georgia statutes, and where to get legal help if you need it.
Laurens County Divorce Decree Quick Facts
How to Get Laurens County Divorce Records
The Laurens County Clerk of Superior Court is located at 101 N. Jefferson Street, Dublin, GA 31021. The phone number is (478) 277-2900. The Laurens County website may have current office hours and additional contact information. In-person visits to the Dublin courthouse are the fastest and most direct way to request a certified copy of a divorce decree. Staff can search by party name or case number while you are there.
When you visit, bring a valid photo ID. The full legal names of both spouses and an approximate year of the divorce will help staff locate the record. A case number, if you have it, speeds things up further. Mail requests are also accepted. Write to the clerk at the Dublin address, include your contact information, relevant case details, and a check or money order for applicable fees. Call the office first to confirm the current fee schedule, since rates can vary.
Note: For older records, it may help to narrow the search by providing both the year and the names of both parties, since common surnames can turn up multiple results.
What Laurens County Divorce Decrees Contain
A divorce decree is the judge's final signed order closing a divorce case. It contains all the terms the court approved. Property division, debt assignments, spousal support if any was ordered, and all custody and child support arrangements appear in the decree. If the divorce was contested, the decree may also reflect rulings on specific disputed issues that were argued before the judge. The full case file at the Laurens County clerk's office includes the original petition, any answers or counterclaims, motions, financial affidavits, temporary orders, and any other documents filed during the case.
A divorce decree is not the same thing as a divorce certificate. The decree is a court order with all case details. A certificate is a shorter document from the Georgia Department of Public Health that only confirms the divorce occurred. If you need specific terms from a divorce, such as custody language, property descriptions, or alimony terms, you need the decree from the Laurens County courthouse. The Georgia DPH Vital Records office handles statewide confirmations for divorces between 1952 and 1996. For anything outside that range, the county clerk is your only source.
Laurens County Divorce Decree Fees
The Laurens County Clerk of Superior Court charges fees consistent with Georgia's general schedule. Plain copies typically run $0.50 to $1.00 per page. Certified copies, which bear the clerk's official seal and are required for many legal purposes, cost more. If you are submitting the document to a government agency, a court in another state, or a financial institution, ask specifically for a certified copy. Submitting a plain copy when a certified one is required will mean an extra trip and extra cost.
For older divorces where you only need to confirm one occurred, the Georgia DPH offers a verification letter. Contact them at 1680 Phoenix Blvd, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349, phone (404) 657-2700, or visit their request page for details. The DPH service is available for Georgia divorces recorded between 1952 and 1996 and will not include the actual decree. For full copies in Laurens County, the Superior Court clerk handles all requests regardless of how old the case is.
Note: Fees can change. Always call the clerk's office to confirm current rates before mailing a payment.
Georgia Divorce Laws in Laurens County
Georgia law sets the foundation for every divorce case filed in Laurens County. Residency is the starting point. Under OCGA 19-5-2, at least one spouse must have lived in Georgia for six months before a divorce petition can be filed. You do not file in the county where you married. You file where you or your spouse currently lives. The Laurens County Superior Court holds jurisdiction over divorces for county residents under OCGA 19-5-1.
Georgia allows divorce on 13 separate grounds, listed in OCGA 19-5-3. The no-fault ground, that the marriage is irretrievably broken, is used in the vast majority of cases filed in Laurens County and across the state. Neither party has to prove the other did anything wrong. They simply state the marriage cannot be saved. Other grounds include adultery, desertion, cruel treatment, and mental incapacity. These are still available but are more rarely pleaded because no-fault cases are simpler to resolve.
After the petition is filed and the other spouse is served under the procedures in OCGA 19-5-5, there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period before a final decree can be entered. Even when both parties agree on every term, the court cannot finalize the divorce until those 30 days pass. Self-represented filers can download forms through the Georgia Courts self-help portal. The Georgia Open Records Act governs public access to the resulting court files after a case is completed.
Public Access to Laurens County Divorce Records
The screenshot below is from the Georgia DPH Vital Records page, shown here to illustrate one of the secondary sources for divorce record information in Laurens County.
The DPH Vital Records service handles statewide confirmations for the 1952-1996 period. For full Laurens County divorce decree copies, the Superior Court clerk in Dublin is the right office to contact.
The Georgia Open Records Act gives any member of the public the right to request divorce decree records from the Laurens County Superior Court. You do not need to be a party to the case or give a reason for the request. The clerk's staff will search and provide copies for the applicable fee. There is no special status required to access these records in Laurens County.
Records can be sealed. If a judge orders a file sealed, typically to protect minor children or at the joint request of the parties, the clerk will confirm the case exists but cannot release the contents without a new court order. This is the exception, not the rule. Most divorce decrees filed in Laurens County are open records that can be accessed by anyone willing to pay the copy fee and make the request.
Legal Help in Laurens County
If cost is a barrier to getting legal help, Georgia has several programs that may assist you. The Georgia Legal Services Program serves Laurens County and can help low-income residents with divorce filings and related family law matters. Eligibility depends on income. Apply through their website or by calling their intake line.
Georgia Legal Aid offers online self-help tools, plain-language guides, and form walkthroughs for people handling their own divorce cases. The resources cover everything from how to fill out a petition to what to expect at a final hearing. If your case involves disputed property, retirement accounts, a business, or a contested custody situation, a private attorney is worth the investment. The State Bar of Georgia runs a lawyer referral service that can match you with a licensed family law attorney in the Laurens County area. The Georgia Courts website also has court contact information and forms for self-represented parties.