Magistrate Court Services

* Links included on this page may direct you to a website maintained by an outside source, and are posted on our website in order to provide you with an alternative to additional information which you may find helpful. The content of these websites should not be substituted for professional legal advise.

This page contains information and links to resources involving services and cases that the Magistrate Court provides or is responsible for. If you still need additional resources or have questions, please visit our FAQ page.

Uniform Rules of the Magistrate Court

These rules are promulgated pursuant to the inherent powers of the Court and Article VI, Section IX, Paragraph I of the Georgia Constitution of 1983, in order to provide for the speedy, efficient and inexpensive resolution of disputes and prosecutions. It is not the intention, nor shall it be the effect, of these rules to conflict with the Constitution or substantive law, either per se or in individual actions and these rules shall be so construed and in case of conflict shall yield to substantive law.

Court Costs

The Magistrate Courts are allowed to charge court costs which include the minimum amount allowed by the Official Code of Georgia, in addition to surcharges either allowed by Georgia statutes or local legislation. Court costs for selected actions may also include monies collected by the court and distributed to the Sheriff's Department for service of summons. For a list of court costs charged by the White County Magistrate Court, please see the attached document below:

Filing Online

If you are unable to personally appear to file a small claim suit or dispossessory suit in our County, we are proud to offer you a convenient means to file these type suits online using TurboCourt.com. To go directly to White County's page and find out more how to take advantage of this service, please click on the following link: White County E-File

Criminal Warrant or Small Claim Suit

The following link will take you to a document created to assist you in understanding this Court's jurisdiction and procedures involving small claims and criminal warrants. Magistrate courts do have other civil remedies available, other than small claim suits, but is limited in its jurisdiction, meaning some issues may only be addressed by the Superior or Probate Courts of White County.

Landlord / Tenant - Dispossessory

In order to file a dispossessory action certain conditions must be met:

Post-Judgement Collections

Once you have obtained a judgment from the court, there are different ways to collect the judgment if the other party fails to pay as court ordered. Here are a few helpful links explaining ways to collect your judgment:

nCourt.com and Gwinnett Courts

Personal Property Foreclosures

Personal property foreclosure actions may be filed on "movable" items such as motor vehicles and household items, and they must be based on a security agreement, contract retaining title, vehicle title, commercial contract, or lease agreement. No money judgments are given, only an order to return the property. Neither the value of property nor the amount of debt may exceed $15,000, or else the action would require filing in the Superior Court of White County.

Abandoned Motor Vehicle Information

The Abandoned Motor Vehicle process contains strict deadlines which have to be met in order to successfully foreclose on an abandoned motor vehicle. These guidelines can be found in O.C.G.A. 40-11-1 thru 40-11-24. Additional information and forms can be found at the following locations: Georgia Dept. of Revenue - Motor Vehicle Division & Council of Magistrate Court Judges

Restraining Order

There are various types of orders that may be issued by the Superior and Magistrate Courts to protect victims of abuse and harassment. Example of restraining orders issued by the Superior Court are Family Violence Protective Orders and Stalking Protective Orders. Examples of restraining orders issued by the Magistrate Court are Bond Conditions and Good Behavior Bond Orders. For more information on these types of restraining orders, see the attached document below.

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is any felony, battery, assault, criminal damage to property, unlawful restraint or criminal trespass between past and present spouses, parents of the same child, parents and children, stepparents and stepchildren, foster parents and foster children, or other persons living or formerly living in the same household. If you feel you are a victim of domestic violence, the following links will take you to some very useful websites specializing in helping victims form safety plans, find a temporary location to seek safety, seek medical treatment, take legal action, and other helpful information.

Deposit Account Fraud (Bad Checks)

Georgia Code defines Deposit Account Fraud, also called Bad Checks, as follows: A person commits the offense of deposit account fraud when such person makes, draws, utters, executes, or delivers an instrument for the payment of money on any bank or other depository in exchange for a present consideration or wages, knowing that it will not be honored by the drawee.

Ordinance Violations

Authority to the White County Magistrate Court over the trials of ordinance violations is found in O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2(4). Prosecution for county ordinance violations is initiated by the issuance and service of a citation and summons by a county department or office authorized by law to enforce the county ordinance code. The maximum criminal penalty for each county ordinance violation is up to six months probation, 60 days in jail, and a $1, 000 fine. See O.C.G.A. § 15-10-60 through 15-10-66.

Examples of ordinance violations:

Magistrate Court Services

Contact Information

White County Magistrate Office

59 South Main St., Suite E

Cleveland, GA 30528