Atlanta Residents Directory

Atlanta is the largest city in Georgia and the seat of Fulton County. With more than 520,000 people, Atlanta has one of the most active public records systems in the state. The Atlanta residents directory pulls from court files, property deeds, voter rolls, vital records, and open records requests through city and county offices. Most records in Atlanta are held by the Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court, though the City of Atlanta also keeps its own set of public documents. You can search many of these Atlanta records online. Others need an in-person visit or a written request. This page shows you where to look and how to get each type of record in Atlanta.

Atlanta Court Records Directory

Court records are the backbone of the Atlanta residents directory. Fulton County handles nearly all court filings for people who live in Atlanta. The Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts is the main keeper of these files. The office sits at 136 Pryor Street SW, Room C-155, Atlanta, GA 30303. You can call (404) 613-5313 for questions. This clerk keeps civil case files, criminal case records, divorce filings, and land deeds for all of Atlanta. It is an elected post, and the clerk also manages jury service and court fee payments for the county.

A small part of Atlanta crosses into DeKalb County on the east side. If the person you are looking for lives in that area, their court records may be filed with the DeKalb County Clerk instead of Fulton County. Most Atlanta residents fall under the Fulton County court system, but it is worth checking both if your search comes up short. The Atlanta city limits touch both counties, which can make a records search a bit tricky for addresses near the line.

The Fulton County eServices portal is the best online tool for searching Atlanta court records. You can look up cases by name, case number, or date range. The system covers civil and criminal filings in Fulton County Superior Court. It is free to use for basic searches. Results show case details, party names, filing dates, and case status. If you need certified copies of Atlanta court documents, the portal tells you how to order them and what the fees will be.

Note: Some older Atlanta court cases filed before the digital switch may only exist on paper at the Fulton County courthouse.

Atlanta Open Records Requests

The City of Atlanta has its own open records process that runs through the Atlanta Law Department. The city runs a dedicated Open Records Unit that handles all public records requests for city departments. The main city office is at 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. The general phone line is (404) 330-6000. You can file a request for crime reports, incident files, code enforcement data, permit records, and other city documents through this office. The Atlanta Open Records Unit processes requests under the Georgia Open Records Act, which means they must respond within three business days.

Under O.C.G.A. Sections 50-18-70 through 50-18-74, any person can ask for public records in Atlanta. The law does not require you to say why you want the records or who you are. Agencies must turn over the files within three business days of getting the request. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the fee is based on the hourly pay of the lowest paid employee who can do the work. Paper copies cost $0.10 per page in Atlanta, same as the rest of Georgia.

The Atlanta residents directory benefits from this strong open records law. Georgia courts have said over and over that the act must be read broadly in favor of public access. If an Atlanta city office denies your request, you have the right to challenge that denial. The law also says that willful violations can lead to fines and legal costs against the agency.

Fulton County Records for Atlanta

Fulton County is the primary county for Atlanta. The Fulton County government website connects you to tax records, property data, code enforcement files, and other public documents that cover Atlanta. The main county office is at 141 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. The county also runs two branch offices. The North Service Center at 7741 Roswell Road, Suite 253 serves the north end. The South Service Center at 5600 Stonewall Tell Road handles the south side. Both can help with Atlanta record searches.

For a full look at Fulton County resources that cover Atlanta, visit the Fulton County residents directory page. That page covers the clerk office, probate court, voter data, and more in detail.

The Fulton County Court website says it provides "a public records search that includes: marriage, divorce, criminal, arrests, mugshots, missing persons & more" for the Atlanta area. This is a good starting point if you need to search more than one type of record at the same time. The site ties into the same systems the clerk uses at the courthouse in Atlanta.

Note: If your Atlanta address falls in DeKalb County, check with the DeKalb County Clerk for court and property records instead.

Property Records in Atlanta

Property records are a key part of the Atlanta residents directory. They show who owns a home, lot, or building in the city. The GSCCCA Real Estate Records Search lets you look up property deals across all of Georgia, and you can filter by Fulton County to find Atlanta transactions. The index goes back to 1999. It shows buyer and seller names, the property address, liens on the property, and the book and page where the deed is filed.

Atlanta has a hot real estate market. That means a lot of property changes hands each year, and those records pile up fast. If you want to see who owns a specific piece of land in Atlanta, or check if there are any claims or liens on it, the GSCCCA search is your best free tool. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority runs this database, and it pulls from records filed with the Fulton County Clerk.

The GSCCCA also runs a free tool called F.A.N.S., which stands for Filing Activity Notification System. It alerts property owners when someone files a new document tied to their property in Atlanta. You sign up with just an email or phone number. This is a good way to watch for fraud on your own Atlanta property record.

Atlanta Vital Records Search

Vital records in Atlanta cover birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates. The Georgia Department of Public Health Vital Records office manages these files at the state level. Their main office is at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. You can call 404-679-4702. Hours are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The website says that vital records may be purchased from all 159 county offices in Georgia, so you can also go through the Fulton County Probate Court for some of these records.

The Fulton County Probate Court handles marriage licenses and keeps copies of marriage certificates for Atlanta. The office is at 136 Pryor Street SW, 2nd Floor, Room C230, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Phone is (404) 613-4400. Marriage certificates cost $10 per copy. All fees are not refundable. You can also mail a written request for certified copies. The probate court in Atlanta also deals with estate filings and guardianship records, which are useful for tracing family connections in the Atlanta residents directory.

Birth certificates in Georgia go back to 1919. They cost $25.00 per copy. Death certificates also start at 1919 and cost $25.00. Birth records have limits on who can get them. Only the person named, parents, legal guardians, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, or spouses can order a birth certificate in Atlanta or anywhere in Georgia. Death certificates are open to the public.

Voter Records in Atlanta Directory

Voter registration data is one of the most useful pieces of the Atlanta residents directory. The Fulton County Registration and Elections department manages voter rolls for all of Atlanta. You can reach them at Elections.VoterRegistration@fultoncountyga.gov. For quick lookups, the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page lets you search any voter by name and date of birth. It is free.

The My Voter Page shows voting district info, polling place address, registration status, and when the person last voted. If someone moved within Atlanta or changed their name, the record updates once the new info goes through. Voters in Atlanta must update their address at least 30 days before an election under Georgia law. This tool covers all of Fulton County and the rest of the state.

• Search by name and date of birth on the My Voter Page
• Check voter status and registration details for free
• See polling place and election district for any Atlanta voter
• View absentee ballot request status
• Full voter lists available for purchase from the Secretary of State

Georgia Courts Access for Atlanta

The Georgia Courts eAccess portal gives online access to court records from Superior Courts across the state, and that includes cases filed in Atlanta through the Fulton County Superior Court. You can search by party name or case number. The system covers both civil and criminal cases. This is a statewide tool, so it works for Atlanta searches as well as any other Georgia county.

Using the eAccess system is free for basic searches in Atlanta. The results show case type, filing date, parties involved, and case status. For certified copies of court documents, you still need to go through the Fulton County Clerk. But for a quick check on whether someone has a case filed in Atlanta, the eAccess portal is a fast way to start your search without leaving home. It pulls from the same case management systems the courts use in person.

O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-72 does list some records that are not open to the public. Sealed court files, medical records, and records that would reveal Social Security numbers are off limits. But the law says these exceptions must be read narrowly. Most court records in the Atlanta residents directory are open for anyone to inspect and copy under Georgia law.

Note: Some Atlanta cases in specialized courts may not appear in the statewide eAccess system right away.

Atlanta Records and Georgia Law

Georgia has one of the stronger open records laws in the country. O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70 sets the tone by saying the state has a "strong public policy in favor of open government" and that access should be encouraged. This law covers every office in Atlanta that holds public documents. It applies to city departments, county offices, and the courts alike.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-71, any Atlanta agency must respond to a records request within three business days. If the records exist, the office must produce them or give a written reason why they cannot. Fees are capped at $0.10 per page for paper copies. Electronic records cost the price of the media used to store them. If the estimated cost goes over $500, the agency can ask for prepayment before they start the search. These rules protect your right to access Atlanta public records without running into surprise costs or long delays.

Exemptions do exist. O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-72 lists records that are off limits. These include active law enforcement investigation files, records that contain Social Security numbers or credit card data, medical records, and sealed court files. Public employee home addresses are also protected. But beyond these carve-outs, most records that make up the Atlanta residents directory are open for public inspection. The law says that exemptions should be interpreted as narrowly as possible to keep government open and transparent in Atlanta and across Georgia.

Which County Handles Atlanta Records

Most of Atlanta sits in Fulton County. The Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court at 136 Pryor Street SW is the main office for court, property, and public records covering Atlanta. A small part of Atlanta on the east side falls in DeKalb County. If you are not sure which county covers a specific Atlanta address, check the property records through the GSCCCA search or call the Fulton County Clerk at (404) 613-5313.

Nearby Cities in Georgia Directory

These cities sit close to Atlanta and have their own pages in the residents directory. If you are searching for someone who lives in the Atlanta metro area, their records may be filed in one of these nearby cities instead.