Chatham County Residents Directory

Chatham County sits on the coast of Georgia and holds public records for more than 307,000 people. The Chatham County residents directory pulls from court case files, property deed indexes, voter rolls, and professional license databases that cover Savannah and the rest of the county. You can search most of these records online through the Chatham County court system or state databases. The Superior Court Clerk keeps land records, civil case files, and criminal filings. The county also runs its own case search portal that covers five different courts. This page shows you where to look and how to get the records you need in Chatham County.

Chatham County Superior Court Clerk Records

The Chatham County Superior Court Clerk is the main source for public records in this part of Georgia. Tammie Mosley serves as the clerk. Her office handles court case files, real estate deed recordings, liens, and other filings that go through the Superior Court. The office is at 133 Montgomery Street, Savannah, GA 31401. You can call them at (912) 652-7264. Under Georgia law at O.C.G.A. 15-6-11 and 15-7-5, the clerk must give public access to view cases and eFiled documents. All documents recorded and filed in the clerk's office are scanned and can be found online.

The Chatham County Superior Court Clerk website has tools for searching records from home. You do not need to go to the courthouse to start a search. The site lets you look up real estate filings, court cases, and recorded documents. This is one of the best tools in the Chatham County residents directory because it covers so many record types in one place. The clerk's office also records military discharges, assumed business names, and notary bonds for Chatham County.

If you need copies, the fee for certified copies is $10.00 plus $1.00 for each extra page. Uncertified copies cost $1.00 per page. Mailed requests must come with a money order or cashier's check. Personal checks are not taken for Chatham County record requests.

Chatham County Case Search Portal

The Chatham County court system runs a web portal that gives you access to court records from five different courts. The portal is called the CMS Portal and it is built on the Odyssey case management system. It covers the Superior Court, State Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court, and Recorders Court in Chatham County. That means you can search civil, criminal, traffic, probate, and small claims cases all from one site. Few counties in Georgia give you this much access from a single search tool.

The portal has some useful features. Smart Search lets you type a name and get results fast. You can also search by case number or hearing date. The Advanced Filtering tool narrows results down when you have a common name. There is a Soundex feature too, which finds names that sound alike but have different spellings. This helps when you are not sure how to spell a last name in the Chatham County residents directory.

Note: The portal shows case information only and does not let you file documents online.

Chatham County Government Resources

The Chatham County government website ties together county departments and services. The main county office is at 124 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31401. You can reach the county by phone at (912) 652-7300. This site is a good starting point if you are not sure which department holds the record you need. It links to the tax assessor, the sheriff's office, the courts, and other departments in Chatham County.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office is at 400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, GA 31401. The phone number is (912) 434-8920. The sheriff handles jail records, warrants, and inmate information for Chatham County. If you need to find out if someone is in custody or has an active warrant, the sheriff's office is the place to check. These records are part of the broader Chatham County residents directory because they tie to court case filings and criminal history data.

Other county departments keep records that can help you find people. The tax assessor has property ownership data with names and mailing addresses. The tax commissioner handles vehicle registrations. Code enforcement tracks property violations. Each of these offices adds more data points to the Chatham County residents directory, and most are available through the main county website or by calling the office directly.

Probate Records in Chatham County

The Chatham County Probate Court keeps some of the oldest and most useful records for a residents directory search. This court handles wills, estates, guardianships, marriage licenses, and firearms permits. The Chatham County Probate Court records page explains how to research records in person or by mail. The office is in Room 509 at 133 Montgomery Street, Savannah, GA 31401. Call (912) 652-7264, option 1, for the probate division.

The research fee is $10.00 per search. Certified copies cost $10.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page after that. If you just need to look at a document, uncertified copies cost $1.00 per page. These fees apply to all probate records in Chatham County. If you mail in a request, you must send a money order or cashier's check. The court does not take personal checks for mailed requests. This is the same policy that the Superior Court Clerk follows for Chatham County record orders.

Probate records can help with a residents directory search in ways that court cases cannot. Marriage licenses show names, dates, and addresses at the time of the license. Estate files list heirs and their contact information. Guardianship records name both the ward and the guardian. These records go back decades in Chatham County, so they are helpful for tracing people over time.

Georgia State Databases for Chatham County

Several state databases let you search for Chatham County residents without going to the courthouse. The GSCCCA Real Estate Records Search covers property transactions in all 159 Georgia counties going back to 1999. You can search by name, and the results show the buyer, seller, property location, and book and page number. This is a free tool that works well for the Chatham County residents directory because property records list names and addresses.

The Georgia My Voter Page is another free tool. You can look up any registered voter in Chatham County by name, county, and date of birth. The results show voter status, polling place, and district information. Voter records are public in Georgia. This makes them a useful part of any residents directory search in Chatham County or anywhere else in the state. The Secretary of State also sells full voter registration lists that include home addresses, but those cost money and take about two weeks to process.

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70 gives you the right to request records from Chatham County agencies. Agencies must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, they can charge the prorated hourly rate of the lowest paid employee who can do the search. Paper copies cost $0.10 per page. This law applies to county offices, the school district, and other public bodies in Chatham County.

How to Search Chatham County Records

You have a few ways to search for people in Chatham County. Online searches are the fastest. The case search portal at the Chatham County court system lets you look up anyone by name across five courts. The GSCCCA real estate search shows property transactions. The My Voter Page shows voter status. Each tool gives you a different piece of the picture.

For in-person searches, the Chatham County courthouse at 133 Montgomery Street in Savannah is the main location. The Superior Court Clerk's office is on the first floor. The Probate Court is in Room 509. You can view records at no cost in most cases. Copies are where the fees come in. Bring a form of payment other than a personal check. Hours run Monday through Friday during regular business hours. It helps to call first at (912) 652-7264 to make sure the record you want is at that location.

Mail requests work too, but they take longer. Send your request to the Chatham County Superior Court Clerk at 133 Montgomery Street, Savannah, GA 31401. Include the full name of the person, the type of record you want, and a money order or cashier's check for the fees. Be as specific as you can. If the clerk has to search through too many records, the research fee goes up. A clear request with dates and case numbers saves time and money for Chatham County searches.

You can also file an Open Records Act request under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70 for records that are not in the court system. This works for police reports, county employment records, inspection reports, and other documents held by Chatham County agencies. Put your request in writing. The agency has three business days to respond or tell you when the records will be ready.

Chatham County Record Fees

Costs vary by record type in Chatham County. Here is what you can expect to pay:

• Research fee: $10.00 per search
• Certified copies: $10.00 first page, $1.00 each page after
• Uncertified copies: $1.00 per page
• Open Records Act copies: $0.10 per page
• Marriage license search: contact Probate Court for current fee

Most of these fees apply at both the Superior Court Clerk and the Probate Court in Chatham County. The Open Records Act fee is set by state law and applies to all county agencies. Mailed requests must include a money order or cashier's check. If you go to the courthouse in person, ask the clerk what forms of payment they take at the window. Some offices in Chatham County now take credit cards, but not all of them do.

Note: Fees can change without notice, so call the Chatham County clerk's office to confirm current rates before mailing payment.

Cities in Chatham County

Chatham County has several cities and towns. The two largest cities with their own pages in our directory are listed below. All records for these cities are handled by the Chatham County courthouse in Savannah.

Nearby Counties and State Resources

Chatham County borders Effingham County to the north and Bryan County to the west. Jasper County, South Carolina sits across the Savannah River to the east. If the person you are looking for lived near the county line, their records may be in a neighboring county instead. People move between Chatham County and its neighbors often, so checking adjacent counties can help with a residents directory search. You can also use the statewide GSCCCA search to check multiple Georgia counties at the same time.