Court filing fees by state · Georgia
Georgia · before you file
Court filing fees in Georgia
Georgia has no single statewide small claims filing fee: Your county's magistrate court sets the deposit and adds the surcharges. Below is how the fee is set, what cited courts charge, and the fees at the other court levels.
Fees at each court level
- Small claims (up to $15,000)
- Magistrate court: a filing deposit set by each court's local rule, capped at $22 by statute, plus mandatory surcharges; charged totals run about $50 to $115 Limit: $15,000 for actions filed through December 31, 2026; $25,000 from January 1, 2027.
- Limited or county civil
- None: magistrate court, then state or superior court
- General civil
- State or superior court civil: O.C.G.A. §15-6-77 base plus surcharges; county schedules about $214
Who sets the fee
O.C.G.A. §15-10-80, as rewritten by HB 999 (effective July 1, 2026), lets each magistrate court set a filing deposit "not to exceed $22.00" that covers all costs except service, and other statutes add surcharges (dispute resolution, indigent defense, retirement, technology). The result differs county to county and no statewide table is published.
Locally: Your county's magistrate court sets the deposit and adds the surcharges.
Cited examples
- Coffee County Magistrate Court: $50 ($100 with sheriff service)
- Lowndes County Magistrate Court (one defendant): $100
- Crawford County Magistrate Court: $115
Sources and verification
- Schedule
- Georgia General Assembly, HB 999 (as passed) (Act effective July 1, 2026)
- Authority
- O.C.G.A. §15-10-80 (HB 999, 2026), via legis.ga.gov
- Last confirmed
- 2026-10-23, by re-reading the schedule
- Usually changes
- Legislature (July 1); county schedules any time
What this page does not include
Last reviewed: October 2026
- Service of process: a sheriff or constable fee per defendant, or certified mail through the clerk. See the service of process cost tool.
- Jury demands, motions, subpoenas, appeals and post-judgment filings, each with its own fee.
- Fee waivers. Every court has one for filers who cannot pay; the fee waiver checker covers the usual tests.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every figure is cited to the judiciary's schedule or the statute; confirm with the clerk before filing.
Also for Georgia: post-judgment interest rate
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to file a small claims case in Georgia?
There is no single statewide figure. O.C.G.A. §15-10-80, as rewritten by HB 999 (effective July 1, 2026), lets each magistrate court set a filing deposit "not to exceed $22.00" that covers all costs except service, and other statutes add surcharges (dispute resolution, indigent defense, retirement, technology). The result differs county to county and no statewide table is published.
What does it cost to file a regular civil case in Georgia?
None: magistrate court, then state or superior court. State or superior court civil: O.C.G.A. §15-6-77 base plus surcharges; county schedules about $214.
Does the filing fee include serving the defendant?
Almost never. Service of process is a separate charge, a sheriff or constable fee per defendant or certified mail through the clerk, and it is not in the figures on this page. A jury demand, a motion or an appeal also carries its own fee.
Can the fee be waived?
Every state court system has a fee waiver for people who cannot afford the fee, usually by filing an affidavit of indigency or an application to proceed without payment with the clerk. The Georgia schedule linked above is where the court publishes its form, and this site's fee-waiver eligibility checker explains the usual tests.
Related tools
See exactly what it costs to file a small claims case, by state — cited to your court's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Total Cost to Sue CalculatorThe full out-of-pocket cost to sue in small claims court — filing fee plus service of process, added together and cited to each court's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Small Claims Limit CheckerSee whether your claim qualifies for small claims court and what the dollar limit is, by state and by plaintiff type — individual or business.
Open tool →Fee Waiver Eligibility CheckerSee whether you qualify to have your small claims filing fee waived for financial hardship, by state — cited to each court's own fee-waiver rule.
Open tool →Service of Process Cost CalculatorSee what it costs to serve a defendant, by state and by method — sheriff, court-arranged mail, or certified mail — cited to each state's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Small Claims Court Costs by StateFiling fees, claim limits, and service costs for every covered state, side by side.
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