Divorce in Bryan County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Bryan County are filed with the Bryan County Superior Court. The filing fee is $218, and sheriff service is $50 per person served.
- A family violence petition has no filing or sheriff's service fee.1
- Every civil filing in Bryan's Superior and State courts has to be e-filed.1
- A motion or petition asking for an order 30 or more days after the judgment or dismissal gets a new case number and a $58 fee, with a few exceptions such as contempt petitions only about child support or alimony.1
- Besides the main office in Pembroke, the clerk runs a full-time satellite office at the courthouse annex in Richmond Hill.2
- Bryan County shares four Superior Court judges with the other five counties of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit: Evans, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Tattnall.3
Where to file
Bryan County Clerk of Superior Court
Bryan County Courthouse, 151 South College Street
Pembroke, GA 31321
Phone: 912-653-38722
Filing fee
$218 to file. Sheriff service: $50 per person served.1
Parenting class
In any Atlantic circuit divorce where custody of children under 18 is at issue, including in Bryan County, both parents must file a certificate showing they completed the Seminar for Divorcing Parents before the final decree. The circuit's in-person class is held in Hinesville, at the Fraser Counseling Center, on the first Wednesday evening of each month, and you're expected to attend within 31 days after service. It costs $45 per person in cash or money order. If you can't afford it, you ask the Bryan County clerk to approve an affidavit of poverty for a fee waiver.4
Mediation
In contested divorces in the Atlantic circuit, you and your spouse must attempt mediation or get an exemption from the court within 90 days after the last answer or response is filed or was due. When you file the complaint or the answer, you also file an ADR initiation form and send a copy to the ADR office. If the ADR office doesn't get it on time, the case is automatically referred to mediation. Before asking for a pretrial conference or trial, a party must state in writing that the case was submitted to mediation or that an exemption was granted.5
Court forms
Bryan County's Superior Court page links to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit's self-help forms for family law and other cases. They're meant for people representing themselves, and it's up to you to pick and complete the right ones. Go to the forms.6
Also good to know
The clerk of Superior Court has two offices:
- The main office at the courthouse in Pembroke, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, except major holidays.
- A full-time satellite office at the courthouse annex in Richmond Hill, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
The clerk's office handles Superior, State, Juvenile and Magistrate court filings.2
Free and low-cost help in Bryan County
- TriCounty Protective Agency. A state-certified family violence program in Hinesville serving Liberty, Long, Bryan, Evans and Tattnall counties. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 912-368-8668.
Phone: 912-368-92007 - Georgia Legal Services Program. Free civil legal help, including family law, for people with low incomes in 154 of Georgia's 159 counties. Apply online or call the intake line.
Phone: 833-457-75298
If you need an interpreter
If you or a witness needs an interpreter, including sign language, tell the court in writing before the hearing, at least 5 days ahead where you can. The court then works to provide a licensed interpreter at its own expense.9
Bryan County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ Bryan County Superior Court, filing fees: key points and filing fees (bryancountyga.gov)
- ^ Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, Bryan County clerk directory entry: key points, address and phone and other court rules (gsccca.org)
- ^ Bryan County Superior Court (bryancountyga.gov)
- ^ Atlantic Judicial Circuit Seminar for Divorcing Parents, posted by the Liberty County Clerk of Courts (libertyco.com)
- ^ Atlantic and Ogeechee circuits, order mandating alternative dispute resolution, June 17, 2026 (PDF) (firstjudicialdistrict.org, PDF)
- ^ Bryan County Superior Court, self-help forms (bryancountyga.gov)
- ^ Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, state-certified family violence agencies (PDF) (cjcc.georgia.gov)
- ^ Georgia Legal Services Program, what we do (glsp.org)
- ^ Uniform Superior Court Rule 7.3, interpreters (gasupreme.us)
Court fees and rules change. Check with the clerk before you file. If something here looks out of date, email help@divorce.city.
Nearby counties
Fees and court rules differ from county to county. Guides for neighboring counties: Bulloch County, Chatham County, Effingham County and Liberty County.
Bryan County also borders Evans County. Its clerk is listed on the Georgia page.