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Divorce in Forsyth County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Forsyth County are filed with the Forsyth County Superior Court. The filing fee is $218, and sheriff service is $50.
- The last digit of a Superior Court case number shows your judge: 1 for Judge Bagley, 2 for Judge Dickinson and 3 for Judge Smith.1
- The clerk takes cash, cards with a 4.5% plus 50-cent fee, and Georgia bank checks with your name printed on them. Starter checks aren't accepted.1
- To get a hearing, you turn in a hearing request form to the clerk's office. Each judge has their own form.1
- If you have children, you get a copy of the new parenting class order, Administrative Order 26-08, when you file and serve it on your spouse. It takes effect November 28, 2026, replacing the 2010 rule. Until a parent finishes the class, the court can hold back the final decree.2
Where to file
Forsyth County Clerk of Courts
101 East Courthouse Square, First Floor, Suite 1007
Cumming, GA 30040
Phone: 770-781-21203
Filing fee
$218 to file. Sheriff service: $50.1
Parenting class
Starting November 28, 2026, both parents in a divorce or other family case involving a child under 18 must complete a four-hour online parenting seminar. The filing spouse has 31 days after filing and the other spouse 31 days after being served, and both must finish before the final hearing or trial. The court's main provider is the Ninth Judicial Administrative District's dispute resolution office; using a different online provider needs the judge's written approval before you enroll. A certificate is good for three years, and the fee can be waived or reduced if you file an affidavit of indigence. Family violence cases, contempt cases that don't also ask for a change, and uncontested or agreed changes are left out.2
Mediation
In every contested domestic relations case, the spouses must go to mediation before any hearing, under the county's domestic relations standing order. Mediation is arranged through the Ninth Judicial Administrative District's dispute resolution office, and the court asks that you not request a hearing date until mediation is finished.4
Also good to know
The forms for filing a civil case are at the Forsyth County Law Library, 101 East Courthouse Square, Suite 1030, and online through the library. Divorce and other civil cases can also be e-filed through PeachCourt or Tyler's eFileGA.1
Free and low-cost help in Forsyth County
- Forsyth County Family Haven. A state-certified family violence program in Cumming serving Forsyth County. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 770-889-6384.
Phone: 770-887-11215 - 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: 833-457-75296
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.7
Forsyth County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ Forsyth County Clerk of Courts, Superior & State Court Civil: key points, filing fees and other court rules (forsythclerk.com)
- ^ Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit, Administrative Order 26-08, parenting seminar: key points and parenting class (forsythclerk.com, PDF)
- ^ Forsyth County Clerk of Courts (forsythclerk.com)
- ^ Forsyth County Superior Court, non-jury hearing request form (Judge Smith) (forsythclerk.com, PDF)
- ^ 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: Cherokee County, Dawson County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County and Hall County.