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Divorce in Houston County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Houston County are filed with the Houston County Superior Court. The filing fee is $218, and sheriff service is $50 to serve in Georgia, plus 50 cents a page to prepare the service package.
Houston County is its own judicial circuit, the Houston Judicial Circuit.[1] The court posts divorce forms and a step-by-step checklist for people filing without a lawyer.[2]
Where to file
Houston County Clerk of Superior Court
201 N. Perry Parkway
Perry, GA 31069
Phone: 478-218-4740[3]
Filing fee
$218 to file. Sheriff service: $50 to serve in Georgia, plus 50 cents a page to prepare the service package.[4]
Parenting class
The court's domestic standing order requires the parents to attend and complete a court-approved parenting seminar for divorcing parents and file the certificate with the clerk. The court's self-help page links to some approved courses, including the Georgia Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course, Families in Transition from the Family Counseling Center, and an online parent education seminar.[5]
Mediation
Mediation isn't set automatically by the standing order. The court's October 2026 standing order says mediation, discovery deadlines, pretrial orders, hearings and the trial will be handled through a scheduling order in each case, unless the court orders otherwise.[5]
Court forms
The court posts divorce forms for cases with and without minor children, contested or uncontested, along with a step-by-step pro se divorce checklist. The page warns that court staff can't help you fill out the forms, and that incomplete or improperly completed forms may delay your divorce. Paperwork has to be single-sided. Go to the forms.[2]
Standing order
A standing order, updated in October 2026, binds both spouses and anyone with actual notice of it. It bars harassing, following, watching or contacting the other spouse or the children to intimidate them; taking the children out of the court's jurisdiction without the other parent's written permission; selling, hiding or moving property except in the ordinary course of business; and reducing or changing any asset, other than monthly income, without the court's approval. Each spouse files a financial affidavit, and a child support worksheet when support is at issue, on the timeline set by the court rules.[5]
Also good to know
If the other spouse has to be served by newspaper notice, the checklist lists $130 for publication in the Houston Home Journal. After the clerk accepts your filings, a law clerk contacts you about next steps, and wait times vary.[4]
Free and low-cost help in Houston County
- The Salvation Army Safe House. A state-certified family violence program in Warner Robins serving Houston, Peach and Pulaski counties. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 478-923-2348.
Phone: 478-923-6294[6] - 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: 833-457-7529[7]
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.[8]
Houston County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ O.C.G.A. § 15-6-1, judicial circuits (Justia) (law.justia.com)
- ^ Houston County Superior Court, Pro Se Self Help: key points and court forms (houstoncountyga.gov)
- ^ Houston County Superior Court Clerk, civil division (houstoncountyga.gov)
- ^ Houston County Superior Court pro se divorce checklist: filing fees and other court rules (houstoncountyga.gov, PDF)
- ^ Houston County Superior Court, standing order for domestic relations actions, updated October 2026 (PDF): parenting class, mediation and standing order (houstoncountyga.gov, 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 (rulesofcivilprocedure.com)
Court fees and rules change. Check with the clerk before you file. If something here looks out of date, email help@divorce.city.