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Divorce in Rabun County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help

Checked · General information, not legal advice ·

Summary

Divorces in Rabun County are filed with the Rabun County Superior Court. The filing fee is $215, and sheriff service is $50 for one defendant.

  • The posted fee list has no date and says fees can change at any time, so confirm the amount with the clerk before you file.1
  • The clerk's office is in the courthouse at 25 Courthouse Square in Clayton, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The clerk also handles Magistrate, Juvenile and Accountability Court filings.2
  • Rabun County shares the Mountain Judicial Circuit, and its divorce rules, with Banks, Habersham and Stephens counties.3

Where to file

Rabun County Clerk of Superior Court
25 Courthouse Square, Suite 105
Clayton, GA 30525
Phone: 706-782-36152

Filing fee

$215 to file. Sheriff service: $50 for one defendant.1

Parenting class

In cases with minor children, all parties must finish the Seminar for Divorcing Parents before the final hearing. It's offered online through the Ninth Judicial Administrative District's dispute resolution office.4

Mediation

Contested cases must go to mediation or a settlement conference hosted by a judge before a final hearing can be scheduled. Cases with domestic violence allegations are handled differently.4

Standing order

A circuit standing order applies to every domestic relations case, and the spouse who files attaches it to the complaint. While the case is open, neither spouse may sell or hide property, cut off the other's utilities, change the family's insurance, take the children out of Georgia for more than eight days or out of their school, or harass the other.4

Also good to know

For a protective order in Rabun County, you file a petition with the clerk of Superior Court, on your own, through a lawyer or with help from a community agency such as F.A.I.T.H. Then:

  • The clerk assigns the petition to a Superior Court judge.
  • If the judge grants a temporary order, a hearing is scheduled.
  • After the hearing, the judge decides whether to issue a permanent order, which is filed with the clerk.

Clerk staff don't have forms for the public and can't give legal advice. Copies of orders on file are available during business hours.5

Mountain Judicial Circuit rules

Rabun County shares its Superior Court judges and divorce rules with Banks, Habersham and Stephens counties. The circuit's page has the full standing order, the mediation and parenting seminar rules, and the circuit's other divorce rules.

Mountain Judicial Circuit divorce rules

Free and low-cost help in Rabun County

  • F.A.I.T.H. (Fight Abuse In The Home). A state-certified family violence program in Clayton serving Rabun County. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 706-782-1003.
    Phone: 888-782-13386
  • 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: 833-457-75297

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

Rabun County Superior Court website

Sources

  1. ^ Rabun County Clerk of Superior Court, court filing fees (PDF): key points and filing fees (rabuncounty.ga.gov)
  2. ^ Rabun County, Clerk of Superior Court: key points and address and phone (rabuncounty.ga.gov)
  3. ^ O.C.G.A. § 15-6-1, judicial circuits (Justia) (law.justia.com)
  4. ^ Mountain Judicial Circuit, standing order in domestic relations cases, 2025 (PDF): parenting class, mediation and standing order (mountain.georgiacourts.gov, PDF)
  5. ^ Rabun County Clerk of Court, restraining and protective orders (PDF) (rabuncountyclerkofcourt.com, PDF)
  6. ^ Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, state-certified family violence agencies (PDF) (cjcc.georgia.gov)
  7. ^ Georgia Legal Services Program, what we do (glsp.org)
  8. ^ 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.

Next step if you both agreeUncontested divorce in Georgia, step by stepHow an uncontested divorce works in Georgia, in order: checking you qualify, the settlement agreement, the forms, filing, service, the 30-day wait and the final decree.

Nearby counties

Fees and court rules differ from county to county. Guides for neighboring counties: Habersham County.

Rabun County also borders Towns County. Its clerk is listed on the Georgia page.

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