Divorce in Tift County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Tift County are filed with the Tift County Superior Court. The current filing fee isn’t posted online, so ask the clerk. Counties that post theirs charge $208 to $224.
- The clerk's office at 237 E. 2nd Street in Tifton is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and closed on county holidays. It handles Superior and State Court cases, and legal notices run in The Tifton Gazette.1
- The circuit's mediation office can be reached at 229-386-7827.2
- Tift, Irwin, Turner and Worth counties make up the Tifton Judicial Circuit, which has three Superior Court judges.3
Where to file
Tift County Clerk of Superior Court
237 E. 2nd Street
Tifton, GA 31794
Phone: 229-386-78104
Filing fee
The clerk doesn't post its divorce filing fee or sheriff service fee online, so call the clerk at 229-386-7810 before you file. Mail goes to P.O. Box 354, Tifton, GA 31793. For comparison, Georgia counties that post their fee charge between $208 and $224 to file a divorce. Compare counties.4
Parenting class
The Tifton Circuit lists a Divorcing Parents Seminar with its forms for divorces with minor children. Sessions run 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on a Thursday every other month at Tifton First Methodist Church, 107 12th Street West, entering through the Adult Education building. You must register and prepay $35 per person by calling Journey Counseling at 229-255-3099 more than 24 hours before the class.5
Mediation
The Tifton Circuit's mediation program reviews Superior Court civil cases, which include divorces, and refers those still open 225 days after filing. Unless a party asks the court within 14 days to be exempted or delayed, or reports that the case already settled or went to mediation, the court assigns the mediator and the parties pay that mediator's listed fees. Uncontested cases, cases with a potential for violence and cases involving a child support agency are exempt. If you can't afford the fee, the program's indigent application must reach its office at least seven days before the first session.6
Court forms
The Tifton Circuit posts divorce complaint and answer forms for cases with and without minor children, the financial affidavit, and a video walkthrough from the Judicial Council of Georgia. Go to the forms.7
Free and low-cost help in Tift County
- Ruth's Cottage (Tifton Judicial Circuit Shelter). A state-certified family violence program in Tifton serving Tift, Worth, Turner, Irwin and Ben Hill counties. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 229-387-9697.
Phone: 229-388-15418 - 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: 833-457-75299
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.10
Tift County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, Tift County clerk directory entry (gsccca.org)
- ^ Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, Tifton Judicial Circuit ADR Program listing (godr.org)
- ^ Tift County, Superior Court (tiftcounty.org)
- ^ Tift County, Clerk of Court: address and phone and filing fees (tiftcounty.org)
- ^ Tifton Judicial Circuit, 2027 Divorcing Parents Seminar schedule (PDF) (tiftonjudicialcircuit.org, PDF)
- ^ Tifton Judicial Circuit, Mediation (ADR) (tiftonjudicialcircuit.org)
- ^ Tifton Judicial Circuit, divorce forms (tiftonjudicialcircuit.org)
- ^ 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: Colquitt County.
Tift County also borders Berrien, Cook, Irwin, Turner and Worth counties. Their clerks are listed on the Georgia page.