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Divorce in Whitfield County, Georgia: costs, court rules and local help
Summary
Divorces in Whitfield County are filed with the Whitfield County Superior Court. The filing fee is $215, and sheriff service is $50 per copy served.
Whitfield County shares the Conasauga Judicial Circuit with Murray County.[1] Parents of children under 18 take a four-hour divorcing parents seminar run by the Family Support Council in Dalton (706-272-7919). It costs $100, paid when you register. You can register and pay at its office, 1529 Waring Road, Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.[2]
Where to file
Whitfield County Clerk of Superior Court
205 North Selvidge Street
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: 706-275-7450[3]
Filing fee
$215 to file. Sheriff service: $50 per copy served.[4]
Parenting class
In a divorce or other family case involving children under 18, every party must complete the circuit's Seminar for Divorcing Parents. Each party registers and pays within 31 days after the defendant is served, then attends the next available session. A judge can waive the seminar for good cause, and a party who doesn't complete it can be held in contempt. When a final order is entered on the pleadings, the lawyer certifies that both parties attended.[5]
Mediation
Contested divorce and other family cases in Whitfield and Murray counties are referred to mediation. Unless the court orders otherwise, the first session is held within 60 days after the case is filed, and within 10 days of the referral the spouses tell the circuit's ADR office (706-278-5897) who their mediator is and when they'll meet. They choose a mediator from the circuit's roster, or the office appoints one, and the spouses pay the mediator; roster mediators must give some free or reduced-rate hours to people who can't afford the fee. Cases filed only under the Family Violence Act aren't mediated. Every family case is screened to decide whether mediation is appropriate, and a case involving domestic violence is mediated only if the at-risk spouse agrees. A case where every issue is settled by a written agreement signed by both spouses and filed with the court isn't referred unless both spouses ask or the judge orders it. A judge can hold off on the final order until the mediator has been paid.[6]
Also good to know
When custody is contested, each parent serves a proposed permanent parenting plan on the other at least 10 days before the final hearing, and a proposed temporary plan at least 5 days before a temporary hearing. Proposed plans also go to the mediator 5 days before mediation. If you agree on a plan, file it by the final hearing date or include it in the proposed final order.[7]
Free and low-cost help in Whitfield County
- Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center. A state-certified family violence program in Dalton serving Whitfield, Murray and Gordon counties. The number below is its crisis line; its office is 706-278-6595.
Phone: 706-278-5586[8] - 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[9]
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] The circuit's procedures also ask that the Court Administrator's office be told at least 72 working hours before the hearing.[7]
Whitfield County Superior Court website
Sources
- ^ O.C.G.A. § 15-6-1, judicial circuits (Justia) (law.justia.com)
- ^ Conasauga Judicial Circuit, Divorcing Parents Seminar (whitfieldcountyga.com)
- ^ Whitfield County Clerk of Superior Court, contact (whitfieldcountyga.com)
- ^ Whitfield County Superior Court cost schedule, effective July 1, 2024 (whitfieldcountyga.com, PDF)
- ^ Conasauga Judicial Circuit, Divorcing Parents Seminar rules, revised February 2022 (whitfieldcountyga.com, PDF)
- ^ Conasauga Judicial Circuit, alternative dispute resolution procedures, amended February 2022 (whitfieldcountyga.com, PDF)
- ^ Conasauga Judicial Circuit, circuit procedures and standing orders: other court rules and interpreters (whitfieldcountyga.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 (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.