Echols County Georgia Superior Court

Echols County Georgia Superior Court cases in Echols County, Statenville, GA

Echols County Magistrate Court in Statenville, Georgia is a limited-jurisdiction magistrate court. It serves as the county's entry-level court, handling civil claims up to $15,000; landlord-tenant dispossessory/eviction actions; garnishments; and county ordinance violations and bad check (deposit account fraud) cases. On the criminal side, it issues arrest and search warrants, conducts first appearances, sets bail, and holds preliminary hearings; felony matters proceed to higher courts for prosecution. The court does not conduct jury trials and does not hear family-law matters such as divorce or child custody; traffic offenses are handled in other local courts.

Echols County Georgia Superior Court Contact and Location Information

Services and Case Types Handled in Echols County Georgia Superior Court

Echols County Magistrate Court serves as the county's entry-level court for resolving minor disputes and initiating criminal process. It:
- Receives filings for small civil claims (up to $15,000), dispossessory/evictions, garnishments, abandoned motor vehicle liens, and foreclosure of personal property; processes bad-check claims.
- Manages criminal matters: citizen-warrant applications; arrest/search warrants; first appearance, bond, and preliminary/committal hearings; county ordinance violations.
- Schedules and conducts hearings; issues judgments and default orders; records and enforces judgments (writs/FiFa) and post-judgment garnishments; accepts fine/fee payments.
- Protective orders: Family-violence and stalking protective orders are handled by Superior Court; Magistrate can provide referrals and address related criminal-warrant issues.
- Provides forms, filing guidance, and public access to calendars and records as permitted by law.
- Jury services: Magistrate Court does not conduct jury trials; jury duty is through State or Superior Court.