Lowndes County
Lowndes County was founded in 1825 as part of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. It spans about 497.2 square miles and is home to over 118,257 people. The county is located in south-central Georgia and is named in honor of William Jones Lowndes, a U.S. Congressman. Valdosta, the county's largest city, serves as the county seat.
Lowndes County's court system comprises the Superior, State, Juvenile, Probate, and Magistrate Courts. The Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction over felony trials, land disputes, equity claims, family law matters such as divorce, and related cases. State Court handles misdemeanors, civil cases not exclusive to the Superior Court, and traffic violations. Meanwhile, the Juvenile Court deals with juvenile cases, including delinquency and dependency. The Probate Court oversees matters like probate of wills, administration of estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and involuntary mental health commitments. It also has jurisdiction over some traffic cases, game ordinance violations, and criminal commitment hearings. Magistrate Court handles minor civil cases such as most general civil claims not exceeding $15,000 in dispute, landlord-tenant disputes, temporary domestic violence protection orders, and deposit account fraud such as bad checks. Moreover, preliminary hearings and county ordinance violations fall under its criminal jurisdiction. The Municipal Courts in Hahira, Remerton, and Valdosta handle cases involving violations of municipal ordinances and preliminary hearings for certain criminal cases.
Court records in Lowndes County consist of various documents generated from the county's court proceedings. They include motions, petitions, transcripts, dockets, judgments, orders, summonses, and exhibits. These records are maintained by the Clerk of Court's Office and made publicly available per the Georgia Open Records Act. Although there is restricted access to juvenile, adoption, and other sensitive cases. The following are examples of court records in the county:
- Civil Records
- Criminal Records
- Probate Records
- Juvenile Records
Lowndes County provides online access to public court records through the Lowndes County Odyssey Portal. In addition, records seekers can use the state-maintained E-Access Systems or visit the Clerk's Office at:
327 North Ashley Street
Valdosta, GA 31601
Phone: (229) 333-5127
