To file civil court documents in Georgia electronically, you use one of three state-approved platforms — eFileGA, PeachCourt, or GreenFiling/InfoTrack — depending on which county your case is in. Attorneys have been required to file this way in Superior and State court civil cases since January 1, 2019. Self-represented parties can still bring paper to the courthouse, but the system is built for digital submission and most filers use it.
Who Has to File Electronically
If you’re an attorney, e-filing is mandatory for every civil case in Superior Court and State Court.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-11 – Electronic Filings of Pleadings and Documents2Justia. Georgia Code 15-7-5 – Electronic Filings of Pleadings and Documents The only workaround is using a public access terminal at the clerk’s office.
Self-represented parties have a choice. You can file electronically through the same platforms attorneys use, or you can file paper documents at the courthouse and the clerk must accept them.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-11 – Electronic Filings of Pleadings and Documents The mandatory statutes cover Superior and State courts specifically; whether a particular Magistrate Court accepts or requires electronic filings depends on that court’s own rules.
Which Platform Your Court Uses
Three providers handle Georgia’s e-filing: eFileGA (built on Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey system), PeachCourt, and GreenFiling/InfoTrack.3Georgia Courts. E-File Court Records You don’t pick one. Your court is assigned to a specific provider, and submitting through the wrong platform means your documents never reach the clerk.
eFileGA covers a large share of Georgia courts. GreenFiling/InfoTrack serves dozens of Superior and State courts, including Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Chatham.3Georgia Courts. E-File Court Records PeachCourt handles others. Before you create an account anywhere, check the Georgia Courts website or call your county clerk to confirm which system to use.
Each platform asks you to register with a valid email address. That email becomes your official contact for everything — acceptance notices, rejection notices, and electronic service from other parties all land there. Use an address you check every day.
Preparing Your Documents
Convert every document to PDF before uploading. Many Georgia courts require text-searchable PDFs rather than flat scanned images, because searchable files let judges and clerks find information without flipping through pages. A document you create in a word processor and save as PDF is already searchable. If you’re scanning paper, run optical character recognition on the file first. Check your court’s local rules for specifics on resolution and file size.
Save each document as its own file when the court requires separate labeled attachments. Standard forms like the General Civil Case Filing Information Form and the Summons are on your county clerk’s website. The party names and attorney bar numbers on your forms have to match exactly what you type into the online interface. Mismatches between the two are one of the most common reasons clerks reject filings.
Redact Personal Identifiers First
Before you upload anything, strip out personal information. Georgia law limits what can appear in a court filing to:
- The last four digits of a Social Security number
- The last four digits of a taxpayer identification number
- The last four digits of a financial account number
- The year of birth only
This applies to electronic and paper filings alike.4Justia. Georgia Code 9-11-7.1 – Redacted Information The clerk will not check your documents for compliance; the responsibility is entirely yours.5Supreme Court of Georgia. Uniform Rules Superior Courts of the State of Georgia – Section: Rule 36.17 If a full Social Security number or bank account slips into a filing, it becomes part of the public record, and getting it removed takes a court order. Exhibits and attachments are where this most often goes wrong.
What It Costs
Two separate charges apply: the court’s statutory filing fee and the provider’s e-filing fee.
Court filing fees for a new civil action vary by county and case type. The Superior Court Clerks’ Association publishes a baseline schedule, with local add-ons for the law library fund and alternative dispute resolution programs. Most new civil filings in Superior Court run over $200, though your exact amount depends on county and case.
Provider fees are capped by statute. For Superior Court e-filing, the law allows a one-time charge of up to $30 per filer per party, collected on your first filing in a case. Once you cross ten filings in the same case, each additional filing carries a $5 supplemental fee. Credit card and bank draft payments can also carry a convenience fee capped at 3.5 percent plus 30 cents per transaction.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-11 – Electronic Filings of Pleadings and Documents Actual charges are often lower than these maximums. Government filers, public defenders, and district attorneys pay no provider fee.
If you can’t afford the fees, Georgia law lets you file an affidavit of indigence to be relieved of costs.6Justia. Georgia Code 9-15-2 – Affidavit of Indigence Courts generally evaluate requests against 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline for your household size.7Georgia Courts. Order on Paupers Affidavit If granted, you’re excused from the filing fee, the sheriff’s service fee, and certain post-judgment costs. You won’t be charged for rejected filings — any card authorization simply drops off.
Submitting and Tracking Your Filing
Start by choosing “New Case” for an initial filing or “Existing Case” to add documents to an active matter. Select the court location and case type, then enter or confirm party information for both sides. Upload your PDFs and label each one with its document type. Clerks process hundreds of filings a day and rely on those labels to route everything without opening each attachment.
The service tab lets you pick parties or attorneys who should receive electronic copies at the same time you file with the court. This covers notice requirements for anything filed after the original complaint.8Justia. Georgia Code 9-11-5 – Service and Filing of Pleadings Subsequent to the Original Complaint A summary screen shows total costs and all attachments before you hit Submit.
Your dashboard then shows the filing as “Submitted” while the clerk reviews it. Processing time varies — some courts clear filings the same day, others take several business days. You’ll get an email when the filing is accepted or rejected. Accepted filings come back as file-stamped PDFs, which are your official proof.
The timestamp that counts is receipt by the service provider, not the moment the clerk completes review. Under the Uniform Superior Court Rules, an electronic document is presumed filed when the e-filing provider receives it.9Supreme Court of Georgia. Uniform Rules Superior Courts of the State of Georgia – Section: Rule 36.16 If a deadline falls on the day you file, your submission time controls even if the clerk doesn’t look at it until the next business day.
Rejected filings come back with a specific reason — formatting problems, missing forms, wrong party information, or fee discrepancies. Fix the issue and resubmit. There’s no charge for the second attempt. If the e-filing system itself caused the problem through an outage or glitch, courts have authority to accept filings retroactively to preserve your original date.9Supreme Court of Georgia. Uniform Rules Superior Courts of the State of Georgia – Section: Rule 36.16
Both attorneys and pro se parties can view and download any document e-filed in their case at no charge through the provider.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-11 – Electronic Filings of Pleadings and Documents Keep your profile email current. Miss a rejection notice and you can miss a deadline.
E-Filing Does Not Serve the Defendant
This is the single most common misunderstanding. The electronic service feature in the e-filing portal only applies to documents filed after the original complaint.8Justia. Georgia Code 9-11-5 – Service and Filing of Pleadings Subsequent to the Original Complaint You cannot electronically serve the initial lawsuit on a defendant who hasn’t appeared in the case. Filing your complaint through eFileGA, PeachCourt, or GreenFiling gets it to the court, but you still have to arrange traditional service of process, usually through the county sheriff or a private process server. Once the defendant’s attorney registers in the system, you can serve subsequent documents electronically. Treating the initial e-filing as service can cost you weeks.