Georgia’s General Civil Case Final Disposition Form is a one-page document that the prevailing party files with the Clerk of Court alongside the signed final judgment to close a civil case in Superior or State Court. If the case settled, was voluntarily dismissed, or was dismissed for procedural reasons, the plaintiff files it instead. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58(b), the clerk cannot enter the judgment on the docket until this form is filed, which means the case stays administratively open no matter what the judge signed.
You can download the current version from the Georgia courts website or pick up a copy at your county’s Clerk of Court office.
Who Files It and When
The statute is direct about responsibility. The prevailing party files the disposition form at the same time as the final judgment. When no one clearly prevailed — a settlement, a voluntary dismissal, or a dismissal on procedural grounds — the plaintiff takes on the job. The clerk “shall not” enter the judgment until the form arrives, so treat it as part of the judgment package rather than a follow-up chore.
A plaintiff can dismiss a case without a court order any time before the first witness is sworn, or by filing a stipulation signed by all parties who appeared in the action, under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-41. Even these clean exits still need a completed disposition form.
One category is carved out entirely: dispossessory proceedings between landlords and tenants under Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 do not require the form.
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
The form is short, but the clerk’s office rejects filings for small mismatches. Work from the original complaint or summons so your entries line up with what is already in the record.
Case Identification
At the top, you identify the court and county, the date the case was disposed (MM-DD-YYYY), the case number assigned when the lawsuit was filed, and the case style listing plaintiffs and defendants exactly as they appear in the court’s records: last name, first name, middle initial, suffix, and prefix. A misspelled party name or a wrong digit in the case number is the most common cause of processing delays.
Attorney and Party Information
List the plaintiff’s attorney and defendant’s attorney with each attorney’s Georgia State Bar number. If a side is self-represented, check the “Self-Represented” box on that line instead. A separate checkbox asks whether any party was self-represented at any point in the life of the case, even if they later retained counsel. The “Reporting Party” field is for the person actually completing and submitting the form.
Manner of Disposition
This is the substantive section. You check exactly one box describing how the case ended.
- Jury Trial: check this once the jury was sworn, whether or not it reached a verdict.
- Bench/Non-Jury Trial: check this once the first evidence was introduced, even if no final judgment came out of the trial itself.
- Non-Trial Disposition: covers settlements, voluntary dismissals, summary judgments, and any other resolution that skipped trial.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution: check this if the whole case was resolved through mediation, arbitration, or another ADR process. When you check ADR, you also check Non-Trial Disposition. ADR is treated as a subcategory, not a standalone option.
A separate ADR checkbox asks whether the case was ever referred or ordered into a court-annexed ADR process, regardless of what ultimately resolved it. If the court ordered mediation and the parties still went to trial, that box gets checked.
Interpreter Checkbox
A yes-or-no field asks whether the court ordered an interpreter for any party, witness, or other individual involved in the case. It feeds statewide judicial reporting.
Signature
The attorney of record signs. Self-represented litigants sign themselves. The form prescribed by the Judicial Council of Georgia does not require notarization.
Sealed Settlements and Confidential Information
Confidential settlement amounts do not go on the form. O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58(b) specifically prohibits disclosing the amount of a sealed or otherwise confidential settlement on the disposition form. If any other required information has been sealed by the court, note that on the form and leave the sealed details blank. The clerk will still process it.
Filing It With the Clerk
File the completed form with the Clerk of Court in the county where the case was originally filed. It goes in with the judge’s signed final order; the two documents travel together.
Electronic Filing
Most Georgia courts now require e-filing through one of two state-approved platforms: Odyssey eFileGA or PeachCourt. The Georgia Courts website has a chart showing which platform each court uses and whether e-filing is mandatory or voluntary in that jurisdiction. Credit and debit card payments carry a 3.25 percent service fee, and eCheck payments cost $0.25 per transaction. These are payment processing charges, not court filing fees, which matters if you are tracking litigation costs.
Paper Filing
Self-represented litigants in counties that still accept paper from pro se parties can file at the clerk’s window. Rules vary. Some counties have moved to mandatory e-filing for everyone; others still take paper from unrepresented parties. Call the clerk’s office before driving over.
What Happens After You File
Clerk Review and Docket Entry
Under Uniform Superior Court Rule 39.2.3, the clerk reviews the form for completeness and consistency with the judge’s order and uses the disposition type you selected to update the civil docket. If the clerk concludes you checked the wrong disposition — for example, you marked “Jury Trial” but the order reflects a settlement — the clerk has authority to correct the form and enter the accurate disposition. The form then becomes a permanent part of the case file.
The Appeal Clock
Because the clerk cannot enter judgment until this form is filed, delivering it triggers the appeal window. Under O.C.G.A. § 5-6-38, a notice of appeal is due within 30 days after entry of the judgment. Delaying the disposition form delays entry, which delays the deadline, but it does not eliminate it.
Certified Copies
Once the case is closed on the docket, you can request certified copies of the judgment and disposition form from the clerk. Georgia clerks charge $2.50 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page.