Asking Georgia for a record

What the Open Records Act and the Open Meetings Act actually require, what a request costs, and which office holds birth certificates and county filings.

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  OMA-01

  What the Open Meetings Act requires of a Georgia public body

  A written notice posted twenty-four hours ahead, a majority vote of a quorum to close a meeting, a misdemeanour and a $500 fine for doing it knowingly, and ninety days to sue.

  • Open Meetings Act
  • 24-hour notice
  • 90-day window

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  ORA-01

  How a Georgia open records request works

  Three business days, oral or written, and a statute number when a record is withheld: what the Attorney General’s open government guidance says a Georgia agency must do.

  • Open Records Act
  • 3 business days
  • O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72

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  CLK-01

  Searching filings held by Georgia superior court clerks

  The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority runs the shared public search, a filing alert service called FANS, a Map Search app and a paid Premium Search tier.

  • GSCCCA
  • FANS alerts
  • Premium Search

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  VIT-01

  Where Georgia birth and death certificates come from

  Vital Records at the Georgia Department of Public Health registers, preserves, amends and certifies Georgia vital events, and takes orders online through listed vendors or by mail.

  • Vital events
  • Order online or by mail
  • Fees not published here

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  ORA-02

  What a Georgia open records request costs

  Twenty-five cents a page, the first fifteen minutes free, an hourly rate capped at the lowest paid qualified employee, and prepayment only above a $500 estimate.

  • 25 cents a page
  • First 15 minutes free
  • $500 threshold