Chatham County State Court at a Glance
The State Court of Chatham County sits in the Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse on the first floor. The court has limited jurisdiction within the county and hears misdemeanor cases, traffic violations, search and arrest warrants, preliminary criminal hearings, and civil matters not exclusively assigned to Superior Court. State Court also takes traffic cases bound over from any Chatham municipality and runs the county DUI Court program.
Chief Judge Gregory V. Sapp leads the bench. The other elected judges are Judge Elizabeth E. Coolidge and Judge Derek J. White. The clerk's office sits at Gadsden Suite 127 and accepts civil filings through eFile Georgia, written record requests by mail or email, and walk-in service at the citizens' access terminals during business hours. State Court began limited sessions in August 2021 and returned to a full event calendar in January 2022 with civil and criminal jury trials resuming April 1, 2022.
State Court of Chatham County
Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse
400 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 127
Savannah, GA 31401
clerk@statecourt.org
Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The official State Court page shows the address, judges, civil filing rules, and case-scheduling notes.
The official site is the entry point for civil forms, fee notices, and the State Court FAQ.
Chatham County State Court History
The State Court history page, compiled by Hon. James W. Head, calls the State Court of Chatham County the oldest small claims court in Georgia. It traces the court to February 13, 1796, when the Georgia Legislature created a court known as the Mayor's Court of Savannah. The original jurisdiction covered suits not exceeding $50, seamen's wage nonpayment cases, and committal hearings in criminal cases. The page notes 1796 was also the year a fire destroyed a major portion of Savannah.
The court evolved over the next two centuries from a committal court with no power to sentence offenders into a court that tries cases before a judge or jury. The history page identifies DUI, simple battery, and domestic violence as common State Court case categories today, with sentences ranging from fines and jail to alternative services designed for rehabilitation and punishment.
The history page is also a useful read for anyone trying to make sense of the split between Superior, State, and lower courts in Georgia.
What Chatham County State Court Handles
State Court's caseload is broad but limited compared to Superior. The court hears misdemeanors filed by the District Attorney, traffic cases bound over from Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Savannah, Thunderbolt, and Tybee Island, and civil cases that share concurrent jurisdiction with Superior. State Court does not hear felonies and does not handle divorce or equity, which stay with Superior.
- Misdemeanor criminal cases — including DUI, simple battery, theft by shoplifting under threshold, and other state misdemeanors.
- Traffic violations — bound over from Chatham municipalities or filed directly with the court.
- Civil matters — concurrent with Superior except for actions where jurisdiction is exclusive to Superior.
- Magistrate appeals — certain Magistrate Court rulings can be appealed to State Court in Chatham.
- Search and arrest warrants — issued when statutory grounds are met.
- Preliminary criminal hearings — calendared along with felony preliminaries handled by Magistrate.
Certain traffic charges, such as some speeding and failure to stop cases, may be scheduled quickly without a written accusation. The State Court FAQ tells defendants to allow four weeks after traffic charges are sent before paying.
Chatham County State Court DUI Court
The Chatham State Court DUI Court is the most documented accountability program in the State Court system. Chief Judge H. Gregory Fowler started the program in May 2003 under the Georgia Accountability Court framework. Eligibility includes two DUIs in five years or three DUIs in a lifetime. Treatment lasts at least one year, and probation runs for two. Presiding Judge Derek J. White hears the cases, and Charlene Middleton coordinates the program at (912) 652-3039.
The court reports DUI Court graduate recidivism below 5% versus a national average above 19%. The program combines treatment, supervision, and regular judicial monitoring under State Court rather than the standard probation path.
The DUI Court page lists phases, expectations, and graduation requirements for participants.
Chatham County State Court Fees
State Court's record and civil filing fees come from its own fee schedule rather than the Superior Clerk's schedule. The most-used items show up in the table below. The State Court fee schedule page carries notices about public records, social security number handling, statutory references, and the full filing fee list.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Simple copies per page (written request) | $1.00 |
| Self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed copies | Required |
| Civil filings through eFile Georgia | Per state fee schedule |
| Garnishment forms | Per state fee schedule |
| Subpoenas | Per state fee schedule |
| Super Speeder fee (state, billed by DDS) | $200 |
| License reinstatement after Super Speeder default | $50 |
Defendants who need to update address information must file the change with the Clerk. State Court warns that failure to appear can lead to an arrest warrant, license suspension, and bond forfeiture.
The fee page is the right starting point for any cost question on a State Court filing.
How to Look Up a Chatham County State Court Case
State Court runs three case-lookup paths. The fastest is the online Case Lookup tool linked from the court's site. The second is a written record search request, mailed or emailed to the Clerk with payment. The third is in-person use of the citizens' access terminals in the Clerk's office at Gadsden Suite 127.
- Open the State Court of Chatham County page and click Case Lookup.
- Search by case number first. If unknown, use a full legal name plus a date range.
- Open the case to read filings, court dates, judge, and bond information.
- If the document is not online, download the Record Search Request PDF from the civil forms page.
- Complete the form fields, attach $1.00 per page for simple copies, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
- Mail, fax, or email the request to clerk@statecourt.org.
- For in-person service, use the citizens' access terminals at the Clerk's entrance in Gadsden Suite 127.
The civil forms page links the record request PDF along with answers, garnishments, dispossessory, subpoenas, and foreclosure forms.
Note: State Court's FAQ warns that bond-forfeit options apply only to specific Traffic Violations Bureau offenses, so check the charge before assuming a pay-and-forfeit option is available.