Contact Department

Send Us An Email

The Magistrate Court, established by the 1983 Georgia Constitution, is the first tier of Georgia's unified court system.  It is a court of limited jurisdiction and not a court of record.  It utilizes simplified forms and relaxed procedures designed to help expedite cases that don't demand the more onerous rules and procedures required in courts of record.   

The Magistrate Court operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.  During weekday business hours, the Court is staffed by three full-time judges who handle civil bench trials;  criminal commitment and bail hearings;  County and municipal ordinance trials;  and law enforcement search and arrest warrant applications.  After business hours, seven part-time judges, all experienced trial attorneys, handle initial appearance and bail hearings for every person booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center, and issue search and arrest warrants for people arrested outside of normal business hours. 

Each year the judges of the Magistrate Court handle an average of at least 30,000 separate activities requiring judicial decisions.