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Judge Chris A. Davenport Chief Magistrate
Judge Chris A. Davenport Chief Magistrate
The Magistrate Court plays an important role for the people in the community. The court provides assistance to individuals in civil and criminal actions. An attorney is not required in this court, which makes the Magistrate Court affordable for everyone in Jeff Davis County.
Magistrate Court's jurisdiction includes civil claims of $15,000.00 or less, dispossessory proceedings (landlord/tenant), applications for and the issuance of arrest and/or search warrants and preliminary hearings. The Magistrate Court does not hold jury trials and is not a court of record. Any appeals from judgments in civil cases are made to the Superior and State Courts.
This web site has been designed to provide citizens with the most current and convenient information available regarding the process and procedures in the Magistrate court. We hope you will find this website to be a useful and convenient tool in obtaining information.
The Abandoned Motor Vehicle (AMV) law changed on 9/1/2019
A business such as a repair facility, a salvage dealer, or a towing and storage firm may file a claim for an AMV in order to recover the costs of removing motor vehicles from public rights of way and private or public property.
The Magistrate Court now has guides, called “interviews” available online to assist you in completing Abandoned Motor Vehicle forms for the Georgia Magistrate Courts at: https://georgia.tylerhost.net/SRL/SRL/ExecuteInterview. The interviews go through a series of questions and answers to help populate the required forms.
These interviews are NOT a substitute for legal advice. If you need help preparing a case or understanding your legal rights, please contact a lawyer. These interviews will simply walk you through the process of entering your information on a court-approved document.
The interviews have forms for Plaintiffs and Defendants, including:
Petition for AMV Lien Foreclosure
Answer to Petition for AMV Lien
All required AMV forms are still available on the website for the Council of Magistrate Court Judges and can be found here: https://georgiamagistratecouncil.com/forms/
Generally, before filing any documents with the court, a business must request contact information for the vehicle owner(s) from the Department of Revenue (DOR) or from a DOR approved website. Please refer to the DOR website (https://dor.georgia.gov/) for additional information.
After sending the first “AMV Notice” to the Owner(s), the business must file a “Petition for Abandoned Motor Vehicle Lien Foreclosure” with the court. If an owner files an Answer, then there will be a court hearing.
The information available on this website is not intended as legal advice and should not be considered as such. They are provided only for reference purposes.
You should always research and review those statutes and procedural rules that pertain to your case to ensure that the complaint, answer, motion, or other document you are filing is accurate and in compliance with current Georgia law.
Send us a message with any questions or concerns, and we'll get back to you with answers as soon as we can.
14 Jeff Davis Street Suite 204 Hazlehurst, Georgia 31539, United States
912-375-6630 [phone] 912-375-6629 [Fax]