The Magistrate Court of Fannin County is a court of limited jurisdiction.
The jurisdictions and procedures are uniform throughout the State of Georgia.
The monetary jurisdiction in Civil cases is $15,000 or less, but does not include dispossessory actions which involve landlord-tenant cases. Dispossessory actions have unlimited monetary jurisdiction.
The Magistrate court has criminal and civil jurisdictions.
Brian D. Jones
Chief Magistrate Judge
James S. Altman
Senior Associate Judge
R. Kevin Dye
Associate Judge
Cassie Rymer
Chief Clerk
Philip Owensby
Deputy Clerk
Madison Buchanan
Deputy Clerk
Kathleene Cole
Deputy Clerk
Fannin County Magistrate Court
400 West Main Street, Suite 202
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
fax: 706-632-8236
email: magistrate@fannincountyga.org
Judges
Brian Jones is Chief Judge of the Magistrate Court. Judge Jones was elected in 2016.
He is currently serving his third term as Chief Judge.
James S. Altman is a Senior Magistrate Judge. Judge Altman was appointed in 2020.
R. Kevin Dye is an Associate Judge. Judge Dye was appointed in 2023.
Magistrate Court
The Magistrate Court of Fannin County exists to serve the citizens of Fannin County. Here, in Magistrate Court you may choose to represent yourself; therefore, you are not required to have an attorney. This makes the Magistrate Court accessible for self-represented parties.
Fannin County Magistrate Court 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 do not demand the more onerous rules and procedures required in courts of record.
The Magistrate court has Criminal and Civil Jurisdictions
The Civil Division handles matters such as Abandoned Motor Vehicles, Dispossessory (Landlord-Tenant) Actions, Small Claims, and Garnishments.
The Criminal Division handles matters such as Warrant Applications, Search Warrants, First Appearance Hearings, Preliminary Hearings, and County Ordinance Violations.
Legal Advice
Employees of the Magistrate Court of Fannin County, including Judges themselves, are prohibited by law from providing legal advice (legal advice includes defining terms) at any time during your contact with the Court.
If you have questions about your legal rights, legal remedies available to you, what legal documents to file, or how to present evidence at a hearing, you must contact an attorney.
Be understanding with our staff as we attempt to assist you, knowing the limitations we face in assisting each individual party to a case.
Open Records Request - Magistrate Court
I understand that, pursuant to O.C.G.A § 50-18-71, I may be charged administrative and copying fees for the cost to search, retrieve, copy and supervise access to the requested documents.
The fee represents the hourly rate of the lowest paid full-time employee with the necessary skill and training to respond to my request, with no charge for the first fifteen minutes that it takes to respond to the request.
The charge for copies is generally $ 0.10 cents per page unless otherwise provided by law.
I agree to pay all copying and/or administrative costs incurred with fulfilling my open records request.
You may download, print, and present this Open Records Request form or use our online request area below: