In May, Gov. Deal signed SB407 into law. The legislation requires every Superior and State Court in Georgia to transition to mandatory eFiling in civil cases no later than January 1, 2019. For cases filed on and after January 1, 2019 (or the court’s earlier adoption date), both attorneys and pro-se litigants (those not represented by an attorney) are required to electronically file new cases in all Superior and State Court in Georgia.

The fee structure for electronic filing will also change for cases filed on or after January 1, 2019. Instead of paying a fee each time a party electronically files a document, there will be a one-time $30.00 fee for the first filing per party. The fee structure for cases filed before January 1, 2019 will remain the same.

The new law allows any Superior or State Court to transition to mandatory eFiling at any time between July 1, 2018 and January 1, 2019.