HB530: HB530 Courts; authorization for electronic filing of pleadings in probate court; provide

Georgia probate courts currently have no statewide requirement to accept electronic filings. This bill adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-86.2) requiring probate courts, by January 1, 2029, to set up electronic filing for pleadings and other documents in civil matters and to accept electronic payments, following standards set by the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia. Once a court starts mandatory electronic filing, clerks generally cannot accept paper filings from attorneys, though courts must still accommodate people who show up in person by converting their paper documents to electronic form. Courts must also provide a public computer terminal for filing. The bill caps filing fees at $30 per filer per case plus a small convenience fee for card payments, exempts government agencies, guardians ad litem, and court-appointed attorneys from fees, and gives attorneys and self-represented parties free access to view and download their own case documents. It also sets rules for sealed filings, emergency areas, and cases already underway before electronic filing begins.

• Requires all Georgia probate courts to set up electronic filing for civil case pleadings and electronic payment acceptance by January 1, 2029.
• Bars clerks from accepting paper filings from attorneys once a court's mandatory electronic filing begins, while requiring reasonable accommodations for in-person filers.
• Caps the one-time electronic filing fee at $30 per filer per case and limits credit card convenience fees to 3.5 percent plus 30 cents per transaction.
• Exempts government agencies, court-appointed attorneys, guardians ad litem, and municipal or county filings from electronic filing fees.
• Guarantees attorneys and self-represented parties free, unlimited access to view and download documents in their own cases.
• Requires each probate court to provide a public terminal for filing and sets rules for sealed, emergency, or pre-existing paper filings.

Probate court judges and clerks, attorneys who practice in probate court, self-represented (pro se) litigants, county governments that receive part of the filing fee revenue, guardians ad litem, and electronic filing service providers that process the filings and payments.

Georgians dealing with wills, estates, guardianships, and other probate matters would eventually have to file documents electronically rather than on paper, with capped fees and free access to their own case files, changing how routine court paperwork is submitted and paid for statewide.

• New Code section 15-9-86.2(a)(1) requires probate courts to enable electronic filing and electronic payments by January 1, 2029, under rules from the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia.
• Subsection (a)(1)(B) makes electronic filing mandatory once a court starts it, while requiring accommodation of in-person filers and a public filing terminal.
• Subsection (a)(2) caps the electronic filing fee at $30 per filer per case and the card payment convenience fee at 3.5 percent plus 30 cents per transaction.
• Subsection (a)(3) exempts government offices, court-appointed attorneys, guardians ad litem, municipal and county filings, and certain leave-of-absence notices from fees.
• Subsection (a)(4) directs $2.00 of each transaction fee to the county government, with no further remittance to other offices.
• Subsection (a)(5) gives attorneys and pro se parties free, unlimited access to view and download filings in their own cases.
• Subsection (a)(6) exempts pauper's affidavits, sealed or ex parte filings, emergency-area filings, and pre-electronic-filing cases from certain requirements.
• Subsection (e) states electronically filed documents are considered filed upon receipt by the filing service provider but are not disclosed until accepted by the court.

1. 2026-05-05Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-05Act 383
3. 2026-05-05House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-27House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-03-25Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)Primary sponsor
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-014)
• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   174 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #207

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2026

   48 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #806

3. PassedHouse voteMarch 27, 2026

   159 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 12 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #781

• probate court
• electronic filing
• court fees
• Georgia courts
• estates and guardianships