---
title: SB 317. Magistrate Court of Clinch County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb317
cite_as: SB 317, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb317
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb317.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb317/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71059
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 890
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb317.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 317
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Russ Goodman
  - John Corbett
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB317/2025
upstream_id: 1989287
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - court fees
  - Clinch County
  - magistrate court
  - local government
  - court technology
---

# SB 317. Magistrate Court of Clinch County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize

## Text

Senate Bill 317
By: Senator Goodman of the 8th
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Clinch County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the
administration of such technology fee and funds; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
(a) The governing authority of Clinch County is authorized to adopt a resolution authorizing
the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Clinch County to charge and collect a technology fee in
an amount not to exceed $5.00, as set from time to time by the governing authority by
resolution, for every civil action filed, every estate filed, each conviction, as well as a
surcharge on each fine assessed by the magistrate court, and each filing of an affidavit,
except for affidavits of indigency. The magistrate court technology fee shall be assessed and
collected not more than once per party within any one action or proceeding. Such technology
fees shall be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Magistrate Court of
Clinch County. Such uses shall include only the following:
(1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;
(2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware;
(3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,
communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and
(4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and
archives to digital content for public access.
(b) Funds collected pursuant to this Act shall be collected by the clerk of the magistrate
court and remitted to the governing authority of the county on a monthly basis. Such
proceeds shall be maintained by the governing authority of the county in a separate,
segregated account; provided, however, that as long as the probate judge and magistrate
judge are consolidated, the probate court technology fee and the magistrate court technology
fee may be maintained in a joint consolidated account and shall be expended solely for the
purposes enumerated in subsection (a) of this Act. Such account shall be audited by such
governing authority annually.
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Senate bill would let Clinch County's governing authority approve a technology fee of up to $5 on magistrate court filings, fines, and convictions to pay for court technology upgrades.

### Plain-language summary

This bill authorizes the governing authority of Clinch County to adopt a resolution letting the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Clinch County charge a technology fee of up to $5.00. The fee could be assessed on every civil action filed, every estate filed, each conviction, as a surcharge on each fine, and on each affidavit filed except affidavits of indigency. The fee can only be charged once per party per case.
The money collected must be used only for the court's technological needs, such as computer hardware and software, equipment maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records. The clerk must remit the funds monthly to the county governing authority, which must keep them in a separate account (or a joint account with the probate court's technology fee if the two courts share a judge) and have the account audited annually.

### What it does

- Authorizes Clinch County's governing authority to pass a resolution allowing a technology fee of up to $5.00 on magistrate court civil filings, estate filings, convictions, fines, and most affidavit filings.
- Limits the fee to being charged only once per party within any single action or proceeding.
- Restricts use of the collected funds to specific technology purposes: hardware, software, equipment leasing and maintenance, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the clerk to remit collected fees monthly to the county governing authority for deposit in a segregated account.
- Allows the magistrate court fee account to be combined with the probate court technology fee account if the two courts share a consolidated judge.
- Requires the county governing authority to audit the technology fee account annually.

### Who it affects

People filing civil actions, estate cases, or affidavits in the Magistrate Court of Clinch County, defendants convicted in that court, the clerk of the magistrate court who collects the fee, and the Clinch County governing authority, which sets the fee amount and manages the funds.

### Why it matters

People using the Clinch County magistrate court for lawsuits, estate filings, or facing fines could pay up to $5.00 more per case. In exchange, the county would gain a dedicated funding source for computer systems, digital record-keeping, and other technology upgrades in that court.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) authorizes the county governing authority to set, by resolution, a technology fee not exceeding $5.00 on specified filings, convictions, and fines, capped at once per party per case.
- Section 1(a) excludes affidavits of indigency from the fee and lists the four permitted uses of the money, limited to computer and imaging equipment, software, and digitizing records.
- Section 1(b) requires the clerk to remit fees monthly to the county, requires a segregated account (or joint account with probate court fees under consolidated judgeships), and requires an annual audit.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Russ Goodman, John Corbett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71059

> The history, votes, and amendments (890 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb317.md?full=1