Probate Court

Contact Us

Jeff Jones, Probate Judge

P.O. Box 156
141 Commerce Street
Hawkinsville, GA 31036
Phone (478) 783-2061
Fax (478) 783-9219

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  • Applicants must both appear in person (special circumstances apply – Please call the probate office for details)
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older If either applicant is 16 or 17 years of age, BOTH parents must sign a consent form – NO EXCEPTIONS
  • A picture identification card is required for both applicants. A divorce decree or death certificate from the former spouse is required from one or both applicants that have had prior marriages.
  • An application for a marriage license must be filled out and signed by both applicants. At least one applicant has to be a resident of Georgia in order to apply for a marriage license in a county other than the county they are to be married in. If both applicants are not residents of Georgia, you must apply in the same county you are getting married in.
  • There is a $66.00 fee for a marriage license without Certification of Premarital Counseling and $26.00 with Certificate of Premarital Counseling.

Georgia residents who are at least 21 years old may apply for a Weapons Carry License. Residents between the ages of 18 to 20 years old with certain military training may also apply. Applications must be made at the Probate Court in the Applicant’s county of residence. For more information regarding the issuance of a Georgia Weapons Carry License please review the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A) § 16-11-126 through 16-11-135.

Who: Georgia residents at least 21 years of age.

Where: Probate Court Office, First Floor Courthouse

When: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

What to bring: Valid Picture ID – Driver’s license, Georgia State ID, or Military ID. Foreign nationals must have INS Resident Card. If you are a naturalized US Citizen, you should bring your naturalization papers. The cost is $75.00 for a first time issue and $30.00 for a renewal. This does include the required fingerprinting. If something shows up on your history that keeps us from issuing a firearms license, the money is NON-Refundable.

How Long: 15 minutes to complete the application and then take paperwork to jail to be fingerprinted.

Receipt of License: 3 to 4 weeks for a first time issue and 1 to 2 weeks for a renewal.

The Probate court has access to both death and birth certificates. Records can be obtained by contacting us at (478) 783-2061, or you can write us at the address listed on the left.

ADULT GUARDIANSHIPS AND CONSERVATORSHIPS

Probate courts have jurisdiction over the appointment and supervision of guardians and conservators of adult persons found to be incapacitated by reason of physical or mental illness to such an extent that the adult is no longer capable of making reasonable and rational decisions concerning his or her person or of managing his or her money and property. Guardians made decisions concerning the person of the Ward, and Conservators manage and make decisions concerning the income and property of the Ward. Conservators must be bonded for the value of all income and personal property of the Ward, and Guardians may be required to post bond. Guardians an incapacitated adult must file annual reports on the physical/mental status of the ward. Conservators must file an inventory of assets, an asset management plan and annual financial accountings, all of which are subject to review or audit by the staff of the probate court. The appointment, supervision, removal and discharge of guardians, conservators and their sureties are within the exclusive, original jurisdiction of the probate courts.

MINOR CONSERVATORSHIPS

Probate courts have jurisdiction over the appointment and supervision of Conservators for minors. A Conservator may be required if a minor inherits money or personal property not in a trust or under the management of a testamentary conservator, when a minor has received an award of damages in a personal injury lawsuit, or when a minor is the named beneficiary of life insurance or retirement benefits. Conservators must be bonded for the value of all income and personal property of the Minor. Conservators must file an inventory of assets, an asset management plan and annual financial accountings, all of which are subject to review or audit by the staff of the probate court. The appointment, supervision, removal and discharge of conservators for minors and their sureties are within the exclusive, original jurisdiction of the probate courts.

MINOR GUARDIANSHIP

Under certain circumstances, probate courts have jurisdiction over the appointment and supervision of temporary and permanent guardians for minors. A permanent guardian may be appointed for a minor who has no living parents or, after notice to the parents without objection, when the parents fail to properly care for the minor. Permanent guardianship of a minor, though similar, is not the same as legal custody of a minor, which may be granted only by superior or juvenile courts in Georgia.

Temporary guardianship may be granted to a person having physical custody of a minor in need of a guardian. The consent of the natural guardian(s) must be given in writing or the natural guardian(s) must be given legal notice of the proceeding. The probate court may not grant temporary guardianship of a minor over the objection of a natural guardian. The natural guardian(s) of a minor is/are the parents, if living, or the parent(s) having legal custody of the minor if the parents are divorced or were never married. The granting of temporary guardianship of a minor does not permanently terminate the parental rights of the parents. Temporary guardians hold, during the term of the temporary guardianship, all of the powers of a natural guardian, which will include the authority to consent to medical treatment and to enroll the child in school. Temporary guardians may be required to file reports on the personal status and conditions of the minor.

COST AND INVESTIGATIONS

There are court costs and fees which must be paid in connection with any guardianship and/or conservatorship case. Attorneys’ fees will also be involved in many cases. Particularly for adults, consideration should first be given to Alternatives to Adult Guardianship and Conservatorship. For more information, visit the Georgia Probate Court website. Most probate courts will require that all conservators and some guardians, particularly guardians of minors, undergo a criminal background check before appointment. Services caseworkers, social work professionals, and skilled and personal care facility administrators and staff.

TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Most probate courts will require all guardians and conservators of adults and all conservators of minors to view a training video and to read a handbook prepared and published for the courts by the Council of Probate Court Judges and the Administrative Office of the Courts. Even if not required, the videos and handbooks are excellent training and educational tools for guardians and conservators. There a links to those resources in the right column of this page.

For more information, visit the Georgia Probate Court website.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Administrator The person who administers a decedent’s estate when there is no will.

Administrator With Will Annexed. The person, other than an Executor, who administers a decedent’s estate when there is a Will (the Will fails to name an Executor or the named Executor cannot or will not serve).

Decedent The deceased person.

Executor The person who administers a decedent’s estate when there is a Will.

Heirs Those persons who would inherit the estate of a decedent if there were no Will under the rules of descent and distribution. “Heir” does not mean the same thing as “beneficiary”, although an heir may also be a beneficiary.

Intestate Without a Will.

Letters Testamentary/Letters of Administration The official document issued by the Probate Court evidencing the authority of an executor or an administrator.

Personal Representative Any executor, administrator, guardian or trustee, but not a temporary administrator.

Probate The court procedure by which a Will is proved to be the valid last Will of a decedent; also used generically to refer to the legal process of administering a decedent’s estate.

Probate Court The Court having jurisdiction over proceedings to administer the estate of a decedent; also has other jurisdiction.

Proceeding Pro Se Representing yourself in court without an attorney.

Testator A person who has made a Will.

Will A document, signed with the formalities required by Georgia law, by which a person makes disposition of his property, to take effect after his death.

Forms can be found on the Georgia Probate Court website.