Went in with my daughter to pay a fix it ticket that she had. Parked outside for 3.00 and went inside. The clerk for paying is right front and center as soon as you pass the security desk. We went in around noon and it wasn't crowded at all, went right up to the clerk who was very dry asked for our ticket and only glanced at it and said 25.00 please We paid and was out of the door...... My beef for the 2 stars is this: Now I know this is a courthouse but does everyone have to be so serious? No smile, no hello, no how is your day going. The clerk has no customer skills or people skills. She was more concerned with talking to her coworkers than looking at the ticket and my daughters proof that it had been fixed... My daughter rushed back from TN to get this fixed and paid on time. Anyway whatever LOL! read more

Slow, Unprofessional, Dry and Rude People For no reason.. Outside of that they were about to put this elderly lady on Probation because she didn't have her full payment of $329.. ‍ I stepped up to pay the $29 for her! Putting a lady over 70 on Probation for $29 our Justice System is Broken in a lot of areas! Almost makes me want to Goto Law School it Creat my Own Law Firm! ‍ We as a People all races, religions and sexual preferences have to step up and fix this!! Or we will find ourselves old and gray and can leave the country or town because of $29 Probation fee... another thing when I wanted to use my card to make a payment to help this little sweet old lady out they wanted to charge 16 just to use my card..‍‍‍ ATM was at the end of the Hall! Anyhow "This is America don't let them catch you Slipping Now" read more

Dekalb County Recorders Court - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

Today I finally head to court to face the big man, well in my case WO-MAN about my 3 citations. I arrive for my hearing at 2:00 to a line that is literally a mile long, from here I knew this wasn't going to be a very good afternoon. But I did meet a cutie in line and had a nice conversation about cars with so I became optimistic. I FINALLY get in the front door to have an officer yell at me because instead of putting my purse in the bin and then on the conveyor belt, I should have just placed it on the conveyor belt. I get upstairs and say my goodbye to the cutie =( and I sit in the courtroom waiting for the judge from 2:00 until 5:00!!!! WTF?? How is this possible?? I can't wrap my mind around their system. I mean if they are going to subject us to 3 hour waits, hard seats and a freezing room, could they at least provide coffee?? The lesson I learned from today is slow down so that I won't have to deal with this rude bunch of......(you fill in the blank) read more

OK, Alison B and Lynn M brought up some baaaad memories for me. I concur with everything they've said - from no one answering the phone to how bureaucratic the whole process is (stand in this line, no stand in this line, then stand in THAT line....)- and would also add that the reason I hate them most is the fact you cannot reschedule a court date (in my case, for a speeding ticket and lapsed registration) unless you are incarcerated, in the hospital, or on military duty. Seriously?? My court date is two days before Christmas and I have to work (HAVE to work) and I can't just get another court date?! I learned the hard way that Dekalb Co is NOT a place you want to get a ticket. For that last reason, but also because (as the judge explained to us) for years, Dekalb didn't follow up/through with tickets. People just got off and in 2010 they decided to "remedy" that. There were people in court with me with outstanding tickets and warrants from as long as five years ago! It was packed to the gills and Diedre R is right about the timing of things...it's a nutty system. I got there right before the court opened at 8am and was about 5th in line (um, this was the second day I went as I showed up closer to 11am the first time and there was no chance I was getting to a judge that day). I ended up getting into the first hearing that day, thankfully. The only reason that they get two stars, not one, is because I got lucky- my letter came in the mail saying I better show up or else (to summarize) and I did. And since I was a "recent" offender without all the crap some people had (I was amazed at how many people in court that day had multiple no insurance, no registration, etc charges! In GA, no insurance can send you to jail!). And the judge reduced the fine because I was ready, willing and able to pay cash immediately. Other people didn't fare so well. Just be warned: don't get in trouble in Dekalb County but if you do, go to Recorder's Court with cash and a lot of patience. read more

Well, without a doubt, this place is as bad as it gets. Here's a few tips for those of you who have the misfortune of receiving traffic tickets from overzealous cops in Dekalb County. (Mine was for making a right on red... whoops). - As others have noted, bring cash. You'll need $3 for parking. You'll also need lots more than what you expect for your fine, should you wish to pay it. More on that in a second. - Come early. I arrived at 1:30 for my 2pm slot. The line outside was already long, but I got into the courtroom and was seated in the third row. Those who arrived later had to wait much, much longer. Those who arrived much later were held outside of the courtroom for the next hearing: not fun. - As others have said, don't let your cell phone ring. Do turn it off. As noble as it is that they donate confiscated cell phones to a battered women's shelter, I want to keep mine. - If you see Judge Roderick Bridges sitting behind the bench, just bend over and spread 'em because you're about to be completely f$@&ed. The guy is on a huge power trip. I don't have much experience within the legal system, but I have never seen a judge who is that much of an ass. The only words that I heard leave his mouth were "What do you plead?," "It's $xxx, can you pass debt?" and "See the cashier/parole officer." I saw so many people try to explain their charges and he couldn't have cared less. It's obvious that this smarmy jerk is pretty content with the job security of being voted into office by county executives. - On that note, when you go downstairs to pay your fine, expect a 90-minute line. You might wonder why it takes so long to reach the cashier. Here's the reason... or at least one of them. When the judge tells you your fine, he doesn't do the math for you. At the beginning of the hearing, you are informed of a $25 court fee for any guilty/nolo plea. You might assume that the judge factors that into the total when he says, "it's $219, can you pass debt?" But he doesn't, and that explains why tons of people are running between the cashier and the ATM after reaching the end of the line. - Do not ask the cashier for legal advice. That makes the line take even longer, and after watching dozens of people attempting this yesterday, I promise you won't get any useful tidbits out of it. This is not going to be a fun experience, not matter how you prepare for it. Just be ready to give five hours of your life to the bureaucratic nonsense. And seriously, Dekalb County: I hate you. read more

Wow- I have never seen so many legitimate 1 star bad reviews for a business and I concur with almost everything that others have written. This place is bureaucracy at its worst: inadequate and severely limited parking options thanks to overfull paid lots, a dearth of directions at the building so you know what to do once you arrive, inefficient processing in the courtroom and somewhat surly service. I had inadvertently failed to pay my car's registration on time (oops!) and got pulled over by a cop near my neighborhood when I did not have my lights on at the tail end of dawn while heading to work one morning. He gave me a pass on the lights, but wrote me a ticket for my expired registration (one month late). The officer explained that I could simply pay it (at least $155 per the Dekalb County website but possibly as much as $300+ depending on how late you are to renew) or if I got the emissions test and registration taken care of right away and go to the Recorders Court on the date and time he assigned me, that the judge would likely drop the fine or at least reduce it significantly. The very next day after I received the ticket, I took care of the emissions and registration renewal and saved the documents indicating these actions- this was important later! In any case, back to the Recorders Court, once I finally made it inside for my 9 am appointment (no food or drinks allowed inside, even water bottles per the X Ray machine operator who made me throw away my freshly packed lunch which I had in my work bag for later) and upstairs to the correct courtroom, I found the room to be packed with 110+ people (yes, I counted!) in an area which seated about 90 on long hard wooden benches. The rest of us stood along the side walls of the courtroom, no real problem with this until the DA addressed everyone and they started playing 'Courtroom Musical Chairs'. We spent almost 30 minutes getting lined up in various areas of the courtroom per the DA's instructions: *** "If you are less than 21 years old, come up here and sit in these first two rows" *** "If you want to speak with the DA, sit over here and wait your turn" *** "If you are going to plead Guilty or Nolo Contendere and are prepared to pay your fine immediately (which in many cases, you don't even know exactly how much that will be until you are in front of the Judge), line up over here on the left hand side" *** "If you are going to plead Not Guilty, line up over on the right hand side" ETC Imagine 110 people all standing up at various times as instructed by the Sheriff, squeezing by others who are still on the benches waiting to hear where they are supposed to go now forming lines along the side where there is already spillover from too many people in the courtroom. Utter chaos and confusion. Any way, I was a Nolo Contendere girl so when I finally got up to see the Clerk, presented my ticket and documentation that I had taken care of things immediately after receiving the ticket, I was dismissed with NO FINE! Wahoo!! (and that is why I give them a one star upgrade!) Summary: 1) Arrive early, be prepared to pay $3 cash to park in private lots near by the courthouse or you may not find legal parking at all! 2) Do not bring any food or drink in to the building - they will make you throw it away as you go through the metal detector at the entrance 3) Skip laptops and iPads- not allowed to be used even while waiting in the courtroom 4) The Sheriff is not kidding when he says "turn OFF your phone - not just put on vibrate" because if it rings or he sees you using it when the Judge is in on the bench, he will take it away! 5) Bring CASH to pay your fine- no CC or personal checks allowed! Most importantly, RENEW YOUR CAR REGISTRATION ON TIME so you don't have to spend 2-3 hours in Recorders Court! :) read more

Today, I make my second visit to Recorders Court, to face the judge because they moved my court date from Nov 08 to Mar 09 due to overbooking. First, let me tell you, everyone has to be at court at 2pm, so don't go running up to the door thinkin OMG I'm late, because by the time you get into the building its 2:30pm anyways.....well today, I figure get there about 2:30 and I'll at least avoid the mile long line to get into the building. That worked, what I didnt expect was that since the courtroom was now overfull, I got to stand in line in the staircase while the Sherriff told everyone that came in after me to just wait in the staircase line with me Finally someone of authority suggested that they move us out of the staircase (and a potential fire hazard) to the courtroom where they are doing Animal Court. I didnt know a such thing existed, but ok....so we go in and sit for about 20 mins when the tribunal clerk says "if you have a speeding ticket......blah blah blah.....and if you have a moving violation we are going to reduce it to a non-moving violation.......blah blah blah....so me thinking, I have a "no proof of tag" that has to be a moving violation...right....so I raise my hand, she tells me...there's no questions...either you are going to pay the fine or not....so I say....well how much is the fine....once again she says..no questions...are u payin the fine or not....YES OR NO. Now I'm dumbfounded and just kinda stand there not beleiving that she won't let me ask her if I have a moving violotion offense or not....and btw....how much is that fine that I'm agreeing to pay. Well since I was speechless, she infomed me to have a seat until the judge called me. Well he finally did, after I signed a paper saying I was guilty (I am....arent I) and I approach the bench....polietly ask the judge if I can ask him a question....he says that I can....I then proceed to ask him...."is having no proof of tag consider a moving violation". He says....dont worry about it sweetheart (SWEETHEART???).....I'm going to dismiss the charge. OMG.....now I am dumbfounded as that has never happened....and I've gotten tickets all over this great country of ours. Words to the wise....Never just pay the fine....sometimes the judge will call u sweetheart and drop the charges. BTW....the fine would have been $188. SWEETHEART....IMO he was harsher on the people with the "dangerous" "unprovoked" attack dogs than he was on us traffic violators.....but he could have gotten tougher, I was the first person he saw after he got done with the animal violators. I got there about 2:30pm and was at the bar drinking Texas Margaritas by 4:00pm telling everyone how the charges got dropped!!! YIPEE read more

No free parking nearby and expect terribly line. Old court.

Pretty dang bad service. If you need help dealing with this Court Service, call Trentacosta & Associates P.C. at 404-368-9465. or visit www.ChadTrentacosta.com & say you were referred by Yelp. read more

Aside from everything that's already been mentioned, it's clear that the judges have biases and stick to them with every decision they make. This place is an excellent example of failed bureaucratic leadership within the government. I think I could find a better system in a county with successful school programs, successful sheriff offices and successful county management. Thanks Dekalb, but no thanks. And also, the claim DeKalb County makes about being the greenest urban county in ALL of America is a bit far fetched. Try again, failed county (in most every aspect), try again. read more

I've been having trouble paying my ticket. I was visiting from Pittsburgh, Pa and i got a speeding ticket leaving Georgia in the Dekalb county. Of course i couldn't show up in court. I was headed back home to go to work in the morning. So i got a warrant. But i didn't find out until i moved back home to Alaska. I don't know how many emails i've sent out and how many hours on the phone. I can't leave my job to show up in court in Atlanta or go to jail in atlanta or whatever when i got a apartment bills and a job up here. My ticket isn't showing up online either. I could pay a fine but the people i speak with at record court don't seem to know what to do. I need my license for these cold winters up here. This ticket is like from 2008. Still trying to get it taken care of. read more

I received a citation on 10/16/2008 that ordered me to apear in court on 11/24/2008. I went to court on that date and pled "not Guilty". They had us sign some papers to that effect and asked us to update our addresses. They said that we will be notified by mail of the court date. I heard nothing from the court. On April 3, 2010, I got a post card from Dekalb FTA Recovery stating that I did not appear as scheduled on 11/24/2008 to answer the citation. So they added a Contempy fee to the citation amount and asked me to pay that amount or let them know if I want to contest the ticket. I wrote them a letter which accompanied their post card letting them know that I did appear in court for the citation and yes, I did want to contest the ticket. I just got a Notice on 10/03/10 from the state of GA informing me that my License will be suspended on 10/16/10 as ordered by the Dekalb Recorders Court. What's interesting is that when I went to court on 11/24/2008, I forgot my wallet at the Security Checkpoint. When I went back to get it I had to sign several documents from the Sherif to retrieve it. They should have also maintained a log of the items that are left at the checkpoint. Clearly Dekalb Recorders Court lost the record for court attendance on 11/24/2008 and they are asking those of us affected to prove that we were in court or pay a hugh fine. They realize that it would cost even more to hire an Attorney. If there are others out there that are similarly denied due process, please send me an email. We could attack this thing as a class. read more

There is only one phrase that can describe Dekalb County Recorder's Court, and that's "piss-poor". There are other choice words, but I don't think I can use profanity in a Yelp review. You cannot call and speak with a human. You will not get any response from their general information e-mail, nor their "information window" submission system on their website. You will have to go down to the court (located in a very inconvenient complex off on Memorial Drive on 285) and speak to a surly employee, who will most likely be snapping their gum while talking quietly through the six inch safety glass that separates the two of you - glass that was probably installed to keep people from leaping across the counter in anger. The entire system, from the layout, to the hours, to the arraignments, to the holier-than-thou-look-at-me-I-wear-a-robe-so-I'm-instantly-better-than-you judges, is made to wear you down so much that you give up, even if you're innocent, and pay whatever outrageous fine they levy on your infraction. If this is what Dekalb County government is like, then you can rest assured I will never, EVER, EVER live in Dekalb county. I already do whatever I can to stay out of the county (well, minus Decatur). It's bad enough that I have to pass through it on my morning and afternoon commutes. I can tell you from experience - save yourself a lot of time and stress - never get a traffic citation in Dekalb county. read more

This place is a great example of how broken governmental agencies in the US are. I got a speeding ticket about a month ago and every day since then I have been trying to use the online payment system to, you know, pay for it. My citation number had an E before it, and every time that I typed this whole number into the look-up system for online payment, it would tell me that the ticket could not be found and to call this number: 404-508-0368. If you ever have the pleasure of calling this number you will find that about 19 out of every 20 calls you make to it will return a busy signal (which on a side note IF YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL THE RECORDERS COURT JUST KEEP HANGING UP AND REDIALING, YOU WILL GET THROUGH THE BUSY SIGNAL SOONER OR LATER). Once I finally got through I was put on hold for upwards of 40 minutes and when I finally talked to an operator I may as well have been talking to Darth Vader or Saddam Hussein or anybody else whose entire existence is 95% evil with just a 5% splash of humanity. She informed me that I could now look it up but I needed to take the E off of the beginning (SO FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT CANT LOOK UP YOUR TICKETS, TAKE THE LETTER OFF OF THE BEGINNING OF THE NUMBER WHEN USING THE LOOK UP SYSTEM). PHEW I thought. I finally had my ticket pulled up on the online system, and after a few tries the SQL database actually WORKED and returned my fine amount and a link to "Pay Now." Upon clicking on the "Pay Now" button, I was redirected to another governmental payment site that promptly displayed "There is an error processing your request. Please call customer service at ###-###-####." FFS I thought. I then had to bombard the original number with another 25 calls to get through because, as I can tell, that is the only way to get the IVR payment system's phone number (FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT NEED THE # TO THE PHONE PAYMENT SYSTEM: 404-371-3272). I called the phone payment system, and after trying my citation number WITH the E and not getting results, I tried it again without the E. I was put on hold (yes thats right, on hold by an AUTOMATED FREAKING SYSTEM) while they tried to look up my citation number, and after 5 minutes it politely said "Your citation cannot be retrieved at this time. Please try again later. Thank you. Goodbye." ARGHHHHHHHHHH I thought. And so I tried it one more time..... AND IT WORKED! HOLY FREAKING COW SOMETHING IN THIS COURT SYSTEM WORKED!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA IM SO HAPPY!!!!! I paid my ticket over the phone after 2+ hours of trying to navigate this bass-ackwards court. Like I said earlier, if you need a textbook reference for how terribly our government is failing / breaking down, you don't have to look any further than the Dekalb County Recorders Court at 3630 Camp Circle in Decatur, Georgia. To summarize everything about this place in a list: -The employees of this place have spawned either directly from Satan or are simply close relatives -The "Kiosks" that the website informs you that you can pay at located within the court are BROKEN with no signs of getting fixed (when I asked some bacon about it he pretty much laughed and said they hadn't worked in a while) -The line to pay your citation in the actual court takes 1.5+ hours on a good day, so make sure you bring a book -The SQL database that all the court records are kept in is showing some SERIOUS signs of fault and null values, hence why the online citation look up system repeatedly returns SQL errors. -The phone number that is given to everyone is tied up 99% of the time, and only a serious lambasting of phone calls will get you through the busy signal -Once you get through the busy signal you will be informed that you have another 45 minutes to wait for an operator (Satan) to work as hard as they can to get you off the phone as quickly as they can -The phone payment system (separate from the actual court phone number) is broken and doesn't work most of the time -The online payment system is broken and doesn't work 100% of the time FOR THOSE OF YOU TRYING TO PAY A TICKET WITHOUT HAVING TO VISIT THIS FORSAKEN HELL HOLE -When entering your citation number on either the website or the phone payment line make sure you take the letter off the beginning of your citation number (if there is a letter there) -Do not go to the court assuming that you can use the "quick-pay" kiosks, they do not work -The phone number for the phone payment line is, once again, 404-371-3272. This is the only way I found of paying that is in a semi-non-broken state. To anyone that has to go to this place; I am so sorry and I wish you the best of luck. read more

Just paid $412 on a speeding ticket, never felt this helpless in my life. I recently ran into an obvious speed trap on Sheridan Road NE (please be careful, the cops lurk around the intersection between Sheridan and Briarcliff), several cars have already been pulled into the VTA station and given tickets. I flew back to Boston and could not attend the court date given on ticket. A month later, another notice appeared at my permanent address, asking for $100 more than the original fine of $192, citing "Contempt of Court". Now I called to explain that I could not have attended the court date but there was no one to answer but an automated machine with an authoritative voice telling me how to pay my fine. I wrote an elaborate email about my circumstance and plea for another court date and possible reduction of the fine, but this is the response: "The fine amount is $367.00 + $25.00 for court cost, no personal checks accepted. I am showing that you missed your court date; therefore there is no other choice but to pay and close. Thank you" Apparently the new amount includes a $75 warrant fee, which I have no idea what it's for. I talked to a traffic lawyer and he said "I don't know, sometimes they just charge you that." Okay, I guess this is when I give up and just say, DeKalb County, you win, you have successfully extorted money from an innocent visitor. Oh, they charged another $20 as "service fee" when I paid online. So the total is $412, a nice, welcoming gesture, from a county that is so desperate to increase its income that it has lost any respect for justice. Thank you DeKalb County of Altanta, for setting a great example for the rest of country. read more

Prepare, because they are very very very slow! Took 3 hours for paying a ticket!!! Arrogate!

If you have a traffic violation and end up with Judge Roderick Bridges I would recommend you leave court immediately and pay the original fine. I was cited with speeding at 15mph over the limit with a fine of $215. Today I went into court and plead Nolo/No Contest to avoid the 2 points on my driving record. Judge Bridges entered my Nolo plea and I was dismissed from the room, but when I went to the cashier cage I found out he raised my fine, near doubling it from $215 to $402. I left the cashier cage without paying and went back to the courtroom to see if I could have my fine reduced back at or near the original $215. The DA explained to me Judge Bridges has the discretion to raise fines, though she admitted judges do not often do so on the type of traffic offense I had. I asked if I could reappear and request a reduced fine, or plead guilty with the 2 points and pay the original fine, or if I could take any other action. I was told I could request probation so I could have more time to pay. I didn't need or want probation, so I went back downstairs and paid the $402 fine. I was speeding and was caught by DeKalb PD, whom I respect and admire even when I run afoul traffic laws. I certainly deserved the citation and a fine; I don't argue these points at all. However, increasing a fine from $215 to $402 could be considered excessive despite being within the limits of the law. Here are examples of DeKalb Recorders Court fines (as posted on their website) for various offenses: Animal neglect, $360 Public Intoxication, $360 Defecating or Urinating in Public, $360 Disorderly Conduct, $360 Exposure of genitals and nudity prohibited in public, $360 Speeding 29 miles over the speed limit, $388 I could have defecated on Judge Bridges car and paid less than I did for my speeding citation. I don't know why he chose to near double my fine, but be aware if you end up in Judge Bridges court he may choose to administer, within the legal limits of the law, his version of justice which may severely hurt your wallet. I am a public servant- former 8 years Active Duty Army with 1 year in Iraq, and current 6+ years as an employee of the State of Georgia. I respect other public servants and first responders as they have a tough job with little pay or respect. I am finding it very difficult to maintain any respect for Judge Bridges. Raising my fine by $25, $50, $75, even $100 would have been adequate if he felt the need to teach me some sort of life lesson. I'm not at all saying he's a bad or unfair judge- as it was explained to me he was well within his judicial right and power to raise my fine. I'm simply just not sure what near doubling my fine from $215 to $402 was supposed to do for the good of the public and/or delivering justice on a traffic violation. I simply would not recommend attempting to appear before him in court if you cannot afford the possible outcome of a doubled fine. read more

Typical government office. Dekalb county has to work on the customer service. You get the feeling that you are putting them out of their way. read more

So, I began my quest in June to find out what my ticket fine amount was. First, the number to call, that was printed on the ticket, was incorrect. The web address that was printed on the ticket, was incorrect. The number of the DeKalb County website: 404.371.3272 is incorrect and doesn't even redirect you to the correct line (so if you call, have a pen and paper handy and get ready to do your detective work.). Second, when you call the new number, it goes to an out-sourced, automated hotline with prompts that do not give you an option for an operator. If you select the "pay your fine" prompt, you eventually get transferred to an operator. But wait, there's more: The operator cannot answer most basic inquiries about recorder's court or hours, etc. because DeKalb County only provides them with limited information. On the Recorder's Court page of the website, you can select "information Window" to send an email, or you can just email: dcrcinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov. You should get a response in about 2 days. So, that being said, my experience: I did all of the above, then on Tuesday, i responded to the email i received and asked if Recorder's Court would be open today, since it's the day after a holiday. I got a response, THIS MORNING, saying that "Recorders court is open to the public to make payment today, July 5, 2013. Thank you". I, however, just left Recorder's Court and there were signs on the windows saying that Recorder's Court is closed today. This was the final disappointment in a series of disappointments I experienced today while attempting to be a responsible citizen and pay this ticket. There was NO INFORMATION on the website about the Recorders Court being closed today so, based off of that and the email i received, FROM RECORDER'S COURT THIS MORNING--I went to camp Circle to pay this ticket. When I get there, I was dismayed when I could find NO PUBLIC PARKING. Every lot had an "Employee Parking Only" sign and "unauthorized vehicles will be towed" sign. The area outside of Recorders Court was a yellow zone and had no parking signs there, but had parking spaces and cars parked there. So, clearly I didn't know what the deal was with that and didn't want to risk parking illegally and getting another ticket while trying to pay this one. And, of course, there were plenty of parked cars around, indicating people were at work, and plenty of empty police cars parked, but no on to ask about parking. Also, there are parking attendant booths in all of the "public parking" lots that had "Employee Parking Only" signs at the entrances, but no attendants in the booths. So, I park somewhere (after I, as part of a four car caravan searching for parking get tired of circling like sea gulls) and I find the CORRECT phone number (to the automated, outsourced phone service). I called and since there is NO SYSTEM PROMPT TO REACH AN OPERATOR, I had to try the "pay your fine" prompts until I was redirected to someone. The young lady I spoke to advised me to park in "the $3 lot". When I informed her of the parking issue and the fact that there were NO PARKING ATTENDANTS ON DUTY OR ANYONE I COULD ASK FOR ASSISTANCE AROUND..EVENTHOUGH OTHER DEKALB CO. EMPLOYEES WERE CLEARLY AT WORK, she apologized and said she had no other information. She couldn't even contact the recorders court on my behalf because DeKalb County didn't provide the company she works for with a number! So there I was, sitting outside of DeKalb County Recorders Court with my money, ready to pay my fine and DeKalb County has made it impossible for a responsible citizen to pay their fine! I am disgusted and embarrassed at the lack of professionalism and customer accessibility I have experienced while trying to get this fine paid. The hoops that a citizen has to jump through in order to pay DeKalb the money they requested is ridiculous in every way. The problems I experienced are customer service 101 and dotting i's and crossing t's. read more

This place needs a complete overhaul. I arrived at 9am and did not leave until 11am. There were only two clerks working and there were several clerks standing around there desk talking. At one point, myself and 4 other people were moved to another line. I thought that moving us would help the line go faster but we ended up standing in line for an hour. While the clerk was helping someone, she was having difficulty and 3 people came over to help her and it took them at least 15 minutes to get the problem figured out. The police officers on the scene were not helpful at all. They were standing around talking and laughing and not doing a good job with crowd control. The most frustrating part of the experience was the poor signage, did I mention that corrections to the signs were done in pen. There was one sign that notified customers about a newly implemented $25 fee. I noticed at least 5 people that were not aware of the fee so they had to get out of line to go to the atm. I believe that this type of signage should be visible prior to getting to the window. The poor signage truly had an impact on the movement of the lines. I understand that there are budget issues in the state of Georgia but can the mayor, governor or whomever is responsible for this bottom of the barrel establishment please try to make some improvements. Definitely motivation to be a better driver. read more

This review is more to help other people than it is to express anger or frustration. After a certain point I let go of those emotions. These are tips that will help you avoid certain bureaucratic pitfalls in dealing with the court and its employees. So you've gotten a citation/ticket, and instead of paying the fine online (or a court appearance is mandatory) you've opted to appear in court. This is my big guide of helpful tips that will put you really ahead of the game in getting your issue sorted out. 1.) Be on your game. This court has a massive caseload and is underfunded. They can and do make mistakes and unless you're on top of things you will end up paying for them both in money and stress. 2.) It should go without saying but I saw a lot of younger people who need this advice: This is a court. This is not school. You don't get to cop an attitude- you can and will go to jail. The system is hard enough to navigate on its own, being rude and abusive with the people who at least nominally want to help you is going to make things way worse for you. 3.) There are signs posted saying cell phones aren't allowed in the building. This is not enforced. However, I highly recommend that unless you're in a hallway you have your phone entirely off. If it goes off while court is in session they can take it away from you permanently AND throw you in jail for a few days. 4.) If you think you might have to pay the court when you go, bring the entire amount in cash. The only ATM at the court has massive fees (they go on a percentage basis and a flat rate.) 5.) ***IMPORTANT*** If you have already decided you're going to fight the ticket and plead not guilty, you can file your not guilty plea ONLINE! This saves you a trip to the court and a very lengthy arraignment process (at least 2 hours of wasted time, likely.) Go to the court's website and you will see a "Not Guilty Plea" link there. I'm not linking so Yelp won't filter this review. 6.) Should be obvious but in case you don't know, for most citations you can simply pay your ticket online which will enter a guilty plea and close the issue. There are instructions on your ticket to do so. ***IMPORTANT*** Keep records of any payment you make to this court. 7.) Bring a pen, you're going to need it. Bring headphones too because the line to pay is very long and there are sometimes screaming children. 8.) Parking is $3 but there is a lot that is literally across the street. A minor annoyance. 9.) Get there early. Consider this a rule of thumb, if you're at least 20 minutes early to the listed time you will likely get a much better position and it could save you a lot of time as they work through each person's case. read more

If you are going to need to be there I would advise giving yourself about a 90 minute window before arriving for your assigned time. Driving informational signage is third world at best. I luckily found the building by chance. Parking is limited, costs $3.00. Everyone I came in contact with who worked there was friendly, professional and helpful. Which is why i gave them 5 stars. It most likely isn't a easy job. The facility is very dated, early 1970. Same layout as most of the other typical facilities in metro area that were built in that era. The entire space needs to be torn down and redone to accommodate one of our best counties in Georgia. The courtroom was small and there were a lot of people. The DA, Clerks, 9' Officer, and Judge were very professional. Again 5 Stars. I was in and out under 1 hour. Prior to this I communicated via email with the recorders court and I found it very helpful. read more

First of all, thanks to everyone who posted helpful information. I showed up early with my $3 to pay for parking and heeded the cell phone warnings. One note: please remember to have your citation and subpoena. I had mine and it was useful. Also, if your issue is an expired tag (which mine was) have a current tag and any paperwork pertaining to tag payment with you. I gave these guys 4 stars because they really tried hard and are in a tough job. Dekalb County is large, populous, and underfunded and it must be hard to go day after day with overloaded dockets and antiquated systems. My experience was not nearly as bad as the others: 1. I didn't have to wait in line at all -- I sat downstairs from my arrival at 8:30 until being taken to the courtroom at around 8:40. 2. They were really pretty patient about the cell phone thing. There were posted and verbal warnings about cell phones, still several people had their phones out, beeping, ringing, etc. and the guard issued several warnings but I didn't see him confiscate a single device. 3. I pled NOLO -- I wasn't really sure whether I would just be called up and told to pay my fine, however, after the calendar was called (the Ass't DA reads the names of everyone there, notes who failed to show up, and enters their plea), the judge started calling people up and reviewing their cases. While this was going on, I was quietly called up to speak to the ADA. I told her my story and she looked over the citation and conferred with her colleague and then dismissed my case. I was out of there by 10:00. Here's my story: In February of 2010 (that's not a typo on the date), I was pulled over for an expired tag. I told the officer it must be a mistake; my tag was current. He asked for the registration and sure enough, the sticker had not expired but was for a different car than the one I was driving. I somehow ended up with duplicate stickers for a different one of my cars (the one my kids drive) and had never paid the tax on the car I was driving. I think it was an administrative error. The officer was nice and said he was sure it was an honest mistake and that if I paid the tag fee in a timely manner, this would reduce to a warning. I went to the DMV and paid the fee the next day and explained what the officer said, but was told I had to go to Recorder's Court and take it up with them. I went across the street to the Recorder's Court and was told a judge would have to hear my case and I had to wait for my court date. As it turned out, I had plans to be out of town on business on the court date. The policy for resetting the date involved me having a receipt and itinerary for my flight and a letter from my company explaining this. It also involved another trip to Camp Circle to stand in line and ask for the date to be reset. All of this happened in March of 2010. I was told that the date would be reset and I would be notified by mail. I was finally notified by mail in July 2013, 3.5 years later, that I had a September 2013 court date, which tells you how backlogged that court is. i seriously considered just paying the fine, especially after reading the horror stories on Yelp! but my experience wasn't so bad and the ticket was dismissed, so I was happy. read more

If I could give -10000000 stars for this place, I still wouldn't be satisfied. I got a stop sign violation ticket at a notorious intersection. Surprise! I didn't run it. It's damn near impossible to run a stop sign making a right at a T-intersection with trees blocking your view...unless you're on a suicide mission which I'm not, I like life, but who's listening? Anyway, I show up on my court date, plead not guilty and chose to fight it (yep!), and after I handed in my paperwork, I was told by the clerk to wait for my next court date in the mail. Surprise again! I get a failure to appear notice from the DMV...and they're about to suspend my license, and there's an automatic bench warrant for my arrest (they don't tell you that one up front). WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No use in calling the recorders court, they don't answer the phone, and they're shameless about that. So I email them with everything that happened and ask for guidance on what steps I should take to prove I reported on my court date and what happened to all that paperwork I filled out? The reply: how much I owed them for the ticket I would now have to plead guilty to and pay for and the extra $100 that would resolve the failure to appear (paying that also serves as a guilty plea), cancel the warrant, and get a little receipt to take to the DMV to stop the suspension of my license. Nothing more, nothing less. No help, they didn't care. I decided to go there to see if there was someone I could talk to. Something told me to take enough money, just in case. Thank God I did. According to the cashier, there is no one to talk to when the courthouse loses your paperwork or simply doesn't record your appearance in the system. She gave me the blankest blank face I've ever witnessed. -_- Annnnd, oh, since you're at the courthouse, you're getting arrested right here, right now if you don't pay right here, right now. So there you have it folks, I lost $300 but I did gain an erroneous stop sign violation and a bonus failure to appear! Now I have to fix all of this which is just going to cost me more money and time dealing with this pathetic court system. Wish me luck, and if you ever end up reporting to that courthouse, see if you can get a copy of your paperwork or something to prove that you reported. read more

I had never been to court until I got a speeding ticket in Dekalb County. I had a spotless driving record. I knew I was not guilty of the ticket, and on top of my not being the one that the officer caught with the radar (and yes, they explained how that particular radar worked in court, it IS possible to mistake one car for another), the officer filled out my ticket incorrectly. I pled not guilty, expecting that the incorrect ticket was evidence enough of this officer's obvious confusion, and that it should be thrown out on a technicality. And what did I learn? It doesn't matter how well you dress, or how respectfully you speak, or what kind of evidence you have. A friend of mine who works for Atlanta Municipal Court later explained to me how fines are distributed within the system, and all of that measured up to this: You can be as not guilty as possible, it doesn't matter. They need the funding, they hear nothing but bs stories all day, and they don't care about justice prevailing at all. This is America, and it turns out that our justice system doesn't have our backs at all. I get that people break the law. I get that people deserve punishment when they do. But if you don't, and you have evidence that something was wrong, and they still decide you're guilty? Thanks, Dekalb County, for taking food off of my table for something I didn't do. So yeah guys, if you're looking for advice in this review? Just suck it up and plead guilty. You're going to be found guilty anyway. read more

I was supposed to have court on Monday, July 5th for a ticket I got for following too closely a little over a month ago. I show up at 1:30, afraid to be late, and see that they don't open until 2pm. Wait around with the growing crowd outside the door until right around 2pm when an officer comes up to us and tells us that there is no court that day due to the holiday. I'm thinking, oh really, well don't you think you could have let me know that? mailed me something? I don't even live in Dekalb county. He then says that most likely, all of our charges will be dismissed, but it will depend on the judge, so we need to call or come by tomorrow to find out for sure. No way in hell I'm driving all the way back out to Decatur just for traffic court. Barhopping, maybe. Traffic court? no way. So I've been calling every day since Monday trying to find out whether or not I owe them anything, and have yet to get ahold of a human being. I sent them an email Tuesday and also have yet to hear back. Get your sh*t together, Dekalb! read more

Not even 1 star. Sub par, below the level of the earth service. Service not even suitable due to mice. How dare they waste hard earned tax payer dollars on the worst system? What a rip off. Try paying a simple parking ticket online. It does not appear. Went to pay mine before the 7 days to avoid higher rip off fees and system says tickets take longer than 7 days to appear, but yet they say to pay before 7 days. MR CEO OF Dekalb, what a way to try and get higher fees from customers?? You set your system up to not show their tickets so you know people are way too busy to drive to the worst place on earth to pay so they want to pay online and you design a system to deny them that right within 7 days so you collect more money after 7 days so you can waste it on the worst employees in the world and your cops really need to be trained on their ticketing manners. Please checkout the best county for business and tickets, and anything they actually care and do their job. IT IS COBB county. You run the slowest, most inept, ill trained county from permits, to cops, to customer service and most of all the people that run your courts and collect your tickets. Please seek help read more

This court is byfar one of the worst courts i have ever had to deal with. Not only are the dekalb county officers sorry with bad attitudes. The Judges and even the officers that secure the entrance are horrible. I stood in line for 2 hours and 27 minutes because I paid a ticket 2 years ago and they still suspended my licenses. Thank baby Jesus I requested a copy of the cashed money order from The Post Office. But guess what, some idiot employee, crossed out DeKalb Mag and wrote their name on the money order. Well, it took me from 1:00 p.m. till 5:30 p.m., mind you they close at 5:00, so you know those lazy folks were really upset with me but I was not leaving until they gave me a release. They tried to give me another court date and I refused and advised that I will file a complaint in Federal Court tonight is this is not resolved right now. They finally gave me the release. Now, the entire time I was down there I asked several people about the scandal that happened about 2 years ago when employees were stealing money orders not made out properly and cashing them. Everyone told me they have never heard of that before. After I left, I went home and found the scandal online www.wsbtv.com. As a matter of fact, they indicted 5 employees. What really peeved me off, was there was a ladt that had to be about 80 in line because her license were suspended for a ticker she got 7 years ago and the officers or the people at the information window would not help her ahead of everyone else, even though, EVERYONE in line was totally okay with it. She had to leave and come back with her wheelchair. Sad, Sad, Sad. Shame, Shame, Shame on DeKalb County. read more

There is plenty of helpful advice on here on how to deal with these people-this is not one of those post! I was cited for running an obscure stop sign and was told I must appear in court. I thought of fighting it but probability of winning this case plus factoring in time loss at work it wasn't worth it. So I showed up on time and downed my freshly bought juice at the door. Get inside to find out there was no court today...WDYM THERE IS NO COURT TODAY! So I speak with the clerk and she tells me a notice was mailed out to me on 04/01/2015. All I can think is BULLSHIT!! I am one of those people who avidly check my mail and would not miss a notice from the court. So after working the night shift I find myself sleep deprived and irritated beyond all means. Am I being sensitive due to my lack of sleep or are they fucking with me when they say they mailed something out on April's Fool Day...they are lucky I don't know how to sue them for pain, suffering and terrorist harassment. read more

I went down there not too long ago and the judge that I had was a no nonsense type of judge. I felt like he treated each case like a number and didn't want hear any excuses. Just wanted to let you know to be on your game and to come prepared if you're going to plead not guilty. read more

This court is absolutely the most inefficient I have ever experienced, and I am an attorney. The DA will not consider any communicatoin with anyone in advance of the court date, and it is mostly about collecting money, not anything else. Inefficiency was extreme as papers were lost moving from one area of the court to another, there are insufficnet places to sit while awaiting pre-trial diversion (used heavily to collect fines in excess of what you might even pay if pleading guilty, but at least your driver's recoerd will stay clean and insiurance rates won't skyrocket), and you are told you cannot stand becuaes it is a "securoity violation." Squatting might be an option, but the wait is hours! In my case, arriving at 1:50 for a 2:00 hearing (walked .4 miles from pay lots far from the courthouse, or it would have been 1:30 PM). The hearing started in earnest about 2:30 PM, perhaps due to the fact that the line to get in was about 75 people deep at 2:00 PM. The pre-trial diversion program processing took until after 5:00 PM,or a little over 2 hours. Do not wear shorts, tank tops ,etc. I wore a business suit, but others I had occasion to talk to during the hours long wait were turned away at the courthouse door for having shorts or tannk top attire (it was a 90 degress day) - do not have bare legs or arms. Interestingly, I only saw women turned away for shorts. Men, whose shorts were admittedly longer, were not turned away. One woman was expelled from the courtroom for praying too loudly. This place is a circus, not a real court of law. However, the system is a real deterent to ever gettign a ticket in DeKlab County - certainly not worth it. read more

Yep, it looks like nothing's changed over the years as far as I can tell. It's impossible to get hold of a human being by phone at this place. The phone number 404-371-2000 helpfully provided by an earlier post will actually get you through to a human at the general DeKalb County offices--wonders never cease. But my experience on the phone with the rep was pretty awful, probably a sample of what awaits me if I drive the 60 miles to go there. I'm writing this review before I go to court because it fits so perfectly into what I've experienced at other government offices (and businesses too). Even so, I'm going to court to fight my ticket. Maybe I'll luck out like other posters have (after I've gone through the hell of waiting, of course). read more

Stood in line for about an hour and a half, this was long enough for ten or fifteen other people to get in line behind me, then the middle part of the line was made to go into a different building only to be placed last in a much longer line. No one could answer any questions regarding anything other than which line i was supposed to be in, we were not even told why our part of the was moved. The officers there all spoke very condescendingly when they spoke to me, the whole time i kept thinking to myself "you have a job because of the people in front of you, your paycheck comes from revenue generated via these residence". To even just hand them money you have to wait for people who have no intention of paying (they just have questions), I would think that having a 'payments only' line might just be a little bit more efficient. To top it all off, to park in the lots there you have to pay $3.00. It is not an area that warrants charging for parking, plenty of space around and the only reason someone would park there is to use the Dekalb county facilities, not like down town where there are a number of reasons one would park around the courthouse. If you have the extra 25$ to spare for their online fee I would recommend avoiding it at all cost. Bob- What would have made it a four star experience for you? read more

Chief Judge Nelly Winters does not appear to give those who appear before her the required presumption of innocence. The web site that allows online payment of speeding tickets is not clear and people who make errors in paying online should not be penalized and assessed late fees or additional fines for paying late when payment was timely made but not as much as required, which was due to the FAULT of the way the web site is set up. Example: people who received speeding tickets in a school zone for the first time reasonably and foreseeably clicked on the "First Offense" link and paid the fine listed. This amount is lower than that for the school zone offense, although the link for paying a speeding in school zone ticket is not clearly visible and should not be listed under the same code citation. It would appear that this is an intentional obfuscation. The people who paid on time but lower than required due to the web site obfuscation were assessed a $175 fine for not paying on time. This is ridiculous and unfair. read more

If I could give this place -0- stars, I would. I work in a law firm, and have been trying to get a copy of the disposition of a traffic citation to use as evidence. It is impossible to get a human on the phone. The website offers two ways of "communicating" with the Court, neither of which works. I finally sent a letter and a check to the DeKalb County Police Records office, which used to supply copies of dispositions. My check came back with a form letter advising that all such requests are "handled" through the Recorders Court. I am going to try sending a copy of my e-mail to the Recorders Court by US mail, but it has been three weeks since I started trying to get this evidence -- something we needed a week ago! I can't believe that in 2014 it is so frustratingly impossible to get a routine document request handled timely. read more

I was accused of running a red light and received a ticket on July 30, 2009. Once I got home I realized that the officer wrote the wrong code violation on the ticket. Instead of 40-6-20 he wrote 40-6-70(a). Needless to say I was not going to pay the ticket since the light was yellow and not red in the first place. I get all of my ducks in a row and off to court for the first time on January 11, 2010 at 2:00pm and like everyone else had a LONG line to stand in. Once upstairs in the courtroom you have a couple of different options: 1) pay your ticket now and receive no points, 2) request a jury trial, 3) request to go before a judge, and maybe another option, I can't remember. Anyway, the only way you were not coming back was to pay your fine. Not me!! So I choose to go before the judge. Okay, they will mail me a new court date. I wait and I wait and I wait for 2 years. That's correct you heard me right, 2 years. Finally on June 21, 2011 I e-mailed Recorders Court telling them I am still waiting on a court date for my citation number. 30 days later I receive an e-mail back with a court date of August 17, 2011. OVER 2 years. Here I go again with all my code section definitions, pictures, etc for a 9:00am court time. I arrive and we sit down in the courtroom and wait and wait. Funny thing, the courtroom clock is 15 minuted fast. First we have to hear from the State Assistant Prosecutor and then in comes the judge. Nice looking man and his tone was very even. We take roll call (thank goodness we ere only L through Z) telling him either "here", "accident", "guilty" or prosecutor. The judge explains everything that the Assistant Prosecutor has already explained and then we play musical chairs so everyone who wants to talk to the Assistanr Prosecutor can move up to the front 2 benches. First, if you are a witness to a case line up over here so we can take roll call again. Second, he will hear all casess that have a laywer representing them. Third, we will hear all cases that are accident cases. Oops...now it is 11:30am and it is time to dismiss for lunch until 2:00pm. OMG are you kidding me? You should have seen the looks on everyones face. Oh, but we have a small prize for you. Line up over here and we will give you a free parking pass!! WOW!! Okay back at 2:00pm and again we wait and wait. Luckily not as many people now. First, we will take all cases that have an officer that has shown up to back up his/her reasoning for writing a ticket. This went on and on due to the fact that each officer had to re-read his/her report on a computer screen and see if they can even remember the case. Some could not and the persons case was dismissed. Could they have not brushed up on this eariler? Maybe when they received the subpoena? No, that makes too much sense. Can you believe that people actually showed up to fight a $15.00 and no points seatbelt ticket. Silly, just plain silly. All of them got told to go pay the fine. Okay, so now it is 3:30pm and everyone that is left is told that their case is dismissed because the writing officer did not show up in court. So I am happy that I did not have to pay a fine and court costs for something I did not do; but wait a minute, I did not even get the chance to tell my side of the story and to show the officer that he can't even get a code section correct. The system is messed up. Really, I wait 2 years to prove I did nothing wrong and that you have an officer that needs more training and I get 7+ hours of wasted time. There has to be a better way. You are in Recorders Court not State Court with a 12 person jury. One final note. The judge was very nice, listening to everyones side of the story and I feel was a VERY fair judge. If you fight a ticket you better take a lawyer so you can be first or plan for a LONG day! read more