Son and I had an excellent experience on Saturday's passport day. It was so convenient to be able to go this Saturday as after school activities make it hard to find time to take care of important business. I saw several other families with their kids getting passports. We showed up at 8:29 am and the staff was already working to help people. They had us start outside the courthouse at a table where staff made sure all our paperwork was in order, check was written to State Department, and cash was ready for the fee. We even swore our oath outside and had my son sign the paperwork outside. After completing this quick step at 8:30 am, we went through the security lane, and went down the elevator in the social building to the ground floor. We waited our turn at a table (five tables were available and we were number one). After 5 minutes, it was our turn to go to the staff and this took about 5 minutes. All the staff was professional and kind. We were driving home by 8:50 am, and I had planned up to 10 am or more, so the entire process was stress free and well organized with plenty of staff. When we left, there was even a table set up to register voters. Kudos DeKalb County Superior Court for organizing this helpful event! read more

DeKalb County Superior Court - Saturday passport service available today until 2 pm - Courthouses Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

I visited this location and every single employee down to the security at the front was extremely pleasant. I just felt the need to leave a review about it because court is stressful enough and these exchanges made me feel more at ease. I can tell these people are genuine and love their job and I appreciate the good energy exchange read more

The Officers & Employees are cool, really laid back...yet don't break any laws though. I was picking up some licenses & the overall public service was good. Everyone in different locations were welcoming & helpful. Parking in front of the building is the roll of the dice with limited spots - 1 for EV's. There's 2 Pay stations which helps with the line as the App here sometimes gets funky. Street parking has a fee as with the parking garage for $6. The Decatur Train Center is in close proximity. read more

My cousin had to go to Child Support court and needed moral support. She just knew her baby daddy was going to show up with his current wife who is also expecting. This is their fourth time going to court. Unfortunately, this is one of those baby daddies, that has six kids with five baby mommas, so you can never tell what to expect from him. Court started promptly at 9am, but the judge said since his calender was light this particular day he would give late arrivals til 9:30am to get there. This saved a couple of people. The judge moved through the calender quickly once we got started, he was fair, as fair could be. He offered the baby mommas that were there an opportunity to meditate with a mediator, or he went straight into sentencing or imposing an order. We were completed with the entire process by 10:15am. Again, I'm sure this was due to a light calender. I've gone with her on one other occasion and we didn't leave until after 2pm. Going though security is a laugh a minute. With all the new technologies I'm shocked at how metal detectors still can't tell that my under-wire bra is not a weapon, and how a compact in my purse is not a switchblade. Either way. The judicial system in DeKalb County will most likely end you up here. That is unless you have a traffic ticket and that's a whole other nightmare. 22 of 100 read more

Well, I'm not exactly "a fan" of any engagement with a courthouse, but I just have to say: their automated system makes sense, works, and it's easy to reach a live person quickly! Who knew? The lady I reached was helpful and direct, and what's that word . . . oh yeah, polite! She even gave me the suite number and directions to find the right office. Yes, this floored me given other interactions I've had with Georgia's fine judicial system. Yay for something positive, courthouse-related! [PS- And when I arrived at the said suite, I was in and out in under 5! That's good stuff, even if I did pay $7 for parking across the street!] read more

I came the courthouse to obtain a marriage license with my fiancée. Parking: There is no free parking in the area during the hours of operation for the courthouse. The courthouse does offer a parking deck, which is $6. There is also street parking available that takes card, cash, or you can pay by the parking app. Security: Before entering, you must pass through security check. This point is similar to TSA at the airport. Empty everything and put it in the trays, then walk through the metal detector. Leave anything you DON'T NEED in the car! Marriage License Process: The courthouse opens at 8am, but the office for marriage and gun licenses opens at 8:30am. It's on the basement level. We were the first ones there. The process was smooth for us, because we looked up everything online weeks before. There was another couple who had NOTHING. Had to fill out the application there and didn't even have cash. Before coming, take a look at the website for everything you may need. Mainly have the application filled and bring two forms of ID. We brought our drivers licenses and passports. Also, if you had marriage counseling, have your counselor fill out the form, sign it, and have it notarized. It'll save you some money if you have counseling. $26 vs $60+. Courthouses mainly only accept cash, check, or money order. They do however conveniently have an ATM there in the snack room down the hall. The teller was very nice and was helpful in the process of answering a few questions. Overall, the experience was pretty good this go around. Courthouses can be seen both positively and negatively. I'm sure I would've been irritated had I come at a time where it were busy or if I had to come for a traffic matter. Luckily, this is for something positive, so it birthed a positive experience. read more

Ok, well everyone hates jury duty, but jury duty in Dekalb County is painful, literally. Expect this to be an all day affair, you have to gather in a small room with other 200 other Dekalb County citizens who were just as lucky to have their name selected to serve their local government. The seats are wooden benches (think circa old school wood church pews) which are guaranteed to give you a pain full butt at the end of the day. I swear I had a flatter butt by the time I got home. Some unlucky citizens had to stand. My advice, bring a long good book, and be sure to pee before hand, because you're stuck in that stupid court room for hours at a time. By the way, be sure to arrive early, there is free parking for Jury members, but it is limited. read more

A few months ago I rushed over the Dekalb Superior Courthouse to complete a walk-in Passport application for my child. The website said they closed or stopped taking walk-ins at 4:30pm. I was pleased to see it is really 5pm. Parking was a bit confusing and difficult because the parking lot closest to the main entrance is small. Once we were inside the security guards were very friendly. Since I was not familiar with the courthouse and did not see Passport office on the signs I went to the main desk (right after security). The employee was talking to what I assume was a frequent visitor about their current case. I waited several minutes for them to finish this casual conversation. I found it very unprofessional. Once I made it downstairs to the office that handles the Passports I was relieved. They were very organized and friendly. A woman noticed that I was rushing to fill out my daughter's application (because it was 4:15). She told me to take my time. I noticed every employee was friendly and patient. No rushing of patrons at all. I purchased a Passport picture from them as well. The overall process was simple and easy. They have copies of all the different applications on hand for customers. I suggest taking your own pen. Choose this location for walk-in Passport applications! It was worth the drive from midtown! read more

I can only rate this A-OK cause its a courthouse so you know I'm not gonna say I'm exactly of fan. Security is no worse than any other state or federal building I've been in. I don't mind because who knows what kind of vendettas a person may have in and around a courthouse. I just do what they tell me and get through it. I am a fan of THE FAMILY LAW CENTER. It is located on the first floor as soon as you come through security. They are there to assist you with "self-represented" litigation. They will answer your questions and give you very packets with very detailed instructions. If you can READ and follow instructions then you can save yourself the money of hiring a lawyer. But if you need the advice of a professional they offer a 30min consultation for a small fee which you can schedule online. http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/superior/centers.html read more

It's hard for me to review court houses, however I will try to do it without being biased. As far as any court house, they're always clean and spic and span. I've never ran into anyone that was filthy yet. The bathrooms are always clean, however when it comes to Justice sometimes, you don't get. I'll leave it at that. read more

I received my jury summons notice. Unlike many other citizens, I'm willing to serve as a juror but needed to talk to someone about a conflict of dates. I tried calling the Jury Manager 6 times (404) 371-2022 and dialed #6 to talk to a person. Every time I was disconnected! DeKalb County just reinforces the negative and deplorable perception that taxpayers have of its systems and incompetence. The city government's web sites are always difficult to navigate -- and sometime simply don't work. I finally randomly called a wonderful woman in the Superior Court who tried to help out. She got disconnected too! She gave me another number to call which of course went into voice mail. That person has yet to return my call. Like the IRS -- they can talk directly to us but they make it almost impossible to contact them. And we pay their salaries! read more

I went here for jury duty this week. We were told there is a hot/cold food service in the basement so when we received a 10 minute morning break, I headed downstairs looking for some breakfast. What I found was a sausage biscuit that had no official label, it was just wrapped in plastic wrap and a marker was used to write what kind of biscuit it was so you have no idea who made this biscuit, it's really weird. Then, they have a blind man handling the cash register. I'm all for equal opportunity but this man had to be told what you were buying and then what denomination you were paying with. And then something would come up and he would get distracted and he would forget the order and you'd have to repeat yourself. read more

First time at Jury Duty, staff was really nice, friendly and had sense of humor.

Yes, jury duty is inconvenient. But my experience was OK. They have about 300 cushioned comfortable seats - if you're not late you can get one. Several times during the day they have speakers to explain what to expect, and to pump-you-up about how jury duty is a service to your community. The staff there was courteous. Apparently if you're called on Monday there's a greater chance of serving on a jury - I'd guess about 1 in 10. Other days the chances are less. They said most trials last 1 or 2 days, but a few may last longer. They have books and magazines to read while you wait, but you may want to bring your favorite, or your laptop (if you serve you may have to store it there during the days while in trial). There are vending machines, but many people brought snacks or water. read more

Showing up for jury duty was a far better experience today than it was in 2005. The jury room is just after Security check you in so I didn't have to wander to find the room. The check in desk is right there and they moved quickly so I didn't have to stand long. Jurors still have to be in this one room, but the chairs are no longer the auditorium type but more comfortable. There are working snack machines in the room and a reading rack if you forget to bring something to read. They showed a video to show all the judges and to say what an honor to serve as a juror and to say thank you. They give you a parking code so you don't have to pay the $6 to park in the deck. The process has improved and if citizens are expected to show up for jury duty, the county must find ways to improve the process so that it won't be so cumbersome. This time it wasn't as cumbersome as before, so I appreciate the improvements that have been made so far. I didn't give 5 stars because I didn't want to come. read more