Evicting a tenant in Georgia typically costs $870 to $2,889 when the case is uncontested and $2,643 to $9,967 when the tenant fights it in court, according to aggregated cost data. Court filing fees rarely drive that number. Lost rent, vacancy turnover, and cleanup usually do. Before you estimate anything, pull your county's magistrate court fee schedule and put your demand for possession in writing.
TL;DR:
- Court filing fees vary by county from $47 to $120, plus additional sheriff or marshal service costs, typically totaling $100 to $250 before legal or rent loss expenses.
- Uncontested evictions usually take 14 to 30 days, while contested cases with defenses or appeals can extend to 90 days or more, increasing rent loss significantly.
- Landlords can reduce costs by offering cash-for-keys to avoid lengthy court processes, but must avoid illegal self-help measures that could lead to legal liabilities.
- Proper documentation, understanding of county-specific fees, and early legal consultation are essential to prevent cost overruns and legal complications.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Real Eviction Costs in Georgia?
- When Should You Hire an Attorney for an Eviction?
- How Long Does the Georgia Eviction Process Take?
- Why Lost Rent Usually Costs More Than the Lawsuit
- How Much Do Eviction Costs Vary by County in Georgia?
- What Do Typical Georgia Eviction Costs Look Like in Practice?
- How Can Landlords Reduce Eviction Costs Legally?
- Your Eviction-Cost Checklist Before You File
- What Miscellaneous Court Costs Should You Expect?
- What Does Physical Move-Out Enforcement Cost?
- What Happens If You Handle an Eviction Incorrectly?
- Did COVID-19 Moratoriums Still Affect Georgia Eviction Costs?
- What Actually Drives Eviction Costs in Georgia
- How OneSource Real Estate Helps Reduce Eviction Costs
- Where to Verify Georgia Eviction Fees and Law
- Sources
- FAQ
What Are the Real Eviction Costs in Georgia?
The court paperwork is the cheapest part of this process. Statewide, verified dispossessory filing fees run $47 to $120 depending on the county, and plenty of clerks bundle the first tenant's service fee right into that number. Once you add sheriff or marshal fees, writ execution costs, and clerk surcharges, most landlords land somewhere between $100 and $250 in pure court costs before anyone sets foot in a courtroom.
Here's how those line items typically break down:
- Filing fee: $47 to $120, paid to the magistrate court clerk when you submit the dispossessory affidavit.
- Service fee: Usually $20 to $50 per defendant if the sheriff or marshal serves it separately from the filing fee.
- Writ of possession/execution fee: A second charge, often $25 to $50, to have the writ served and executed after judgment.
- Clerk surcharges or court registry fees: Small additional charges some counties tack on for processing or record fees.
Courts routinely award the filing fee, service costs, and court costs to a landlord who wins the case, folding them into the judgment against the tenant, but collecting that judgment is a separate challenge. Collecting that judgment is a separate fight, though, and plenty of landlords never see that money again. If you want the procedural detail on preparing the affidavit itself, our guide to filing an eviction notice in Georgia walks through it step by step.
When Should You Hire an Attorney for an Eviction?
A straightforward, uncontested eviction rarely needs a lawyer. Georgia's magistrate court process is built for pro se landlords filing their own dispossessory affidavits, and most attorneys charge flat fees of $300 to $750 for handling an uncontested case start to finish if you'd rather not do it yourself.
Contested cases are a different animal. Once a tenant raises a habitability defense, disputes the amount owed, or files a counterclaim, legal fees can climb to $1,500 to $5,000 or more, especially if the case drags through multiple hearings or an appeal.
Hire counsel when:
- The tenant has already filed an answer contesting the eviction.
- There are habitability or repair disputes tied to withheld rent.
- Ownership is complicated (LLC structures, multiple owners, or a recent property transfer).
- You need help navigating a tender-of-payment defense correctly.
Pro Tip: Keep every invoice and receipt tied to your attorney fees. Georgia judges routinely award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing landlord when the lease authorizes it, but only if you can document what you actually paid.
How Long Does the Georgia Eviction Process Take?
Your timeline determines how much rent you lose, which makes it the single biggest cost lever you control; for an overview of typical eviction timelines, refer to this timeline guide on eviction in Florida. Georgia law requires a specific sequence before you ever collect possession back.
- Demand for possession. For nonpayment of rent, you must make a demand and generally wait three business days before filing, unless your lease sets a different term.
- File the dispossessory affidavit at the magistrate court in the county where the property sits.
- Service. The sheriff or marshal serves the tenant personally or, if unavailable, posts notice on the door and mails a copy ("tack and mail"). Service typically happens within 3 to 7 days.
- Tenant's answer window. The tenant has seven days to file a written answer, including a possible tender of the full amount owed as a complete defense.
- Hearing. If the tenant answers, the court schedules a hearing, usually within a couple of weeks.
- Writ of possession. After judgment, the writ typically executes about seven days later, though this varies by county.
Uncontested cases usually wrap up in 14 to 30 days from filing to possession. Contested cases, especially those with counterclaims or an appeal, can stretch to 30 to 90 days.
Why Lost Rent Usually Costs More Than the Lawsuit
Court fees and attorney costs feel like the "official" expense, but they're rarely the biggest one. Indirect costs like unpaid rent, vacancy days, and unit turnover routinely dwarf everything spent in the courtroom.
Start with lost rent. Multiply your monthly rent by however many months the process actually takes, from the last payment received to the day you re-rent the unit. A $1,800/month unit sitting empty or unpaid for 45 days already costs you around $2,700, before you've spent a dollar on court fees.
The bigger number hides in plain sight: legal fees and court costs are the smallest line item in most Georgia eviction budgets. Lost rent, vacancy, and turn costs typically make up the majority of the total bill.
Then factor in the physical turn:
- Cleaning and minor repairs: commonly $200 to $800 depending on how the unit was left.
- Larger repairs or flooring/paint replacement: can run $1,000 to $3,000-plus if damage exceeds normal wear.
- Abandoned property disposal: cleanout and hauling fees, often $150 to $500.
- Re-rental marketing and vacancy overlap: the days a unit sits empty while you find a new tenant.
How Much Do Eviction Costs Vary by County in Georgia?
Georgia doesn't run one statewide fee schedule. Every county's magistrate court sets its own dispossessory filing fee, and that spread is wider than most landlords expect.
- Filing fees verified across counties run $47 to $120.
- Some counties bundle the first tenant's service fee into that filing fee; others bill it separately.
- Sheriff service for additional defendants is almost always billed per person.
Before you estimate a total, check whether your county's clerk page lists service as included or separate. Then calculate: filing fee, plus separate service fee (if applicable), plus writ execution fee.
Cobb County example: filing runs $60.50, plus sheriff service at $25 per defendant, for a realistic starting court cost around $110.50 before any attorney or lost-rent numbers get added in.
What Do Typical Georgia Eviction Costs Look Like in Practice?
Numbers land differently depending on how much resistance you hit. Three scenarios cover most real cases:
- Uncontested, self-managed: Filing fee ($60), service ($25), 20 days of lost rent on a $1,500 unit ($1,000), light cleaning ($300). Total: roughly $1,385, close to the low end of the $870 to $2,889 uncontested range.
- Typical, some attorney help: Filing and service ($100), flat attorney fee ($500), 45 days lost rent on $1,800/month ($2,700), moderate turn costs ($700). Total: around $4,000.
- Contested, worst case: Full attorney representation ($3,500), damage claims and repairs ($2,500), 75+ days lost rent ($4,500), appeal-related costs. Total: pushing toward or past $9,967, the top of the contested range.
Match your case to whichever scenario looks closest, then adjust the rent figure to your actual unit.
How Can Landlords Reduce Eviction Costs Legally?
Cash-for-keys often beats litigation on pure math. Offering a tenant $500 to $1,500 to vacate voluntarily within a set window, in a signed written agreement, can save weeks of lost rent and court costs combined, as long as the agreement is documented and doesn't waive rights improperly.
- If a contested case will run more than two weeks, ask the court to order rent paid into the court registry so you keep some cash flow while the case proceeds.
- Never change locks, remove doors, or cut utilities. Georgia treats self-help eviction as illegal, and it exposes you to fines and civil liability that cost far more than the eviction itself.
- Screen tenants carefully and send clear, dated notices from the start. Prevention is always cheaper than litigation.
Pro Tip: Draft your cash-for-keys agreement in writing, with a move-out date and a dollar amount tied to condition of the unit at handoff. A verbal deal invites disputes later.
Your Eviction-Cost Checklist Before You File
Run through this before you spend a dollar on court fees:
- Confirm your county's exact filing fee and whether service is bundled in.
- Send a written demand for possession and keep dated proof (text timestamps, certified mail receipts, photos).
- Calculate your monthly rent times your realistic timeline estimate for lost-rent exposure.
- Decide upfront whether the case is likely contested or uncontested; that decision drives your attorney budget.
- Budget separately for turn costs: cleaning, repairs, and disposal of abandoned property.
- Review your lease for attorney-fee recovery language before you assume you'll get those costs back.
OneSource Real Estate works with Atlanta-area landlords on exactly this kind of cost planning, folding eviction logistics into ongoing property management so owners aren't guessing county by county.
What Miscellaneous Court Costs Should You Expect?
Beyond the headline filing fee, Georgia magistrate courts tack on smaller administrative charges that rarely show up in online estimates. Certified mail fees for service, when tack-and-mail is used, typically run a few dollars per mailing but add up across multiple attempts. Some counties charge a separate fee to file a certificate of service or to request a certified copy of the judgment, often $5 to $15 per document.
If you need to amend the affidavit, correct a defendant's name, or add a co-tenant after filing, expect an amendment fee in many counties. Courts that require a "publication" notice, used when a tenant can't be located for personal service, add newspaper publication costs that can run $50 to $150 depending on the local paper's rates.
Post-judgment, requesting a writ of possession sometimes carries its own processing fee separate from the execution fee the sheriff charges. Some clerks also charge a small fee to reopen or dismiss a case if you settle with the tenant after filing but before judgment.
None of these individually break a budget. Stacked together across a contested case with multiple service attempts, they can add $50 to $200 on top of the base filing and service costs. The Augusta cost schedule is a useful model for how granular these line items get. It lists affidavit and service on one tenant at $109, versus $169 for two tenants, showing exactly how per-defendant charges stack.
Always check your specific county clerk's published fee list rather than relying on statewide averages for these smaller charges. They're the easiest numbers to miss when budgeting.
What Does Physical Move-Out Enforcement Cost?
Winning the judgment doesn't mean the tenant leaves on their own. If the writ of possession has to be executed, the sheriff or marshal physically removes the tenant and any remaining property, and that step carries its own set of costs landlords often forget to budget for.
Locksmith services to re-key the unit after a court-ordered move-out typically run $75 to $200, depending on the number of locks and whether you're upgrading hardware at the same time. If the tenant left substantial belongings behind, Georgia law generally requires the landlord to handle removal and storage, and many landlords hire a moving crew or junk removal service for this. Expect $150 to $600 for a full unit cleanout, more if there's furniture or a large volume of items to haul.
Some counties require the landlord to arrange and pay for the actual labor to move a tenant's possessions to the curb or into storage during the sheriff's execution of the writ, since law enforcement typically supervises rather than performs manual labor. Budget for a moving crew on standby the day the writ executes, since scheduling conflicts between the sheriff's office and your hired crew are a common source of delay.
Storage costs apply if local rules require you to hold abandoned property for a set period before disposal. Even short-term storage unit rental for a month can run $50 to $150. Add disposal or dump fees on top if nothing is claimed. All of this sits outside the court's fee schedule entirely. It's pure out-of-pocket expense that only shows up once the writ actually executes.
What Happens If You Handle an Eviction Incorrectly?
Cutting corners on the eviction process doesn't just risk losing the case. It can turn a routine dispossessory into a costly liability. Georgia law is explicit that landlords cannot use self-help measures like changing locks, removing doors or windows, or shutting off utilities to force a tenant out, no matter how far behind on rent they are.
A landlord who does this exposes themselves to civil liability, meaning the tenant can sue for damages, and potentially statutory fines on top of it. Courts have also allowed tenants to recover their actual damages (temporary housing costs, replaced property, lost wages) when a landlord acted outside the legal process. That bill can dwarf anything you would have spent filing a proper dispossessory.
Improper service is another common trap. If you skip the sheriff or marshal and try to serve papers yourself, or use a method the court doesn't recognize, the case can be dismissed outright, forcing you to refile, pay the fee again, and restart the clock on lost rent.
Accepting partial rent after filing without understanding how it affects your case is a subtler mistake. Georgia's tender defense lets a tenant pay the full amount owed, plus court costs, within seven days of service to stop the eviction entirely. If you accept a partial payment carelessly, you may inadvertently waive your right to proceed, forcing you to start over. Document every payment interaction in writing, and when in doubt, consult an attorney before accepting money once a case is filed.
Did COVID-19 Moratoriums Still Affect Georgia Eviction Costs?
The federal eviction moratoriums tied to the pandemic expired years ago, and Georgia has no active statewide moratorium on residential evictions as of 2026. For current landlords, the practical impact of that era has mostly faded from the cost equation.
What lingers is procedural memory. Courts across Georgia built up experience with emergency rental assistance programs and temporary rule changes during the pandemic, and some of that infrastructure, like referrals to rental assistance resources, still shows up in certain county court processes today. If a tenant mentions rental assistance during a hearing, some magistrate judges will grant a short continuance to let that process play out, which can add days or weeks to your timeline and, by extension, to your lost-rent exposure.
Landlords should also know that any local ordinance temporarily restricting evictions during a declared public health emergency could theoretically resurface if Georgia faced a future crisis. Nothing like that is currently in effect, but it's worth checking your county's current magistrate court notices before filing, particularly if you're managing property in a jurisdiction that saw heavy pandemic-era rental assistance activity.
For cost planning purposes in 2026, budget based on the standard timelines and fees covered above. The moratorium era's main lasting effect is that some tenants and even some court staff still expect delays or assistance referrals that no longer apply, so clear communication about current law can help keep your case moving on schedule.
What Actually Drives Eviction Costs in Georgia
Filing an eviction is almost always the right move once a tenant stops paying and stalling won't fix it. The alternative, letting unpaid rent pile up while you hope for a resolution, usually costs more than the court fees ever will.
The mistakes that actually inflate costs aren't legal complexity. They're landlords accepting partial rent without understanding the tender defense, or resorting to lockouts out of frustration. Both turn a $1,500 case into a $5,000 one.
Document everything, follow the process, and bring in an attorney the moment a case gets contested. That's the whole game.
— Matt
How OneSource Real Estate Helps Reduce Eviction Costs
A local property management company can be the alternative to handling eviction logistics solo in Atlanta and the surrounding metro. When a landlord manages a dispossessory case alone, every delay from a missed service attempt to a scheduling conflict with the sheriff turns directly into more lost rent. A local property manager who already knows your county's filing quirks and clerk timelines shortens that gap.
OneSource Real Estate's Monthly Management service handles tenant screening, rent collection, and eviction support so problems get caught before they become dispossessory filings, and moved through the courts faster when they do happen. Tenant placement services fill the vacancy that follows an eviction faster than most landlords manage on their own, cutting the turnover window that drives up lost-rent totals. If you want a cost estimate specific to your property before deciding whether to self-manage a case, book a 30-Minute Consulting Call and walk through your numbers with someone who works Georgia dispossessory cases regularly.
Where to Verify Georgia Eviction Fees and Law
Court fees and legal rules change by county and by year, so verify everything here against a primary source before you budget. Start with the Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook from the Department of Community Affairs, then check Georgia Legal Aid's eviction guidance for tenant-side context that affects your strategy. For exact numbers, your county clerk's own fee page is the final word, not a general estimate site. Our guide on requesting a writ of possession covers that step in detail once judgment is entered.
This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.
Sources
- Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook
- Georgia Court Filing Fees by County (2026) | Eviction & Small Claims
- How Much Does an Eviction Cost in Georgia? $60–$250+ (2026)
- What should I know about evictions? | GeorgiaLegalAid
- Instructions & Cost Schedule | Augusta, GA - Official Website
FAQ
Who Pays Court Costs for an Eviction in Georgia?
The tenant usually ends up owing court costs if the landlord wins, since Georgia courts typically fold filing fees, service costs, and sometimes attorney fees into the judgment. Actually collecting that judgment from the tenant afterward is a separate process, and many landlords never recover it in full.
How Hard Is It to Evict Someone in Georgia?
An uncontested eviction is fairly straightforward and often handled without an attorney, since magistrate court procedures are designed for pro se landlords. It gets significantly harder, and more expensive, once a tenant answers, raises defenses, or files a counterclaim.
How Much Notice Must a Georgia Landlord Give a Tenant?
For nonpayment of rent, landlords must make a demand for possession and generally wait three business days before filing, unless the lease specifies otherwise. Once filed, the tenant then has seven days to respond after being served.
How Far Behind on Rent Before a Landlord Can File in Georgia?
Georgia law doesn't set a specific dollar threshold or number of missed months. A landlord can file a dispossessory the moment rent is late under the lease terms, as long as a proper demand for possession has been made first.
What Does OneSource Real Estate Charge for Property Management?
OneSource Real Estate's Monthly Management fee is 10% per month, with a $250 one-time onboarding fee. Tenant placement and tenant procurement pricing is available on request through the same page.