Gainesville Georgia Phone Directory
The Gainesville Georgia phone directory lists contact numbers for city offices, public records departments, and Hall County court services. Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County with a population of 47,712. This page covers the numbers you need for City Hall, the open records specialist, the Hall County Clerk of Superior Court, and the online docket search. Each listing comes from official city and county sources so you reach the right person when you call.
Gainesville Quick Facts
Gainesville City Hall Phone Directory
The main phone number for the City of Gainesville is 770-535-6860. City Hall is at 300 Henry Ward Way, Gainesville, GA 30501. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This is the central line, and the front desk can route your call to most departments. For specific needs, asking for a direct number saves time on follow-up calls.
Gainesville runs several departments out of City Hall and nearby buildings. Parks and recreation, public works, utilities, and community development all have their own staff. The city website at gainesville.org lists phone numbers for each department. If you are not sure which office to call, the main line is a good starting point. Wait times tend to be short. Gainesville is a mid-size city and does not see the call volume that larger metro Atlanta offices handle.
The city also provides services online. You can pay utility bills, submit code enforcement complaints, and file open records requests through the city website. That said, some matters still need a phone call or an in-person visit. The staff at City Hall can tell you which option works best for your situation.
Gainesville Open Records Phone Directory
All open records requests in Gainesville must be submitted to the Records Specialist. This person serves as the Designated Open Records Officer for the city. The role is set up under the Georgia Open Records Act, found in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 through § 50-18-74. The law says any person can request public records from a city government, and the city must respond within three business days.
To inspect or receive records, you need to complete the online Open Records Request form. The city's open records page at gainesville.org has the form and explains the steps. You can also submit requests through the JustFOIA portal at gainesvillega.justfoia.com. The portal tracks your request and sends updates as the city works on it. This is a convenient way to keep tabs on where things stand without needing to call.
You do not need to state a reason for the request. Anyone can ask. You do not need to live in Gainesville or in Georgia. The law is clear on that point. If the city denies your request, they must cite the specific exemption under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 that allows it. Most city records are open. Some things like active investigation files and certain personnel records have limits.
Standard copies cost 10 cents per page. The first 15 minutes of staff search time are free. After that, the city can charge based on the hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee who can complete the task. Electronic records sent by email may have lower costs or no cost at all.
Gainesville Phone Directory for Hall Clerk
Gainesville sits in Hall County, and the Hall County Clerk of Superior Court handles all state court records for the area. The clerk's office is at the Hall County Courthouse, 225 Green Street SE, Suite 104, Gainesville, GA 30501. This is where you go for civil case records, criminal case records, deed filings, and other court documents. The clerk also handles marriage licenses and notary services.
The Hall County Clerk website at hallclerk.com has information on office services, fees, and hours. You can find filing instructions, download forms, and look up the current fee schedule. The image below shows the Hall County Clerk homepage.
The clerk's site shown above is the starting point for most record searches in Hall County. From here you can access forms, find office hours, and get the main phone number. For in-person visits, the courthouse in downtown Gainesville has public parking nearby. Bring a valid photo ID when you visit. Security checks all visitors at the door.
Gainesville Phone Directory for Court Docket Search
Hall County has an online docket search tool that lets you look up court cases without calling the clerk's office. The tool is at docket.hallcourts.com and covers cases in the Superior Court, State Court, and Magistrate Court. You can search by party name, case number, or date range. This is useful for anyone in Gainesville who needs to check a case status, find a hearing date, or pull up basic case information.
The docket search portal is shown in the image below.
The screenshot above shows the search interface where you enter your search terms. Results show the case number, parties, case type, and key dates. The tool is free to use and does not require an account for basic searches. Detailed document images may need a separate login or a visit to the clerk's office. For complex searches that go back many years, calling the clerk may still be the better route since older records are not always in the online system.
Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, agencies must make records available within three business days of a written request. The online docket tool gives you instant access to a lot of what you would otherwise need to request by phone or in person. It saves a trip and a call in many situations for Gainesville residents and anyone else who needs Hall County court records.
Gainesville Police Records Phone Directory
Police reports and incident records from the Gainesville Police Department are available through the city's open records process. You submit a request to the Records Specialist, just like you would for any other city record. The JustFOIA portal at gainesvillega.justfoia.com works for police record requests too. Specify the type of report, the date, and any names or case numbers you know.
For basic accident reports, turnaround is usually a few days. More detailed files with investigation notes may take longer. The three-business-day response window under the Open Records Act applies. The city may need more time for large requests, but they must let you know within those first three days what the timeline looks like. Fees for copies follow the standard 10 cents per page rate. If you need certified copies for court use, ask the clerk what the extra cost is.
Criminal cases that start with a Gainesville arrest go through the Hall County court system. Once a case is filed at the superior or state court level, the Hall County Clerk handles the records. The docket search tool at docket.hallcourts.com is where you look those up. For the initial police report, stick with the city's open records process.
Tips for the Gainesville Phone Directory
Call in the morning for shorter wait times. The main city line at 770-535-6860 is busiest between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. If you get voicemail, leave your name, number, and a clear note about what you need. Staff return calls, but it can take a day during busy weeks.
For open records, use the online form or the JustFOIA portal instead of calling. Written requests are required by law, so submitting online gets the clock started right away. A phone call is fine for general questions, but it does not count as a formal request under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70. If you want records, put it in writing.
Keep notes on who you spoke with and when. This helps if you need to follow up. For court records, try the online docket tool first. It is faster than calling the clerk and available around the clock. If the online search does not turn up what you need, then call the Hall County Clerk for help. Staff there handle record requests every day and know how to track down older or harder-to-find files.
Hall County Phone Directory
Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, and many public records for Gainesville residents are kept at the county level. The Hall County Clerk of Superior Court, the Probate Court, and the Magistrate Court all serve the Gainesville area. For a full list of Hall County government phone numbers and court contacts, visit the Hall County phone directory page.
Nearby Cities
Other Georgia cities near Gainesville with phone directory pages on this site include the following. These cities have their own government offices and contact numbers.