Chattooga County Clerk’s Office Shares Real Estate eFiling Rules and Free Filing Alert Tool

Chattooga County Clerk of Superior Court Kim Windle James is reminding residents about two things that affect how real estate documents are filed and how property owners can keep an eye on their own records: Georgia’s electronic filing requirements and a free notification service called FANS.

New eFiling rules for real estate documents

Under House Bill 1292, which took effect January 1, 2025, anyone who files real estate documents on their own must now do so electronically. Everyone who eFiles must have their identity verified through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) eFile portal at efile.gsccca.org , and the Clerks’ Authority says there are no exceptions. Verification includes photographic verification, and the system keeps a person’s account status after they are verified.

That portal is the only one through which real estate documents can be eFiled in Georgia. The ID requirement applies to all eFiled real estate documents, including liens and plats. UCC documents, except those filed on the real estate records, do not require ID verification when eFiled.

Paper filing is still allowed for a short list of groups: federally insured banks and credit unions, Georgia-licensed attorneys, mortgage lenders (Georgia licensed or exempt), mortgage servicers as defined in federal regulations, Georgia-licensed surveyors, Georgia-licensed title insurance companies, Georgia-licensed real estate brokers or salespersons, and public officials performing their official duties. However, if a filer from one of those groups chooses to eFile, they must also have their identity verified, just like self-filers.

The Clerks’ Authority’s Real Estate Recording Rules for the State of Georgia, effective January 1, 2025, are available at gsccca.org.

FANS: a free way to monitor filings

The clerk’s office is also promoting the Filing Activity Notification System, or FANS, offered with the GSCCCA. FANS is a free, voluntary, opt-in program that sends electronic notifications of filing activity to people who set up alerts in the system. The goal is to give Georgia residents a tool to monitor activity involving their property and records.

To get started, visit fans.gscccca.org and follow the prompts. Questions can go to GSCCCA customer support at 1-800-304-5174 or mailto:help@gscccca.org.

The Chattooga County Superior Court Clerk’s office says it hopes residents find the service useful as it continues to explore and implement new ways to improve services for county citizens.