All court records are public and are to be available for public inspection unless public access is limited by law or by the procedure set forth below.
Rule 21.LIMITATION OF ACCESS TO COURT FILES
Rule 21. LIMITATION OF ACCESS TO COURT FILES · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceRule 21 opens with the default rule underlying this entire section of the uniform rules: every court record is public and open to inspection unless a specific law or the procedure the rule itself sets out limits that access.
Full Text of Rule 21
Plain-English Summary
Rule 21 starts from a plain baseline: court records belong to the public. Every filing in a court file is open to inspection unless a specific law says otherwise, or unless a party or the court goes through the procedure the rest of Rule 21 lays out to limit access.
That opening line matters because it puts the burden on the side seeking secrecy. Nothing in a court file is presumed private just because a party would prefer it stay that way. Anyone wanting to restrict access has to invoke the process spelled out in the sections that follow — a motion, a hearing, and specific findings — rather than keeping something out of the public file by default.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the default rule for access to court records under Rule 21?
All court records are public and available for public inspection.
Can access to a court file be limited?
Yes, but only if public access is limited by law or through the procedure set forth in the rest of Rule 21.
Does a party get to decide on its own that part of a court file should stay private?
No, records stay public unless the limitation procedure set out in Rule 21 is used to restrict access.
What kind of court records does this baseline rule cover?
All court records, as a starting point, before any law-based or procedural limitation is applied.
What does the rest of Rule 21 provide?
The procedure by which a party or the court can seek to limit public access to specific court files.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: Georgia court records public access ruleUSCR 21are court files public in Georgialimitation of access court files GeorgiaRule 21 Georgia Uniform Superior Court Rules