Georgia Public Records
The Georgia Code Ann. § 50-18-70(a) defines public records as all generated information and data, including documents, papers, books, letters, tapes, maps, photographs, and other computer-based data prepared, maintained, or received by any public or private agency for government use.
How to Find Georgia Public Records
Under the Georgia Open Records Act, any citizen can ask to inspect and copy any public record unless exempted by law. The Office of the Attorney General encourages requesters to submit a request either in writing or orally to obtain a public record from the specific government agency that has custody of the public record. However, private sources can also provide access when the records are available.
Are Georgia Public Records Available Online?
Georgia public records are available online, except for those exempt by the law. The state agencies’ have available websites where you can look for information. Otherwise, you may visit the agency body in-person for a record request.
What Records are Not Available in Georgia?
All records held by public agencies in Georgia are available for inspection and copy to the public. These include records maintained by every board, authority, commission, agency, bureau, and department in the state. However, some records may be specifically exempted from disclosure under Georgia law like personal or financial information of government employees.
Types of Public Records Available in Georgia
These are the public records that you can access in Georgia:
Georgia Public Criminal Records
All records held by public agencies in Georgia are available for inspection and copy to the public. These include records maintained by every board, authority, commission, agency, bureau. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the primary body responsible for criminal history inquiries in the state. In Georgia, public criminal records include a person’s arrest data, including the filed charges and dates, final judicial disposition, and other criminal information. The only information exempt from criminal records are juvenile arrest records.
However, there is no online platform where you can do a quick criminal record search in Georgia. Instead, you may find the information you need from a local law enforcement agency like the police department or the sheriff. You may also mail your request to GBI and pay the corresponding fees.
You may also lookup public criminal records available from the state’s court records.
Police Departments and Sheriffe Office in Georgia :
Arrest Records and Warrants
The best way to search for arrest records and active warrants in Georgia is by contacting the local sheriff’s office or using the eAccess portal of the state court.
Inmate and Jail Records
The Georgia Department of Corrections has an online query tool where you can find inmate records. If available, you will automatically see a display of inmate photographs for better identification. You can search for inmate and jail information in Georgia using the following:
- Name
- Description based on gender, race, or age
- Inmate ID
- Case number
Jails and Prisons in Georgia :
Georgia Background Checks
The state’s Department of Community Health has the Georgia Criminal Background Check System (GCHEXS), which requires employers and applicants to have a criminal background check that includes state and FBI fingerprint checks.
You may process a background check by logging in to GCHEXS. Note that you can only submit one background check at a time using one account.
How to Find Sex Offenders in Florida
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has a sex offender registry online where you can find information on the state’s most violent sexual offenders. You can search an offender by the type of offense, by name, by county, or other information like gender, race, city, zip code, or miles from your address.
Florida Public Vital Records
The Department of Public Health is the main repository of public vital records in Georgia. You may request a vital record through walk-in services on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may also request a copy of a vital record by mail or order online.
There are three ways to order your public vital records online:
ROVER is the official online ordering tool of the state by the Georgia Technology Authority. However, you can only order birth and death certificates and wait for at least four to six weeks for your orders before shipping.
Take note of the following fees:
- Search fee - $25.00 per search
- Processing fee - $8.00
- Additional copies - $5.00 per page
- Expedited processing - $10.00 with record orders shipped immediately after five business days
VitalChek is the fastest way to order any public vital record in Georgia, like a birth, death, marriage, or divorce. Just complete the information asked on the order form, pay the necessary fees, and wait for the documents to be delivered to your address.
GO Certificates is another third-party site that allows you to order birth and death certificates and a Name Change Kit if you just got married. The site also contains information on acceptable identification requirements.
The Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records can confirm marriages and divorces. Still, certified copies of such vital records are only available at the state’s clerk of the superior court where the marriage or divorce was finalized.
Georgia Court Records
You can access Georgia court records online by county and get access to civil and criminal court cases. If the records you are looking for are sealed like juvenile records for example, you need to submit a request at the courthouse where the case was heard or make a record request in person.
State Court System in Georgia
Georgia’s state court system comprises two appellate courts: the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. The rest of the six courts are classified as trial courts, including the superior courts, municipal courts, state courts, probate courts, juvenile courts, and magistrate courts.
Courts in Georgia :
Driving Records
The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is the central repository of driving records in the state. There are different ways how you can request a driving record in Georgia.
- DDS 2 GO mobile app
- Online
- By mail or in-person using a request form
Take note that you can get a non-certified driving record history that is only available for viewing and printing but not for download for online services. If you want to obtain a certified copy of your driving records, you will have to submit your request and also pay the following fees:
- 3-year driving records - $6.00
- 7-year driving records - $8.00
- Lifetime driving records - $8.00
Civil Driving Infractions
In Georgia, civil driving infractions can be considered misdemeanors and require paying a fine or contesting the ticket in the state’s traffic court.
The most common type of driving violations in Georgia include:
- Speeding
- Aggressive or reckless driving
- Running a red light or a stop sign
- Driving without an insurance
- Driving with a suspended license
- Violating school bus laws
- Violating super speeding laws
Violating speeding laws can generate points between 2 to 6 and accumulating 15 points or more within two years can result in license suspension.
Georgia License Plate Lookup
The Georgia Motor Vehicles has the e-Services where you can look up a license plate by proving information on the following:
- License plate
- VIN
- Driver’s license
- Letter ID
Georgia Property and Asset Records Online
The Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) has an online tool to help you find property records by county. Property records are managed by the registry of deed offices which are also organized on a county level.
Georgia Unclaimed Property and Assets
Searching for clerks of the superior court and claiming unclaimed property and assets in Georgia is free. Unclaimed properties come in overpayments, security deposits, uncashed checks, and other similar assets.
Important Government Agencies in Georgia
The government agencies listed below will help you find public records in Georgia
- Secretary of State
- Governor’s Office
- Legislative Office
- Office of the Attorney General
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Community Health
- Georgia Criminal Background Check System
- Department of Public Health
- Georgia Technology Authority
- Clerk of the Superior Court
- Department of Driver Services
- Department of Revenue
Counties in Georgia
- Appling
- Atkinson
- Bacon
- Baker
- Baldwin
- Banks
- Barrow
- Bartow
- Ben Hill
- Berrien
- Bibb
- Bleckley
- Brantley
- Brooks
- Bryan
- Bulloch
- Burke
- Butts
- Calhoun
- Camden
- Candler
- Carroll
- Catoosa
- Charlton
- Chatham
- Chattahoochee
- Chattooga
- Cherokee
- Clarke
- Clay
- Clayton
- Clinch
- Cobb
- Coffee
- Colquitt
- Columbia
- Cook
- Coweta
- Crawford
- Crisp
- Dade
- Dawson
- Decatur
- Dekalb
- Dodge
- Dooly
- Dougherty
- Douglas
- Early
- Echols
- Effingham
- Elbert
- Emanuel
- Evans
- Fannin
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Fulton
- Gilmer
- Glascock
- Glynn
- Gordon
- Grady
- Greene
- Gwinnett
- Habersham
- Hall
- Hancock
- Haralson
- Harris
- Hart
- Heard
- Henry
- Houston
- Irwin
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jeff Davis
- Jefferson
- Jenkins
- Johnson
- Jones
- Lamar
- Lanier
- Laurens
- Lee
- Liberty
- Lincoln
- Long
- Lowndes
- Lumpkin
- Macon
- Madison
- Marion
- Mcduffie
- Mcintosh
- Meriwether
- Miller
- Mitchell
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Murray
- Muscogee
- Newton
- Oconee
- Oglethorpe
- Paulding
- Peach
- Pickens
- Pierce
- Pike
- Polk
- Pulaski
- Putnam
- Quitman
- Rabun
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Rockdale
- Schley
- Screven
- Seminole
- Spalding
- Stephens
- Stewart
- Sumter
- Talbot
- Taliaferro
- Tattnall
- Taylor
- Telfair
- Terrell
- Thomas
- Tift
- Toombs
- Towns
- Treutlen
- Troup
- Turner
- Twiggs
- Union
- Upson
- Walker
- Walton
- Ware
- Warren
- Washington
- Wayne
- Webster
- Wheeler
- White
- Whitfield
- Wilcox
- Wilkes
- Wilkinson
- Worth