Find Roswell Background Check

Roswell background check records go through the Fulton County sheriff and court system. Roswell is in the northern part of Fulton County, about 20 miles north of downtown Atlanta. Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat oversees the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, which handles background checks for all Fulton County cities. The Roswell Police Department also keeps its own arrest records and case files from local investigations. With over 92,000 residents, Roswell is a significant city in north Fulton County and contributes a good number of cases to the county court system each year.

Fulton County Sheriff Background Check

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office is the main place to get a Roswell background check. Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat runs the office at 185 Central Ave SW in Atlanta, GA 30303. Call 404-612-5100 for questions. The fee is $15. Payment must be cash or a U.S. postal money order. No other payment methods are accepted. This applies to everyone in Fulton County, not just Roswell.

To get the check done, visit the sheriff's office with a valid photo ID. Provide the full name and date of birth. Staff runs the name through local county records and the statewide database. Roswell residents use the same office as people from Atlanta, Sandy Springs, South Fulton, and all other Fulton County cities. The office is in downtown Atlanta, so Roswell residents have a bit of a drive. Factor in travel time plus the wait at the office. Fulton County processes more background checks than any other county in Georgia because of its large population.

Roswell Police Department

The Roswell Police Department is at 39 Hill Street, Roswell, GA 30075. The non-emergency number is 770-640-4100. For records, call 770-640-4150. The Roswell Police Department is a well-staffed city agency that handles law enforcement within Roswell's city limits. Officers make arrests, respond to calls, and investigate cases. All of these generate records that the department stores in its own system.

These records are separate from the county sheriff's data. An arrest by a Roswell police officer goes into the Roswell Police Department's files. An arrest by a Fulton County deputy goes into the sheriff's files. Both feed into the Georgia Crime Information Center at the state level. For a complete Roswell background check, contacting the police department in addition to the sheriff's office gives you a wider picture. The police records line at 770-640-4150 handles requests for incident reports and arrest records from Roswell cases.

Note: The Roswell Police Department maintains its own records that are separate from Fulton County Sheriff records.

Roswell Background Check Image

The Roswell Police Department website shows information about the city's law enforcement services and records.

The Roswell Police Department handles local law enforcement, while background check records are processed through the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

State Search Tools for Roswell

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains the statewide criminal history database that includes Roswell records. You have several ways to search this data without visiting a local office. The Georgia Felon Search is the quickest. It costs $15 per search and returns felony conviction results by email. Only felony convictions are included. Arrests, pending charges, and misdemeanor cases from Roswell will not appear.

For a more complete Roswell background check, the GAPS fingerprint system through IdentoGO searches both GBI and FBI databases. Fingerprint checks are better than name checks. They catch out-of-state records. They avoid the common name problem. And they are considered more reliable in general. There are IdentoGO locations in the north metro Atlanta area near Roswell. Visit the GBI services page for details on what each search option covers and how to get started.

Roswell Background Check Laws

O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 authorizes the GBI to share criminal history data with authorized parties. The fee cap is $20 per record. Fulton County charges $15, which is under the cap. This law applies statewide and sets the rules for all local agencies, including those that serve Roswell. It covers who can request a background check, what data can be shared, and how much the agency can charge.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows people to petition for arrest records to be hidden from public view. Dismissed cases and dropped charges are the most common candidates. Once a record is restricted, it will not show up on a standard Roswell background check. The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another factor. People who finished a sentence under this act do not have a conviction show up in the normal way on public background checks. The record still exists but reads differently in the system.

These two provisions mean that a Roswell background check may not capture every arrest or case that went through the system. Restricted records and First Offender cases are screened from standard results.

How to Get a Roswell Background Check

You have three main options for a Roswell background check. First, visit the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in person. Bring cash or a money order for the $15 fee plus your photo ID. This gives you local county records and state data. Second, use the Georgia Felon Search online for $15 to get felony conviction data right away. Third, get a fingerprint check through GAPS for the most thorough search, covering GBI and FBI records plus out-of-state hits.

Each method has trade-offs. The sheriff's office check is the most traditional and covers the widest local scope. The online Felon Search is the fastest but the narrowest. The fingerprint check is the deepest but takes more effort and costs more. Pick the one that fits what you need. For basic local information, the sheriff's office is the way to go. For a broad federal-level check, use GAPS.

Roswell Contact Details

• Fulton County Sheriff: 185 Central Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
• Sheriff Phone: 404-612-5100
• Sheriff: Patrick "Pat" Labat
• Roswell Police: 39 Hill Street, Roswell, GA 30075
• Police Non-Emergency: 770-640-4100
• Police Records: 770-640-4150
• Georgia Sheriffs Directory: georgiasheriffs.org

Start with the Fulton County Sheriff for a standard Roswell background check. Contact the Roswell Police Department for city-specific reports. The sheriff's office is in downtown Atlanta, so plan for the drive if you are heading there from Roswell. Call ahead to confirm hours and any changes to the process.

Nearby Cities

Roswell borders several cities in north Fulton County and the metro Atlanta area. These pages have background check details for nearby cities.