Find Background Checks in Carroll County

Carroll County background check records are managed by the sheriff's office in Carrollton and the statewide Georgia criminal history system. Carroll County sits in west Georgia and has a larger population than many surrounding counties. The sheriff's office at 1000 Newnan Road handles record requests for people who need their own criminal history or want to check someone else with proper consent. You can also use the GBI's online tools for a quick search. This page covers how to get a background check in Carroll County, what the process looks like, and which Georgia laws control access to these records.

Carroll County Sheriff Background Check Office

Sheriff Terry Langley runs the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. The office sits at 1000 Newnan Road, Carrollton, GA 30116. Call them at 770-830-5915 before visiting. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office processes background checks for anyone who comes in with a valid photo ID and pays the fee. A Georgia driver's license, US passport, or military ID all work. Bring cash when you visit since smaller operations may not accept cards. Ask about payment options when you call. The staff will search your name through the state criminal history database and print your results.

Carroll County has a bigger volume of requests than some of its neighbors. The county is home to the University of West Georgia and a growing population. This means the sheriff's office sees a steady stream of people who need background checks in Carroll County. Wait times can vary, so plan ahead and try to visit during slower hours. Morning visits tend to work best at most Georgia sheriff offices.

Fees for a Carroll County background check typically fall between $15 and $20. The exact cost depends on the type of check you need. Georgia law caps the fee at $20 per person for any single background check. Keep your receipt in case you need to reference it later.

Carroll County Criminal Record Search Options

For a fast online check, the Georgia Felon Search is available to Carroll County residents. It costs $15 per search and shows felony conviction records only. You enter the person's name, date of birth, race, and sex, then pay online. Results arrive by email within minutes. Misdemeanor charges, arrest-only records, and sealed first offender cases will not appear on the Felon Search. The $15 fee applies even if the search turns up nothing.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation website connects you to all state-level background check tools.

From the GBI site, Carroll County residents can find the GCIC, Felon Search, and GAPS fingerprint service.

The GAPS fingerprint system through IdentoGO provides the most accurate background check option in Carroll County. You go to an IdentoGO location, get your fingerprints taken, and results come back in 24 to 48 hours. The fingerprint check matches your prints against the GCIC database directly, which removes any question about identity. You need a service code from the agency requesting the check before you register.

Note: Carroll County residents can use any IdentoGO fingerprinting location in Georgia, not just ones in the county.

Carroll County Background Check Laws

O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 is the main law that controls background checks in Carroll County and all of Georgia. To get someone else's full criminal history, you need their written consent on a GCIC form. The form requires their name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Without consent, the public can only access felony conviction records through the Felon Search. No fee for a background check in Carroll County can exceed $20 per person.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 changes what appears on a Carroll County background check over time. Arrests that never went to a prosecutor get restricted automatically. Misdemeanor arrests restrict after two years. Felony arrests not prosecuted restrict after four years. Serious violent felony arrests take seven years before restriction kicks in. Restricted records are hidden from standard background checks. Only judges and criminal justice agencies can still see them in Carroll County.

You can petition to restrict certain misdemeanor convictions from your Carroll County background check. You must have completed your sentence and gone four years with no new convictions. No pending charges are allowed. Georgia limits this to two misdemeanor restrictions per lifetime. Some crimes like family violence and sexual offenses cannot be restricted at all.

GCIC Database and Carroll County

All criminal history from Carroll County is stored in the Georgia Crime Information Center database. Arrests by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and local police departments go into GCIC. Court dispositions from the Coweta Judicial Circuit are added as well. When you request a background check in Carroll County, the results come from this central system. It covers every county in Georgia, so records from other parts of the state show up too.

Fixing errors on a Carroll County background check starts with the submitting agency. They send a correction to GCIC on official letterhead. Include your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, race, sex, and arrest date in the written request. GCIC must respond within 60 days. A court review is available if they deny the correction.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory can help you find contact information for the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and other sheriffs across the state.

First Offender Act in Carroll County

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, Georgia's First Offender Act lets certain first-time offenders avoid a formal conviction on their record. If you complete all terms of your sentence under this act in Carroll County, the case is sealed from standard background checks. Private persons and businesses will not see it. The judge must place you on first offender status during sentencing, and not every crime qualifies.

If a first offender case from Carroll County still shows on your background check after completion, call GCIC at 404-244-2639 and pick Option 1. They can look into whether the record was updated properly in the system.

Carroll County Cities

Carroll County includes one qualifying city with its own background check resources page.

Counties Near Carroll County

These counties border Carroll County in west Georgia. Each has a sheriff's office that processes background checks through the same state system used in Carroll County.