Access Catoosa County Background Checks

Catoosa County background check records can be searched through the sheriff's office in Ringgold and through Georgia's statewide criminal history databases. This northwest Georgia county sits right on the Tennessee border, making it a busy area where many people need to check records across state lines. The Catoosa County Sheriff's Office handles local background check requests in person. You can also run searches through the GBI's online tools. This page walks through each option for getting a background check in Catoosa County and explains the laws that control who can see what.

Catoosa County Sheriff Background Check

Sheriff Gary Sisk heads the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. The office is the main place where residents go to request a background check in Catoosa County. Their mailing address is PO Box 909, Ringgold, GA 30736. The phone number is 706-935-2424. Call first. Ask about hours and what you need to bring. You must have a valid government-issued photo ID. A Georgia driver's license or a US passport is the standard. The staff at the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office will run your information through the state criminal history system and give you a printed result.

Expect to pay between $15 and $20 for a background check at the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. Georgia law caps the fee at $20 for any single check. Cash is the safest payment method, though some offices accept money orders too. Ask when you call. Processing times in Catoosa County depend on how many requests the office is handling that day. Mornings tend to be less busy at most sheriff offices in Georgia.

Catoosa County Criminal History Online Search

People in Catoosa County can search for felony conviction data online without going to the sheriff's office. The Georgia Felon Search portal handles this. You enter a person's name, date of birth, race, and sex. The fee is $15 per search. Results come by email in minutes. Only felony convictions show up. Arrests without convictions, misdemeanor charges, and sealed first offender cases are left out. You pay even if the system finds no record at all.

The GBI website is where Catoosa County residents can find all statewide background check services in one place.

From that site you can reach the GCIC database, the Felon Search tool, and the GAPS fingerprint service used across all Georgia counties.

Fingerprint background checks offer better accuracy for Catoosa County residents who need a higher level of certainty. The GAPS system runs through IdentoGO enrollment centers. You register online, find a location near Catoosa County, and get fingerprinted. Results return within 24 to 48 hours. Since Catoosa County borders Tennessee, keep in mind that a Georgia background check only covers Georgia records. A separate process is needed for records from other states.

Note: Georgia background checks through the Catoosa County Sheriff or the GBI only cover Georgia state records, not records from Tennessee or other states.

Catoosa County Background Check Regulations

Georgia law controls all background checks in Catoosa County. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, you need signed consent on a GCIC form to get someone else's full criminal history in Catoosa County. The form must include their name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Without consent, only felony convictions are available through the Felon Search. The maximum fee is $20 per person.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 can change what shows on a Catoosa County background check. Certain arrest records get restricted after enough time passes without prosecution. Misdemeanor arrests not sent to a prosecutor restrict after two years. Felony arrests dropped by the district attorney restrict after four years. Violent felony arrests take seven years. Once restricted, the record is hidden from standard Catoosa County background checks. Only law enforcement and judges can view it. Petitioning to restrict misdemeanor convictions is also possible after four years with no new offenses.

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 applies to Catoosa County cases. First-time offenders who complete probation under this act have their case sealed from standard background checks. Private persons will not see it. The judge must approve the first offender status at sentencing for this to apply.

GCIC Records from Catoosa County

Every arrest in Catoosa County gets reported to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Court dispositions from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit are added to the same system. This means all Catoosa County criminal history data sits in the central GCIC database. Any background check pulled in Catoosa County draws from this statewide pool. The system includes records from every Georgia county, so an arrest in Fulton County would still show up on a background check run through the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office.

GCIC does not handle name-based checks directly for the public. For name-based background checks in Catoosa County, you go through the sheriff's office or the Felon Search. GCIC only processes fingerprint checks through GAPS. If you need to correct an error on your Catoosa County background check, contact the agency that entered the wrong data. They must submit a fix to GCIC. GCIC has 60 days to respond. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association lists all county sheriff offices if you need to track down the submitting agency.

Counties Near Catoosa County

Catoosa County borders a few other counties in northwest Georgia. Each has its own sheriff that can process background checks using the same GCIC system.