Chatham County Background Check Search

Chatham County background check records are available through the sheriff's office in Savannah and through Georgia's statewide criminal history system. Chatham County is one of the most populated counties in the state, and its sheriff's office handles a large volume of background check requests each year. The county includes Savannah and Pooler, two cities where people frequently need criminal history data. You can search records in person at the sheriff's office or use online tools run by the GBI. This guide covers every method for running a background check in Chatham County along with the laws that apply.

Chatham County Sheriff Background Check Office

Sheriff Richard Coleman leads the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. The office handles background check requests for residents across the county. You can write to them at PO Box 10026, Savannah, GA 31412. Call 912-652-3634 for questions about hours and what to bring. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office processes a high number of background check requests given the county's large population. Expect some wait time, especially during busy periods. Bring a valid photo ID. A Georgia driver's license, US passport, or military ID works fine.

When you arrive at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, you fill out a request form. The form asks for your name, date of birth, and other identifying details. Staff will run your information through the GCIC statewide database. Fees typically range from $15 to $20 in Chatham County. Ask about accepted payment methods when you call. Some sheriff offices only take cash or money orders. Georgia law caps the fee at $20 per person for any single background check.

Chatham County also has the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, which merged county and city law enforcement. This agency may also be able to help with certain record requests. Call to check what they offer versus what goes through the sheriff's office for background checks in Chatham County.

Search Chatham County Background Checks Online

The Georgia Felon Search portal gives Chatham County residents a fast online way to check for felony convictions. Enter a person's name, date of birth, race, and sex. Pay $15 and get results by email in minutes. The tool only shows felony conviction records. Misdemeanor charges, arrest-only data, and sealed first offender cases are not included. The fee applies even when the system returns no record. If the search turns up multiple possible matches, each one you view costs another $15.

The GBI website has all the state-level background check resources available to Chatham County residents.

Use the GBI site to find the GCIC, Felon Search, and GAPS tools that serve Chatham County and every other county in Georgia.

For a fingerprint-based check in Chatham County, use the GAPS system through IdentoGO. There are IdentoGO fingerprinting locations in the Savannah area. Register online, bring your photo ID, and get printed. Results come back within 24 to 48 hours. Fingerprint checks are more accurate than name searches since they match prints directly to the GCIC record. You need a service code from the requesting agency to start.

Chatham County Background Check Laws

All background checks in Chatham County follow Georgia state law. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 sets the framework for how criminal history records are released. To request another person's full background check in Chatham County, you must have their signed consent on a GCIC form that includes their name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Without that consent, you can only get felony conviction data through the Felon Search portal. The fee for any background check in Chatham County cannot go above $20 per person.

When someone makes a negative decision based on a Chatham County background check, they must tell the person what was found and where the data came from. This is a requirement under Georgia law. Skipping this step is a misdemeanor.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 affects many records in Chatham County. Misdemeanor arrests not sent to a prosecutor get restricted after two years. Felony arrests that were never prosecuted restrict after four years. Violent felony arrests take seven years. Once restricted, the data drops off standard Chatham County background checks. Judges and law enforcement can still see it. You can also petition to restrict certain misdemeanor convictions after completing your sentence and staying clean for four years with no pending charges. Georgia allows up to two such restrictions per person.

GCIC Database and Chatham County

The Georgia Crime Information Center is the central hub for all criminal history data from Chatham County. Every arrest by the sheriff, the metropolitan police, and other agencies in the county goes into GCIC. Court dispositions from the Eastern Judicial Circuit feed in too. When you get a background check in Chatham County, the data comes from GCIC no matter which method you pick. The system is statewide, so records from other Georgia counties also appear.

GCIC does not do name-based checks for the public. Name-based background checks in Chatham County go through the sheriff's office or the Felon Search. GCIC only handles fingerprint checks via GAPS. For record inspections of your own file, call GCIC at 404-244-2639, Option 1. Appointments are required for office visits in Decatur. Walk-ins are not accepted.

Note: Chatham County has a high volume of records in the GCIC system due to its large population and multiple law enforcement agencies.

First Offender Act in Chatham County

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is used frequently in Chatham County courts. A first-time offender who completes all terms of their sentence under this act has the case sealed from standard background checks. Private persons and businesses will not see it on a Chatham County background check. The judge must approve first offender status at sentencing, and not every crime qualifies for it.

If a sealed case still appears on your Chatham County background check, call GCIC at 404-244-2639. Pick Option 1. They can check whether the record was updated in the system. You can also contact the Chatham County Clerk of Court to verify the status of the case. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory has contact details for every sheriff in the state including Chatham County.

Chatham County Cities

Chatham County includes two qualifying cities with their own background check resource pages. Both are served by the Chatham County Sheriff's Office for criminal history checks.

Counties Near Chatham County

These counties border Chatham County along the Georgia coast and inland. Each has a sheriff's office that processes background checks through the same GCIC state system.