Find Cherokee County Background Checks

Cherokee County background check records are managed by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office in Canton and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's statewide criminal history system. Cherokee County is one of the fastest-growing counties in metro Atlanta, which means the sheriff's office handles a high volume of background check requests. The county includes Canton and Woodstock, two cities with growing populations and active local government. You can search records in person at the sheriff's office or use the GBI's online databases. This page walks through every option for getting a background check in Cherokee County.

Cherokee County Sheriff Background Check Office

Sheriff Frank Reynolds runs the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 498 Chattin Drive, Canton, GA 30115. Call them at 678-493-2400 before coming in. Due to Cherokee County's growing population, the sheriff's office sees heavy traffic for background check requests. Plan ahead and try to visit during less busy hours. Bring a valid photo ID. A Georgia driver's license, US passport, or military ID will work fine for a Cherokee County background check.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office website has information about services and how to reach the office.

Check the site for hours, location details, and any updates to the Cherokee County background check process.

When you get to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, you fill out a request form. It asks for your name, date of birth, and other identifying data. The staff searches the GCIC statewide database and gives you a printed result. Fees range from $15 to $20. Ask about payment methods when you call. Georgia law caps the fee at $20 per person for any single background check. Cherokee County is a large operation, so they may have more payment options than smaller rural offices.

If you need a background check on someone else in Cherokee County, you must have their written consent on a GCIC form. The form requires their full name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Without consent, you can only access felony conviction data through the Felon Search.

Cherokee County Criminal Record Search Online

The Georgia Felon Search is the quickest way to run an online background check for Cherokee County records. Enter a person's name, date of birth, race, and sex. Pay the $15 fee online and get results by email within minutes. Only felony convictions appear in the results. Misdemeanor charges, arrest-only records, and sealed first offender cases are left out of the Felon Search. The fee applies even if the search comes back empty.

The GBI services page lists all background check options available to Cherokee County residents through the state.

GAPS fingerprint checks give Cherokee County residents the most accurate results. Through IdentoGO, you register online and find a fingerprinting location near Cherokee County. The Canton area likely has IdentoGO sites given its size. Get your prints taken with a valid photo ID. Results come back in 24 to 48 hours. Fingerprint checks match against the GCIC database directly, making them far more reliable than name-based searches for a Cherokee County background check.

Cherokee County Background Check Laws

O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 is the core statute for background checks in Cherokee County and all of Georgia. It controls who can access criminal history records and under what conditions. The law requires written consent to get someone else's full record. It caps fees at $20 per person. It also mandates that anyone who makes a negative decision based on a Cherokee County background check must notify the person and tell them what was found and where the data came from. Violating this disclosure rule is a misdemeanor.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 impacts Cherokee County background checks. Certain arrest records get restricted after 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. Once restricted, these records are invisible on a standard Cherokee County background check. Only courts and law enforcement can still view them.

You can also petition to restrict up to two misdemeanor convictions in Cherokee County. The requirements are straightforward: finish your sentence, go four years with no new convictions, and have no pending charges. Some crimes cannot be restricted regardless of how much time passes.

Note: Cherokee County has a high volume of background check requests due to its rapid population growth in the metro Atlanta area.

GCIC Records from Cherokee County

Every arrest by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office goes into the Georgia Crime Information Center database. Court dispositions from the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit feed into the same system. All Cherokee County criminal history data sits in GCIC alongside records from every other Georgia county. When you request a background check in Cherokee County, the results come from this central statewide database.

GCIC does not do name-based checks for the public directly. For name-based searches in Cherokee County, you use the sheriff's office or the Felon Search. GCIC only processes fingerprint checks through GAPS. If your Cherokee County background check has errors, contact the agency that submitted the wrong data. They must send a fix to GCIC. You can also call GCIC at 404-244-2639, Option 1, for questions about your criminal history record.

First Offender Act in Cherokee County

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 applies to cases in Cherokee County courts. First-time offenders who are placed on first offender status by the judge and who complete all terms of their sentence have the case sealed. It will not appear on a standard Cherokee County background check. Private persons and businesses cannot see the record once it is sealed.

If a first offender case from Cherokee County still shows on your background check after you have completed your sentence, contact GCIC at 404-244-2639. Select Option 1 for criminal history questions. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association also lists contact info for every sheriff in the state.

Cherokee County Cities

Cherokee County has two qualifying cities with their own background check resource pages. Both fall under the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office for criminal history searches.

Counties Near Cherokee County

Cherokee County borders several other counties in north Georgia. Each has its own sheriff who processes background checks through the same GCIC system used in Cherokee County.