Clarke County Background Check Records

Clarke County background check records are available through the sheriff's office and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Clarke County operates as a unified government with the city of Athens, which means the county and city share law enforcement resources. The sheriff's office and the police department both play a role in processing background check requests. You can also use Georgia's statewide tools like the Felon Search and the GAPS fingerprint system. This page explains every method for getting a background check in Clarke County, from local offices to online databases.

Clarke County Sheriff Background Check

Sheriff John Williams heads the Clarke County Sheriff's Office at 325 E Washington Street, Suite 100, Athens, GA 30601. The phone number is 706-613-3250. The sheriff's office handles background check requests for Clarke County residents. Call ahead to ask about hours, fees, and what you need to bring. A valid government-issued photo ID is required. A Georgia driver's license, US passport, or military ID works. The staff searches the GCIC statewide database and provides a printed result.

Fees at the Clarke County Sheriff's Office range from $15 to $20 per background check. Georgia law does not allow the fee to exceed $20 for any single check. Ask about accepted payment methods when you call. The Clarke County Sheriff's Office is a mid-sized operation given the county's population of about 130,000. Expect some wait time during peak hours.

Athens-Clarke County Police Records

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is another resource for background checks in Clarke County. Because Athens and Clarke County have a unified government, the police department serves the whole county. Their records division can help with criminal history requests. The police department is at 3035 Lexington Road, Athens, GA 30605. The main phone number is 706-613-3330. For records specifically, call 706-613-3330 extension 514.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department website has information about their services.

Check the site for current hours, contact details, and instructions for background check requests in Clarke County.

Clarke County is home to the University of Georgia, which brings a large student population and a higher demand for background checks in the area. Both the sheriff's office and the police department handle these requests, so you have two local options. Call both to see which has shorter wait times or more convenient hours for your Clarke County background check.

Search Clarke County Background Checks Online

The Georgia Felon Search offers Clarke County residents a quick online way to look up felony convictions. You enter the person's name, date of birth, race, and sex. Pay $15. Results come by email in minutes. The search only returns felony convictions. Misdemeanors, arrest-only records, and first offender completions are excluded. You pay the $15 even if no record turns up.

For fingerprint-based background checks, the GAPS system through IdentoGO gives more reliable results. Register online, find an IdentoGO location near Clarke County, and get fingerprinted. Results come back in 24 to 48 hours. Athens is large enough that there should be fingerprinting sites in or near the city. Bring a valid photo ID and the service code from the requesting agency.

The GBI website links to all statewide background check tools available to anyone in Clarke County. From there you can reach the GCIC database, the Felon Search portal, and the GAPS registration page.

Clarke County Background Check Laws

Georgia law governs all background checks in Clarke County. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, you can get your own criminal history from any sheriff or police department. To check someone else, you need their signed consent on a GCIC form. The form must include their full name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Without consent, only felony conviction data is available to the public through the Felon Search. The maximum fee for any background check in Clarke County is $20 per person.

When a Clarke County background check results in a negative decision about someone, the decision-maker must notify that person. They have to explain what was found, where the data came from, and how it affected the outcome. This is required by Georgia law. Failing to do so is a misdemeanor offense.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, record restriction can remove certain data from Clarke County background checks. Misdemeanor arrests not sent to a prosecutor get restricted after two years. Felony arrests not prosecuted restrict after four years. Serious violent felony arrests take seven years. Restricted records are hidden from standard checks but remain available to judges and law enforcement. You can also petition to restrict up to two misdemeanor convictions after finishing your sentence and going four years without new offenses or pending charges.

Note: Clarke County has both a sheriff and a police department that can process background checks, giving residents more flexibility than single-agency counties.

GCIC Database and Clarke County

All criminal history data from Clarke County flows into the Georgia Crime Information Center. Arrests by the sheriff's office and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department both feed into GCIC. Court dispositions from the Western Judicial Circuit are added too. The GCIC system is statewide, so a background check in Clarke County will also show records from other Georgia counties.

Fixing errors on a Clarke County background check starts with the agency that submitted the data. They must send a correction to GCIC on official letterhead. Include your name, date of birth, Social Security number, race, sex, and arrest date. GCIC has 60 days to respond. If they deny the correction, you can request a court review. Call GCIC at 404-244-2639 and select Option 1 for criminal history questions.

First Offender Cases in Clarke County

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, the First Offender Act lets first-time offenders in Clarke County avoid a formal conviction on their record. If the judge places you on first offender status and you complete all terms of probation, the case is sealed. It drops off standard background checks in Clarke County. Private persons will not see it. Not every crime qualifies, and the judge must approve this at sentencing.

If a sealed first offender case still appears on your Clarke County background check, contact GCIC at 404-244-2639. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association also has a directory of every sheriff office in the state if you need to reach the Clarke County Sheriff or a nearby county.

Clarke County Cities

Clarke County and Athens operate as a unified government. Athens has its own background check resource page with local details.

Counties Near Clarke County

Clarke County is surrounded by several other counties in northeast Georgia. Each one has a sheriff who handles background checks through the same GCIC statewide database.