Search Worth County Background Check

A Worth County background check starts at the sheriff's office in Sylvester. Worth County is in south Georgia and covers a mostly rural area. The sheriff's office handles criminal history requests for people who need a local records check. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also cover Worth County records. You can run a background check through the local office or use the GBI's online felon search for faster results on felony convictions. This page explains how to get a Worth County background check, what it costs, and which offices to contact.

Worth County Sheriff Background Check

Sheriff Don Whitaker runs the Worth County Sheriff's Office at 201 North Main Street, Room 14, Sylvester, GA 31791. The phone number is 229-776-8211. This is where you go for a name-based background check in Worth County. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. A Social Security card is not enough on its own. You will need to give your full name, date of birth, race, sex, and Social Security number so the staff can run the check. The office pulls data from the Georgia Crime Information Center database, which stores arrest and conviction records from across the state.

Worth County is a smaller county. The volume of requests is lower than what you see in metro Atlanta. That can mean faster service, but it also means hours may be more limited. Always call first. The fee for a Worth County background check should not exceed $20, which is the cap set by state law under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34. Ask what forms of payment the office accepts when you call. Some rural offices only take cash or money orders.

State Background Check Tools

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation manages criminal history data for all 159 counties. Worth County records are part of this system. You have two main state-level options. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 and sends results to your email in minutes. It shows felony convictions only. No misdemeanors. No pending cases. No arrests that did not lead to a conviction. You still get charged the $15 even if the search finds nothing.

The second option is the GAPS fingerprint system run by IdentoGO. This is a fingerprint-based check that searches both state and federal databases. It takes 24 to 48 hours after you get fingerprinted. The nearest IdentoGO site to Worth County may be in Tifton or Albany. Call IdentoGO at 833-542-9283 to find the closest location. GAPS results are more thorough than a name search because they match your actual fingerprints, not just your name and date of birth.

Note: The GCIC does not run name-based background checks directly, so you need to go through the Worth County Sheriff or a local police department for that service.

Worth County Criminal Records

Criminal records in Worth County come from arrests and court cases processed through the local justice system. The superior court handles felony cases in Worth County. Misdemeanors go through state court or magistrate court. The clerk of superior court in Sylvester keeps case files that the public can review. Walk in during business hours and ask to look at the docket or specific case records.

Under Georgia law, people can ask to see someone else's felony conviction record without that person's consent. This is spelled out in O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34. For a full criminal history check that includes non-felony records, you need the person's written consent on a form the GCIC provides. The form must include the person's full name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Contact the Worth County Sheriff's Office for help with this process.

Worth County Record Restriction

Record restriction in Georgia replaced what used to be called expungement. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, certain records can be restricted so they do not show up in a Worth County background check. Restricted records are only visible to law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. Private people and businesses cannot see them.

Some records get restricted automatically. If charges were never sent to the prosecutor, the record restricts after two years for misdemeanors or four years for most felonies. Dismissed charges and grand jury no bills can also qualify. For misdemeanor convictions, you can petition for restriction if you have finished your sentence, have no new convictions in four years, and have no pending charges. Georgia limits this to two petitions per lifetime. Some offenses like family violence crimes and sex offenses are excluded and cannot be restricted.

First Offender Act in Worth County

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another reason a background check might not show certain offenses. If someone was sentenced as a first offender and completed the terms of their sentence, the court discharges them without a formal conviction. That record gets sealed. It will not appear in a Worth County background check or on the Georgia Felon Search.

Keep this in mind when you run a check on someone. A clean result does not always mean the person has no criminal history. It may mean prior offenses were handled through the First Offender Act or restricted under state law.

Worth County Background Check Fees

Here is what you can expect to pay for background check services related to Worth County.

• Worth County Sheriff check: up to $20
• Georgia Felon Search: $15 per search
• GCIC record inspection: up to $15 plus fingerprinting
• Record restriction fee: up to $50 total
• GAPS fingerprint check: varies by IdentoGO site

The $20 cap is set by state law. No agency in Georgia can charge more than that for a criminal history record request. The Georgia Felon Search charges $15 regardless of the result. If multiple possible matches come back, each one you open costs another $15.

Contact Worth County Sheriff

Get in touch with the Worth County Sheriff's Office for background check questions. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory has contact info for all 159 county sheriffs in the state.

• Sheriff: Don Whitaker
• Address: 201 North Main Street, Room 14, Sylvester, GA 31791
• Phone: 229-776-8211

The GBI homepage provides links to criminal history services, the GAPS fingerprint system, and the Georgia Felon Search tool that covers Worth County records.

Nearby Counties

Worth County is in south Georgia. These neighboring counties may have records relevant to your search.