Georgia Criminal Records Search

Choose between a felony search, history response and court file

Georgia offers several distinct criminal-record products. Georgia Felon Search is a public, name-based search for reported in-state felony convictions. A broader Georgia criminal-history request generally starts with local law enforcement and the required consent. An identified prosecution’s signed judgment or dismissal comes from the filing court. Choose the product that answers your question before paying.

A state history may contain identification, arrest, submitted disposition and custody information, but it is not every original police or court document. For a particular event, keep the arresting agency, arrest date, court and case reference together. A jail or custodial entry alone does not establish how the court resolved each charge.

Understand the public felony search and its charges

GBI says public felony-conviction access does not require subject consent and identifies full name, race, sex and date of birth as request identifiers. Georgia Felon Search charges $15 per search even when it returns no record. If several possibilities are returned, each record selected for access carries a $15 charge. Confirm the criteria before selecting search or opening another candidate.

This is not a misdemeanor or all-arrest search. The Georgia FAQ excludes misdemeanor records, juvenile felony history, and sealed or expunged information. A no-record result can also reflect an unreported or still-processing conviction, a dropped charge, or a successfully completed First Offender sentence. Retain the product name with the result so its limited scope is not lost.

Treat close name matches as candidates

The Felon Search FAQ says the service returns the five closest matches, and the top-ranked entry need not be the right person. Compare all supplied identifiers. The state cautions that positive identity cannot be established without fingerprint comparison; a similar name and birth date can still belong to someone else. Do not buy or attribute a record merely because it appears first.

If the result has a court reference, use it to request the actual final order. Check every relevant count and later change in status. When the requested proof is a certified disposition, ask that court what it will certify and what the recipient requires; a printed search response is not automatically the same product.

Get a broader name-based history through local law enforcement

Most Georgia sheriff’s offices or police departments can provide a person’s own Georgia history. For another person’s broader history, GBI describes a signed consent form containing the subject’s full name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. Contact the chosen law-enforcement office about its form, identification, fee and collection method; GCIC itself does not perform name-based checks.

Use the agency’s secure submission instructions for sensitive identifiers. Ask whether the response covers the purpose you named and how it will be delivered. Local charges and completion times are not one statewide price. If you already have the case number and only need one court order, avoid ordering a broader history that does not supply the document.

Use GAPS when fingerprint processing is required

GBI currently directs fingerprint applicants to IdentoGO’s Georgia Applicant Processing Service at ga.state.identogo.com/ata. Obtain the service code and recipient instructions from the requesting organization before registration. The GBI FAQ says agencies seeking employment or licensing checks need a GAPS account, and applicants need valid photo ID at the fingerprint location.

The FAQ describes agency retrieval of results within 24–48 hours after fingerprints and the transaction are submitted to GCIC. That is a published processing expectation, not a promise for every appointment or rejected print. Confirm the fee displayed for your service code, the collection site and who receives the results. A national personal FBI request is a separate product.

The Georgia enrollment site directs non-Georgia residents to its Mail-In Physical Fingerprint Card option. For international applicants, GBI publishes a separate process: obtain the agency’s ORI, reason for fingerprinting and service code, then call Idemia at 833-542-9283. Follow its registration and privacy-waiver instructions before sending the two fingerprint cards specified for that international route.

Use the October 2026 applicant price rather than the older PDF

The official Georgia IdentoGO site announces a new applicant GA/FBI check fee effective October 1, 2026: $45 for the record check, or $54.99 with GAPS. The older GBI fee PDF still lists $42 and $51.99 for that product. Use the newer dated notice for this applicant service, and confirm the amount displayed for the actual service code before payment.

GBI’s January 2025 sheet also lists Georgia-only GAPS checks at $39.99 for applicants and $37.99 for volunteers; its older combined volunteer figure should be reconfirmed after the federal fee change. For GCIC record inspection to challenge a history, it lists $10 when fingerprint cards are already provided and $25 when fingerprinting occurs at GBI headquarters. Those inspection charges are separate from the public $15 Felon Search.

Correct missing dispositions or a wrong identity

For an incorrect or missing court disposition, contact the relevant court so it can transmit the authorized update. GCIC requires appropriate documentation or authorization from the submitting agency rather than an unsupported request to erase an event. Provide the case or arrest reference and the order showing the correct outcome.

For record inspection or identity concerns, GCIC’s lobby operates by appointment: call 404-244-2639, option 1. If you cannot attend, GBI’s challenge instructions call for a signed explanation identifying the disputed data and return address, two completed fingerprint cards taken by local law enforcement, a copy of the ID presented, the fingerprinting agency’s contact details and the required fee. Criminal-history updates go to GCIC, CCH/Identification, P.O. Box 370808, Decatur, GA 30037. Confirm the appropriate inspection payment before mailing.

Keep access restrictions and screening use in view

The history released for employment or licensing can exclude juvenile, restricted and sealed information; other legally authorized purposes may have different access. Do not infer the contents of a restricted record from its absence in a public product. A court or authorized agency can explain the process applicable to your own record, but buying another public search does not override restrictions.

Georgia Felon Search also warns that an adverse employment decision requires disclosure to the applicant of the check, the pertinent record content and how it affected the decision. If a commercial reporting company is involved, federal notice, permission and dispute requirements may apply too. Keep an accurate disposition and obtain advice for the specific employment context instead of treating a public result as automatic permission to reject someone.