Search Bartow County Criminal History

Bartow County criminal history records cover arrests, court cases, and jail bookings across this part of northwest Georgia. The county seat is Cartersville. If you want to look up criminal records in Bartow County, you have a few options. The Sheriff's Office and the Superior Court Clerk each hold different pieces of the record system. State search tools also pull in data from Bartow County. You can search some records from home. Others need a call or a trip to the courthouse in Cartersville. This page breaks down the main ways to find criminal history in Bartow County.

Bartow County Sheriff Criminal History

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office is at 104 Zena Drive, Cartersville, GA 30121. The main line is (770) 382-5050. The sheriff runs the county jail and handles law enforcement across the unincorporated parts of Bartow County. Arrest records, jail booking data, and incident reports are all part of the criminal history system here. When someone gets booked into the Bartow County Jail, a record is created that shows the charges, bond amount, booking date, and release status.

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office website has contact details and resources for residents who need help with criminal record requests in the county.

You can check with the sheriff's office for people currently held in the Bartow County Jail. Booking data gets updated as new arrests come in, though there may be a short wait before a new entry appears in the system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local agencies like the Bartow County Sheriff report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. That means an arrest in Bartow County becomes part of the person's statewide criminal history file. The sheriff's office can also help with fingerprint-based criminal history checks. Any person can request their own record by getting fingerprinted and paying the state fee.

Note: Jail booking records at the Bartow County Sheriff's Office may take a short time to update after a new arrest.

Criminal Records at Bartow County Clerk

The Bartow County Superior Court Clerk is at 135 West Cherokee Avenue, Cartersville, GA 30120. Call (770) 387-5025 for questions about case records. This office holds the files for all criminal matters that go through Bartow County Superior Court. Felony cases, serious misdemeanors, and appeals from lower courts all end up here. Each case file has the charges, court dates, plea info, and the final result. You can walk into the clerk's office during business hours to search the case index.

The Bartow County Clerk of Courts page shows services and contact info for getting criminal history records in the county.

If you need copies of Bartow County criminal records from the clerk, there is a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more. These are often needed for legal matters or to prove the outcome of a case. The clerk can also tell you the status of a pending case in Bartow County. Some court records can be looked up through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database of court filings. Not every Bartow County record is online through that system, but many are. Criminal case data from the Bartow County clerk also goes into the state GCIC system managed by the GBI, so convictions here show up in a state-level search.

Bartow County Record Restriction

Georgia calls it record restriction instead of expungement. When a Bartow County criminal history record gets restricted, it is sealed from public view. It still exists. Law enforcement can see it. The public cannot.

Charges that were never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a set period. For misdemeanors, the wait is two years. Most felonies need four years. Serious violent felonies require seven years. If the charges in Bartow County were dismissed or the person was found not guilty, restriction can happen faster. The prosecutor has ten days to object after an acquittal. If they do not, the record gets restricted. People who complete a sentence under the First Offender Act, found at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, can also have their Bartow County record restricted. The First Offender Act lets a judge sentence someone without entering a formal conviction, as long as they finish the sentence without problems. Once discharged, the record gets restricted from public searches.

For Bartow County arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you go through the Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney to start the restriction process. Older arrests mean contacting the arresting agency first. You can also challenge wrong info on your criminal history record under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. The agency has 60 days to look into it and respond.

State Criminal History Tools for Bartow County

Beyond the local offices in Cartersville, you can search for Bartow County criminal history through state-level tools. The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide. It costs $15 per search. You need the person's first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The fee applies even if no record is found. This tool only covers felony convictions. It will not show misdemeanors, pending charges, or restricted records from Bartow County.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people who are currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Bartow County and sent to a GDC facility would appear here. People in the Bartow County Jail or those who already finished their sentence will not show up. It is a focused tool but useful when you know the person went to state prison.

The GBI FAQ page on getting criminal history records is worth reading if you have questions about the process. It covers how to get your own record, how to request another person's, and what fees apply across Georgia. The GBI manages the Georgia Crime Information Center, which stores data from all counties, Bartow County included. Arrest data from the sheriff and court outcomes from the clerk both feed into this statewide system.

How to Look Up Bartow County Criminal History

There are several ways to get criminal history records tied to Bartow County. The right path depends on the type of record you need and how soon you need it.

• Call the Bartow County Sheriff's Office at (770) 382-5050 for arrest reports and jail booking data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 135 West Cherokee Avenue in Cartersville for case files and certified copies
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records
• Search the GDC offender database for people serving time in state prison
• Visit the GBI FAQ page to learn about the criminal history request process

Each of these sources covers a different slice of the criminal history picture in Bartow County. Court records from the clerk show charges and case outcomes. The sheriff has arrest and booking details. State tools add felony convictions and corrections data to the search. For a complete view of someone's criminal history in Bartow County, you may need to check more than one source. Both the clerk's office and the sheriff's headquarters are in Cartersville, which makes it easier to visit both in a single trip.

Criminal History in Bartow County Cities

Bartow County has one city. Cartersville is the county seat and the largest city in the county. The Cartersville Police Department handles arrests within city limits. Those records still feed into the Bartow County criminal history system for cases that move to Superior Court. Felony charges from Cartersville go through the Bartow County court system.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Bartow County shares borders with several other Georgia counties. Criminal cases near the county line sometimes end up in a different jurisdiction. If you do not find what you need in Bartow County, try one of the counties nearby.

Cherokee County is to the east and handles a large number of criminal cases. Paulding County is to the south. Gordon County borders Bartow to the north. Floyd and Polk counties sit to the west, and Cobb County is to the southeast. Each has its own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system that runs separately from Bartow County.