Atlanta Background Check Guide

Atlanta Background Check Resources

This guide helps you find Atlanta and Fulton County court and police resources for background research. The listings below link to official portals and records units where you can request or review public information.

Superior Court – Civil Division (Civil Over $15,000)

Phone: 404-613-5313
Address: 136 Pryor St SW, File Room, Suite TG-13, Atlanta, GA 30303
On-site lookup available: Yes

Superior Court – Criminal Division (Felony, Misdemeanor)

Phone: 404-613-5313
Address: 136 Pryor St SW, Rm 106, Atlanta, GA 30303
On-site lookup available: Yes

Atlanta Police Department

Address: 215 Lakewood Way SW, Atlanta, GA 30315
Phone: (404) 546-6900

• Central Records Unit
• Criminal background checks and fingerprinting
• Open records requests
• 911 recordings
• Incident and accident reports
• Calls for service and CAD reports
• Crime statistics, photographs, bodycam and traffic camera video
• Licenses and permits

Atlanta Criminal Background Checks and Screenings

In Atlanta, criminal history can be traced at the county, state, and federal levels, which makes it an essential part of any thorough background check. Jail and prison search tools can help fill in the gaps.

Booking and Arrest Process

Following an arrest in Atlanta, suspects are brought to the police station in the jurisdiction where the arrest took place. There they are processed through booking, an arraignment, and bail. Booking procedures are generally similar across most jurisdictions.

Free Atlanta Background Check

You can run a background check at no cost, but expect it to take considerable time. It usually means gathering Atlanta public record information and court records state by state, along with some independent online searching.

Police and Sheriff Records for Background Verification

Police records are generally public because law enforcement is funded by tax dollars. Exceptions include reports involving juveniles, active investigations, sensitive personal data, and information such as healthcare records, Social Security numbers, or details about victims of sexual or domestic abuse.

Police arrest reports, including mugshots, are becoming harder for the public to obtain, since some jurisdictions treat them as private unless a conviction has occurred. People whose minor cases were closed or expunged may also seek to have arrest information suppressed.

Incident records are usually easier to access because they are considered the official record and are often needed for healthcare coverage and insurance claims. Incident reports describe how events such as auto accidents, assaults, break-ins, larceny, and other police-involved situations occurred.

Federal vs. Nationwide vs. Localized Atlanta Background Checks

• National Criminal Database Package — research across a national criminal database.
• Georgia Statewide Search — a state-level investigation to find details in one or more counties within Georgia.
• Single County or Atlanta — a county-level review performed manually through electronic access or by obtaining physical courthouse files.
• Federal Criminal — research into federal offenses, which typically do not appear in county, state, or national criminal checks.

Stay Connected

Follow GeorgiaPublicRecords for updates and resources.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

GeorgiaPublicRecords.org is not affiliated with government agencies and is a privately owned website.

Disclaimer: You may not use our service or the services of any sponsored companies mentioned here to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. GeorgiaPublicRecords.org aims to give people easy access to direct Georgia public record information, but we do not provide private investigator services or consumer reports and are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.