Find Chattooga County 24 Hour Booking

Chattooga County 24 hour booking records are maintained by the sheriff's office in Summerville, which sits in the northwest corner of Georgia. The Chattooga County jail processes every local arrest and creates a booking record for each one. Whether someone is picked up by county deputies or city police in Summerville, they all end up at the same jail. You can search for recent bookings by calling the sheriff's office or submitting a written records request. This page covers how the 24 hour booking system works in Chattooga County and what steps you take to get the records you need.

Chattooga County Sheriff Booking Office

The Chattooga County Sheriff's Office handles all jail operations in this part of northwest Georgia. The office is at 35 W. Washington Street, Summerville, GA 30747. Every arrest made within county lines comes through this facility for booking. The jail runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff are always on hand to take in new inmates and log their booking information into the system.

You can call the Chattooga County Sheriff's Office at (706) 857-0626. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and provide basic information about recent bookings. For detailed records or copies of booking documents, you may need to file a written request. The Chattooga County jail does not currently have an online inmate search tool, so phone and in-person inquiries are how most people check on recent arrests.

Note: Chattooga County is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which also includes Dade, Walker, and Catoosa counties.

How 24 Hour Booking Works in Chattooga

When law enforcement in Chattooga County arrests someone, the person gets taken to the jail in Summerville. The intake process starts with personal details. Staff record the person's name, date of birth, home address, and physical description. They take a booking photo and log the charges. A booking number is assigned. All of this creates the 24 hour booking record for Chattooga County.

Bond is either set by a schedule or by a judge. Minor offenses in Chattooga County often have a preset bond amount. Felonies and more serious charges may require a hearing. While someone waits, the booking record stays active in the jail system. Once the person bonds out or is released for any other reason, the record does not get deleted. It becomes part of the permanent file at the Chattooga County Sheriff's Office.

The process can take an hour or two for a straightforward arrest. Multiple charges or complications add time. But every arrest in Chattooga County goes through the same basic steps. The 24 hour booking log captures the key facts for each case as it comes in.

Chattooga County Open Records Requests

Booking records from the Chattooga County jail are public under Georgia's Open Records Act. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 defines public records broadly, and booking logs fall squarely within that definition. You can request them in writing or even verbally. The Chattooga County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.

Costs are usually low for a single record. The first quarter hour of search time is free. After that, the rate is based on the lowest paid employee who can do the work. Copies cost $0.10 per page. If the estimated total passes $500, prepayment may be required. For most Chattooga County booking record requests, the cost is minimal.

Certain personal information gets blacked out before release. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, items like social security numbers, bank account details, insurance data, and personal cell phone numbers must be redacted. The core booking data, including the arrest, charges, bond amount, and dates, remains visible in the Chattooga County records.

Note: The DOAS Records Management page has general guidance on open records procedures that apply to all Georgia agencies, including the Chattooga County Sheriff's Office.

Chattooga County 24 Hour Booking Criminal History

A 24 hour booking record shows a single arrest. A criminal history record shows everything. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation manages criminal histories through the Georgia Crime Information Center. These records pull together arrest data from every county in the state, including Chattooga County, along with court outcomes and custody information.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, private persons can get another individual's Georgia criminal history with written consent. Felony conviction data is public and does not require consent under subsection (d.2). You need the full name, race, sex, and date of birth of the person you are looking up. For fingerprint-based checks, the Georgia Applicant Processing Service handles requests and returns results in 24 to 48 hours.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 lets people seal certain Chattooga County arrest records when charges are dismissed or dropped. The prosecutor must give approval. This is separate from the First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, which seals records when someone finishes a first offender sentence. Both apply to Chattooga County bookings.

State 24 Hour Booking Tools for Chattooga County

The GDC Find Offender search lets you look up inmates in the state prison system. This does not cover the Chattooga County jail. If someone was booked locally and then sentenced to state prison, they would move to a GDC facility and appear in that database instead.

The GDC offender search tool shows state prison inmates by name, ID, or case number. Use this for people who have left the Chattooga County jail and entered the state system.

For recent local arrests in Chattooga County, the county jail is your starting point. Call (706) 857-0626 or send a letter to 35 W. Washington Street, Summerville, GA 30747. The GBI FAQ page has extra details on how criminal records work across Georgia.

Cities in Chattooga County

Summerville is the county seat and main city. Trion, Lyerly, and Menlo are also in Chattooga County. All arrests in these towns go through the Chattooga County jail.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Chattooga County. Each runs its own jail and keeps separate 24 hour booking records.