Clay County 24 Hour Booking Search

Clay County 24 hour booking records document every arrest processed through the county jail in Fort Gaines. Located along the Chattahoochee River in southwest Georgia, Clay County is one of the least populated counties in the state. The sheriff's office handles all booking activity and maintains the arrest records. Despite its small size, Clay County follows the same Georgia laws on public records that every other county does. You can request 24 hour booking data by calling the sheriff's office or sending a written open records request to get information about recent arrests.

Clay County Sheriff 24 Hour Booking Office

The Clay County Sheriff's Office is the only law enforcement agency operating at the county level in Fort Gaines. The office handles patrols, investigations, and the county jail. When an arrest is made, the person is brought to the jail for booking. Staff collect personal information, record charges, take a photo, and create the booking record. This process happens at any hour because the jail never closes.

Contact the Clay County Sheriff's Office at (229) 768-2505. The address is 210 Washington Street, Fort Gaines, GA 39851. Staff can help with questions about who is currently in the jail and provide basic booking details during business hours. The jail itself stays open around the clock, so there is always someone on duty to process new arrests in Clay County.

Clay County is very small. Fort Gaines is the only incorporated city. This means the booking volume is low compared to larger Georgia counties. But the rules are the same. Every arrest gets a booking record. Every record is a public document.

How 24 Hour Booking Works in Clay County

An arrest in Clay County starts with law enforcement picking someone up. The person goes to the county jail in Fort Gaines. Jail staff take over from there. They ask for the person's name, date of birth, address, and other basic details. Charges are entered into the system. A photo is taken. A booking number gets assigned. All of this data forms the 24 hour booking record for that arrest in Clay County.

Bond depends on the charges. Minor offenses usually have a set bond amount that the person can pay right away. Felonies or violent crimes may require a judge to set bond at a hearing. In a small county like Clay, the wait for a hearing can vary. Meanwhile, the person stays in the jail. When bond is posted, they leave, but the booking record remains in the Clay County system permanently.

Note: Clay County's small jail may sometimes transfer inmates to neighboring county facilities if capacity is an issue.

Clay County Booking Open Records

Georgia's Open Records Act covers all public documents, including booking records from the Clay County jail. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, anyone can request these records. You do not need a reason. You can make the request in writing or by phone. The Clay County Sheriff's Office has to respond within three business days under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.

Fees are minimal for most requests. The first 15 minutes of staff time are free. After that, the county charges based on the lowest paid employee's hourly rate. Copies cost about $0.10 per page. If the total estimate goes past $500, Clay County may require prepayment. For a single booking record, you will likely pay very little.

Some personal data gets redacted before Clay County releases records. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 says social security numbers, bank account info, personal email, and cell phone numbers must be removed. The arrest details, charges, booking date, and bond information stay in the record. Initial police arrest reports remain public even if an investigation is still open in Clay County.

Georgia Resources for Clay County

After someone serves time in the Clay County jail and gets sentenced to state prison, they transfer to the Georgia Department of Corrections. The GDC Find Offender tool lets you search state prison inmates. This search does not cover the Clay County jail. For people awaiting trial or serving short sentences locally, the county jail is where their records live.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains criminal history records for all of Georgia. You can get your own record from most sheriff's offices, including Clay County. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, getting someone else's record requires their signed consent, unless you are looking up felony convictions, which are public. The Georgia Applicant Processing Service handles fingerprint-based checks with results in 24 to 48 hours.

Clay County 24 Hour Booking Photos Rules

Booking photos from the Clay County jail cannot be posted on a website by law enforcement. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 makes this clear. The law applies across Georgia. If you want a copy of a booking photo from Clay County, you must submit a written statement about how you plan to use it. False statements carry criminal penalties under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20.

Record restriction is possible under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 for Clay County arrests where charges were dismissed or not pursued. The prosecutor has to approve any restriction. Once sealed, the record is only visible to judges and law enforcement. The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 also allows sealing for people who complete first offender sentences. If a mugshot site has your Clay County photo and you qualify, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 lets you demand removal within 30 days.

Clay County 24 Hour Booking Record Lookup

The GBI Services page outlines the full range of criminal justice services available in Georgia. These include criminal history checks, the sex offender registry, and applicant processing that covers all counties, including Clay County.

The GBI services page shows the different record access options that Georgia residents can use to look up arrest and criminal history data tied to Clay County and other jurisdictions.

For Clay County booking records directly, call (229) 768-2505 or write to the sheriff's office at 210 Washington Street, Fort Gaines, GA 39851. Ask for records by date or by the name of the person you are looking for.

Cities in Clay County

Fort Gaines is the only incorporated city in Clay County. All arrests in the county go through the Clay County jail for booking.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Clay County. Each one operates its own jail and keeps separate 24 hour booking records in Georgia.