Atlanta criminal records are spread across several government systems. City-level traffic, ordinance and limited misdemeanor cases may be in the Municipal Court of Atlanta; Fulton County handles many misdemeanor and felony cases; part of Atlanta lies within DeKalb County; Atlanta Police maintains incident and law-enforcement records; and statewide criminal-history information comes through Georgia criminal-history systems. The fastest search starts by choosing the right agency instead of searching the same name on multiple unrelated websites.
Start with the right Atlanta criminal-record source
“Atlanta criminal records” can mean several different things. Someone looking for yesterday’s arrest needs a different agency from someone looking for a ten-year-old felony conviction or a certified court disposition.
| What you need | Best official starting point | Typical coverage | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta traffic / ordinance / limited misdemeanor case | Municipal Court of Atlanta | City cases within municipal jurisdiction | Serious criminal cases may move to county court |
| Fulton felony case | Fulton County Superior Court / Clerk | Felony criminal proceedings and related public records | Online portal availability can change |
| Fulton misdemeanor | Fulton County State Court | Misdemeanors and many traffic cases | Not the court for felony prosecutions |
| DeKalb felony | DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk | Felony criminal cases | Use DeKalb—not Fulton—when the case belongs there |
| Police incident or arrest report | Atlanta Police Department | Incident reports and qualifying law-enforcement records | APD Open Records does not provide court records or warrant status |
| Georgia felony conviction search | Georgia Felon Search | Reported Georgia felony convictions | Paid, name-based and not a complete criminal-history substitute |
| Current Fulton jail custody | Fulton County Sheriff’s Office | Jail bookings, charges and bond information | Different from state prison records |
| Georgia state prison offender | Georgia Department of Corrections | Current GDC offender information | Does not replace county jail searches |
| Federal criminal case | PACER / Northern District of Georgia | Federal court dockets and documents | Separate from Georgia state and local court systems |
Atlanta records can be in Fulton County or DeKalb County
Most searches involving central Atlanta lead to Fulton County, but part of the City of Atlanta extends into DeKalb County. That means a search based only on the word “Atlanta” can send you to the wrong clerk.
Municipal Court of Atlanta
Handles qualifying matters occurring within Atlanta city limits, including traffic, DUI, ordinance violations and limited misdemeanors.
State and Superior Courts
Fulton State Court handles criminal cases below felony grade, while Superior Court has general criminal jurisdiction including felony cases.
State and Superior Courts
DeKalb Superior Court handles felony criminal cases; DeKalb State Court handles misdemeanors, traffic and DUI matters.
Search Municipal Court of Atlanta cases
The Municipal Court of Atlanta is the city’s official court for traffic offenses, driving under the influence, ordinance violations, limited misdemeanors and certain civil or quasi-criminal matters occurring within its jurisdiction.
Municipal Court of Atlanta
150 Garnett Street SWAtlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-954-7914
Official court websiteFind My Case
The official Benchmark case-search page supports searches using several identifiers, including name, case number, citation number, vehicle tag, warrant number and driver’s-license number.
Search Municipal Court casesStart with Find My Case
Use the official Municipal Court search rather than a third-party lookup site.
Try the strongest identifier first
A case number or citation number usually narrows results more accurately than a common name.
Confirm the court date and case status
The Municipal Court says court dates may be confirmed through its case search. Do not rely only on an old paper citation if the case has been reset.
Watch for a bind-over
A case that starts in Municipal Court does not necessarily end there. Some cases are bound over or forwarded for prosecution in Fulton County.
Search Fulton County criminal court records
Fulton County has multiple courts with different criminal jurisdictions. Identifying whether the case is a felony, misdemeanor, warrant or preliminary matter saves time.
Felony and general criminal jurisdiction
The Superior Court of Fulton County is a court of general jurisdiction and handles felony criminal proceedings.
Misdemeanor cases
Fulton State Court handles criminal cases below the grade of felony, including many misdemeanors, DUI and traffic matters.
Early-stage criminal matters
Magistrate Court can be relevant to arrest warrants, probable-cause proceedings and other preliminary criminal processes.
Current alternative portal: Fulton County Courts Public Portal.
Official records-search information: Fulton County Clerk Records Search Center.
Fulton County Superior Court
Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse
136 Pryor Street SWAtlanta, GA 30303
Clerk general information:
404-613-5313
Published hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Office of Court Administration
136 Pryor Street SW, Suite J2-640Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-612-4518
Superior Court websiteFulton County State Court
Fulton State Court’s Criminal Division manages misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic offenses filed in that court.
State Court Criminal Division
Charles L. Carnes Building160 Pryor Street SW, Suite J3-150
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-613-5085
Official Criminal Division pageAtlanta cases in DeKalb County
If an Atlanta case belongs in DeKalb County, searching only Fulton records can produce a false “nothing found” result.
Felony criminal cases
DeKalb Superior Court handles felony criminal cases and jury trials.
Misdemeanor / DUI / traffic
DeKalb State Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations and DUI matters.
Arrest warrants
DeKalb’s official judicial-system guidance identifies Magistrate Court as a court that handles criminal arrest warrants.
DeKalb Superior Court criminal search
The DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court provides criminal-case information through its Judicial Information System / Odyssey Portal.
Open DeKalb Odyssey PortalDeKalb County Superior Court Clerk
556 North McDonough StreetGround Floor, Room 210
Decatur, GA 30030
Phone:
404-371-2836
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Records filed before 2010 may require the Clerk’s archive process rather than relying entirely on current electronic document access.
Atlanta Police Department incident and arrest records
Court records and police records are different. If the information you need was created by the Atlanta Police Department, use APD’s records process rather than asking the court clerk.
APD’s Open Records Unit lists services including customized crime reports, officer-information reports, 911 audio, bulk incident reports and other customized information requests.
Public Safety Headquarters
226 Peachtree Street SWAtlanta, GA 30303
Open Records:
404-546-7448
Email:
OpenRecords-Police@AtlantaGa.Gov
APD Open Records form
The online form accepts requests for records such as incident reports, 911 recordings, calls for service, CAD reports, photographs, body-camera video and other listed records.
Submit APD requestInformation that helps APD locate the correct record
- APD case or incident number
- incident date or date range
- approximate time
- incident location
- type of call or event
- whether a court case is pending
If you only need a single police report, APD directs users toward its Central Records Unit rather than treating every request as a customized Open Records request.
How Georgia Open Records requests work in Atlanta
The Georgia Open Records Act generally provides access to public agency records unless a specific exemption applies. The most effective request goes directly to the government office that actually keeps the record.
Atlanta Police request costs
APD states that research cost can be based on the hourly wage of the lowest-paid full-time employee capable of performing the work, with the first 15 minutes free. APD’s current online request form also identifies a potential cost of $0.10 per page and $1 per disc or tape where applicable.
Do not send payment with an APD Open Records request unless instructed. APD says it sends an invoice when applicable.
Georgia statewide criminal-history records
Georgia’s statewide criminal-history repository is maintained through the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), a division of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
According to the GBI, a Georgia criminal-history record can contain:
- identifying information
- arresting agency
- date of arrest
- charges
- final judicial dispositions reported to GCIC
- custodial information when applicable
Georgia Felon Search: statewide public felony convictions
Georgia Felon Search is a separate official online service for checking reported Georgia felony-conviction information.
$15 per search / viewed record
Georgia’s current service page states that a $15 charge applies to each search transaction or rap sheet viewed, including a search returning no record.
Identity information
The service requires first and last name, date of birth and sex.
Georgia felony convictions
It does not return misdemeanor records, sealed/expunged information or juvenile felony history.
How to obtain your own Georgia criminal-history record
The GBI says a person can obtain a copy of their Georgia criminal-history record from many sheriff’s offices or police departments. Requirements and fees depend on the participating agency, so contact that agency before appearing in person.
GCIC record inspection
The Georgia Crime Information Center also provides record-inspection and fingerprint services through its lobby by appointment.
GCIC criminal-history assistance
Appointment phone: 404-244-2639, option 1
Same-day appointments are not offered according to current GBI guidance.
GCIC criminal-history FAQFingerprint-based employment or licensing checks
Georgia uses the Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS) for many authorized fingerprint-based background checks. GBI states that Idemia has been the GAPS vendor since February 3, 2025. These checks are different from a casual public-record search and are typically initiated for an authorized employment, licensing or government purpose.
Atlanta jail and booking records
Jail custody depends on which agency has the person. Do not use the Georgia Department of Corrections search as a substitute for a newly arrested Atlanta detainee search.
Fulton County Jail
Fulton County Jail
901 Rice Street NWAtlanta, GA 30318
Main jail:
404-613-2000
Charge / bond information:
404-613-2002
The Sheriff’s Office says charge and bond information is available through its arrest-inquiry resources or by contacting the jail. Newly arrested people are processed through intake, medical screening, fingerprinting, photographing and warrant checking.
Atlanta City Detention Center
Atlanta City Detention Center
254 Peachtree Street SWAtlanta, GA 30303
Department of Corrections: 404-865-8001
Atlanta Department of CorrectionsGeorgia prison and correctional offender search
For someone currently in a Georgia Department of Corrections facility, use the official GDC offender-search service.
Georgia DOC Offender SearchGDC allows searching by information such as name, description, ID or case number. The agency cautions users to independently verify important information before treating its web results as complete.
Atlanta and Fulton County warrant information
Warrant information is one of the areas where third-party search sites can be especially misleading. Official availability depends on the court and law-enforcement agency.
Fulton County criminal warrants
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office states that warrant-status information is not provided by phone. Its current guidance says the subject of the warrant must appear at the Sheriff’s Office in the Fulton County Courthouse or Fulton County Jail with proper photo identification to receive warrant-status information.
FCSO GCIC / Warrant Unit: 404-612-5129
Municipal Court warrant-number search
The Municipal Court’s official online case-search interface includes a warrant-number field. That can help when the warrant number is already known, but it should not be interpreted as a comprehensive public warrant database for all Fulton County or Georgia warrants.
How to get certified Atlanta-area criminal court records
A court search screen is often enough for general research. Employment, immigration, licensing, legal or administrative purposes may instead require a certified final disposition or another authenticated court document.
Fulton State Court certified disposition
Fulton State Court currently states that certified copies of disposed citations cost $2.50. Older files may be stored off site and generally require retrieval before the copy can be issued.
A mailed request should include the case number, defendant’s full name, date of birth and, when available, a brief description of the charge.
Fulton County State Court – Criminal Division160 Pryor Street SW, Suite J3-150
Atlanta, GA 30303
DeKalb Superior Court copies
| Copy type | Current published charge | Access method |
|---|---|---|
| Certified copy | $2.50 certification / first page plus $0.50 each additional page | Clerk or eCertification when available |
| Plain copy | $1.00 per page | Clerk / portal depending on record |
| Case/event lookup | No account required just to locate case/events | DeKalb Odyssey Portal |
DeKalb says certified final dispositions can be obtained through the Clerk’s criminal division, and electronic certification is available for qualifying records through its eCertification process.
Georgia record restriction: what people often call expungement
Georgia commonly uses the term record restriction rather than treating every eligible criminal-history matter as traditional destruction or expungement.
Under Georgia’s current process, certain eligible arrest charges may be restricted from disclosure for non-criminal-justice purposes after approval through the applicable process.
Start with arresting agency
GBI says older arrests generally use an application process beginning with the arresting law-enforcement agency and prosecutor.
Contact the prosecutor
GBI says there is no separate application process for post-July 1, 2013 arrests; the appropriate prosecutor should be contacted regarding restriction.
Fulton County misdemeanor record restriction
Fulton State Court directs misdemeanor record-restriction questions to the Fulton County Solicitor General. Fulton County also publishes a dedicated record-restrictions information page.
Fulton record restrictionsFederal criminal records in Atlanta
A federal prosecution is not filed in Fulton Superior Court, Atlanta Municipal Court or the Georgia Felon Search system. Atlanta is part of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Richard B. Russell Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse
75 Ted Turner Drive SWAtlanta, GA 30303
Clerk:
404-215-1600
Published clerk hours: 8:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Monday-Friday
Federal docket access
PACER provides electronic access to federal district, appellate and bankruptcy court dockets and documents. A PACER account is required for online access.
Northern District case accessAtlanta criminal court location map
The Municipal Court of Atlanta is in the downtown court/government area at 150 Garnett Street SW. Fulton criminal court offices are also concentrated nearby around Pryor Street and Central Avenue.
How to read an Atlanta criminal-record result correctly
A useful criminal-record search does more than find a person’s name. It should answer what was alleged, where the case was filed and how it ended.
| Term | What it generally means | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest | Law enforcement took a person into custody or initiated an arrest process. | That the person was convicted. |
| Charge / accusation | A criminal allegation has been formally asserted. | That guilt has been established. |
| Indictment | A grand jury formally charges qualifying offenses. | That the defendant has been found guilty. |
| Nolle prosequi / nolle prossed | The prosecution has chosen not to continue that charge at that stage. | That every associated record is automatically deleted. |
| Dismissed | The charge or case was dismissed. | That all criminal-history entries disappear immediately. |
| Guilty / conviction | A conviction has been entered by plea or adjudication. | That every conviction remains publicly available forever. |
| First Offender | A Georgia statutory disposition that can have special consequences after successful completion. | That it should be described exactly like an ordinary conviction without checking final status. |
| Restricted | Qualifying Georgia criminal-history information has restricted non-criminal-justice access. | That every court or third-party copy has been physically destroyed. |
Atlanta criminal-record search tips that save time
Confirm the county first
“Atlanta” alone does not guarantee Fulton County. DeKalb is a real possibility.
Separate city from county court
A Municipal Court citation may later become a Fulton State Court case after bind-over.
Use case number when possible
Names can produce ambiguous results. A case or citation number is normally more precise.
Recent arrest? Start with custody
A jail or arrest inquiry can be useful before a newly filed court case appears online.
Police report ≠ background check
APD Open Records specifically does not provide criminal-background checks.
Check final disposition
Do not stop after seeing the original charge. Read how the case was resolved.
Older DeKalb file?
Pre-2010 Superior Court documents may require the archive process.
Verify portal outages
Court technology changes. Check current clerk notices when a normally available search stops working.
Use fingerprints for identity certainty
Georgia warns that name-based searches cannot positively verify identity the way fingerprint comparison can.
Using Atlanta criminal records for employment, housing or licensing
A public court search is not automatically the same thing as a legally compliant consumer background report. Employment, housing, credit, licensing and similar decisions can trigger additional federal or state requirements depending on who performs the check and how the result is used.
GBI also distinguishes public felony-conviction access, local name-based checks and authorized fingerprint-based checks through systems such as GAPS.
Atlanta criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Where can I search Atlanta criminal court cases?
Start with the Municipal Court of Atlanta for city traffic, DUI, ordinance and limited misdemeanor cases. For Fulton County felony and misdemeanor matters, use the appropriate Fulton court portal. Cases in the DeKalb portion of Atlanta may instead require DeKalb County court systems.
2. Are Atlanta criminal records free to search?
Many court case-index searches are available online without a basic search fee, although document copies or certified records may cost money. Georgia Felon Search currently charges $15 per search or selected rap sheet.
3. How do I search a Municipal Court of Atlanta case?
Use the court’s official Find My Case system. It supports fields such as name, case number, citation number, vehicle tag, warrant number and driver’s-license number.
4. Why can’t I find an Atlanta case in Fulton County?
The case may still be in Municipal Court, may not yet have been formally filed after a bind-over, or may belong to DeKalb County. Also check any current technical notices from the Fulton clerk.
5. Where can I request an Atlanta Police report?
Use the Atlanta Police Department Central Records or Open Records process. APD’s Open Records Unit is at 226 Peachtree Street SW and accepts online requests for qualifying records.
6. Can APD tell me whether someone has a warrant?
APD’s Open Records Unit states that warrant information is not one of the categories it provides. Fulton County Sheriff’s Office also limits how warrant-status information is released.
7. How do I search Georgia felony convictions?
Use the official Georgia Felon Search service for reported Georgia felony convictions. The current fee is $15, and the service does not include misdemeanors, juvenile felony history or sealed/expunged information.
8. Where can I find someone arrested in Atlanta?
Check the custody agency. Many Fulton arrests are processed through the Fulton County Jail, while Atlanta also operates the Atlanta City Detention Center. State prison offenders are searched separately through the Georgia Department of Corrections.
9. How do I get a criminal record restricted in Georgia?
Eligibility depends on the case and date of arrest. GBI says pre-July 1, 2013 arrests generally begin with the arresting agency, while later arrests use a prosecutor-based process. Record restriction is not guaranteed for every case.
10. Where do I search federal criminal cases filed in Atlanta?
Use PACER for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The Atlanta federal courthouse is the Richard B. Russell Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
Official sources for Atlanta criminal-record searches
Court systems, fees, addresses and portal availability can change. Verify important information with the government office maintaining the original record.
- Municipal Court of Atlanta
- Municipal Court Find My Case
- Fulton County Clerk — Find a Case
- Fulton County Courts Public Portal
- Superior Court of Fulton County
- Fulton State Court Criminal Division
- DeKalb Superior Court Criminal Department
- DeKalb Judicial Information System
- Atlanta Police Department Open Records Unit
- Georgia Attorney General — Open Records Requests
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation — Criminal History
- Georgia Felon Search
- GBI — Criminal History Record Restrictions
- Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Jail
- Georgia Department of Corrections Offender Search
- U.S. District Court — Northern District of Georgia