Chamblee Criminal Court Records Lookup

Criminal court records in Chamblee are handled by two court systems. The Chamblee Municipal Court processes city code violations, traffic offenses, and misdemeanor crimes that happen inside city limits. Felony cases and more serious criminal matters are filed with the DeKalb County Superior Court. Chamblee sits in DeKalb County and falls under the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit. Both courts make their records accessible to the public under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, the Georgia Open Records Act. The municipal court is on Buford Highway, which runs through the heart of Chamblee's commercial district.

Chamblee Municipal Court Records

The Chamblee Municipal Court hears traffic cases, city ordinance violations, and misdemeanor crimes within Chamblee. The court does not handle felony cases. If you were cited or arrested for a misdemeanor in Chamblee, your case is at this court. The clerk keeps records organized by name and case number.

The court is at 4445 Buford Highway NE, Chamblee, GA 30341. Call (770) 986-5010 for case information. You can visit during business hours to request records in person. Bring a valid photo ID. The clerk can print copies of case records, pull up court dates, and show you disposition letters. Simple requests are usually filled the same day.

Note: Chamblee Municipal Court only handles cases that fall under city jurisdiction and does not process felonies or county-level charges.

DeKalb County Criminal Records

Felony criminal cases from Chamblee are filed in the DeKalb County Superior Court. Drug trafficking, aggravated assault, burglary, and other serious crimes all go through the county court system. The Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit covers DeKalb County. The Clerk of Superior Court keeps all felony records at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur.

DeKalb County runs an online case search tool. You can look up criminal records by defendant name, case number, or attorney name. The system shows charges, hearing dates, case status, and the full filing history. Records go back several years. This is often the quickest way to find felony records tied to a Chamblee address without having to drive to Decatur.

The DeKalb County State Court also handles misdemeanor cases that are too serious for municipal court. DUI cases from Chamblee sometimes get moved to this level. If a misdemeanor case that started in Chamblee Municipal Court gets bound over, the records transfer to the county system. You will need to check both courts when a case seems to have disappeared from the municipal docket.

The statewide E-Access to Court Records portal pulls in data from DeKalb County courts. Set up a free account and you can search across all Georgia courts at once. This is useful if someone has records in more than one county.

Searching Chamblee Criminal Records

Several options exist for looking up criminal court records tied to Chamblee. What works best depends on the record type and your time frame.

The GSCCCA indexes court filings from all 159 Georgia counties. You can search DeKalb County records through this system. A standard subscription costs $14.95 per month. The GSCCCA also operates the free FANS notification system. Set it up and you get alerts any time a new filing appears for a name you are tracking.

For your own criminal history, request a Purpose Code U report. This pulls from the Georgia Crime Information Center and shows your arrest records, charges, and court outcomes across the state. You will need your name, date of birth, and fingerprints. Contact the GBI helpline at (404) 244-2639 for step-by-step guidance on how to get this done.

To search in person, go to the Municipal Court on Buford Highway or the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur. Have the full name and date of birth of the person you need records for. If you have a case number, bring that too. Court staff at both locations can pull records while you wait. Chamblee is close to Decatur, so the drive is short if you need to check both courts.

Note: Copy fees under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 are $0.10 per page, and the first 15 minutes of staff search time are free at any public office in Georgia.

Record Restrictions in Chamblee

Certain criminal records in Georgia can be restricted from public view. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, people may restrict records for arrests without conviction, some misdemeanor convictions after four years, and dead docket cases older than 12 months. The lifetime limit is two misdemeanor restrictions per person.

For Chamblee cases, contact the DeKalb County District Attorney to begin the restriction process. You file a petition with the court and the agency can charge up to $50 for processing. Once approved, the record drops out of public searches. Law enforcement still has access. If your case was in Chamblee Municipal Court, call (770) 986-5010 to make sure local records get updated after the order is granted.

Chamblee sits in an area with a lot of overlapping jurisdictions. Some people have cases split between municipal court and county court. If that applies to you, make sure you file restriction petitions for each court separately. Missing one means the record could still show up in some searches even though you thought it was taken care of.

State Resources for Chamblee

The GBI runs the state criminal history database. Call (404) 244-2639 option 3 for questions about your record. The GBI Open Records Unit accepts requests only through their online portal. Email requests are no longer accepted.

O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives the public broad access to government records in Georgia. This covers criminal court files at both city and county levels. Agencies have three business days to respond to your request. If they deny access, they must cite a specific legal exemption. You can appeal to the Georgia Attorney General if you think a denial is wrong.

The DeKalb County Law Library is open to the public at no charge. It has forms for restriction petitions, sample open records request letters, and legal research materials. For people who need an attorney but cannot afford one, Georgia Legal Aid serves DeKalb County residents who meet income guidelines. Their staff can help with record restriction cases and other criminal record matters.

Nearby Cities

These cities near Chamblee also have criminal court records resources. Each one runs its own municipal court, but felony cases are routed through the county where the offense took place.