Search South Fulton Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records in South Fulton are held at two main levels. The South Fulton Municipal Court deals with city code violations, traffic cases, and misdemeanor crimes that take place inside city limits. Felony charges and more serious criminal cases go through the Fulton County Superior Court. South Fulton is one of the newer cities in Georgia, formed in 2017 from parts of south Fulton County. The municipal court runs out of 5440 Cascade Road in the city hall complex. All records at the court are open to the public under the Georgia Open Records Act.

South Fulton Municipal Court Records

The South Fulton Municipal Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases and city ordinance violations within city limits. Traffic tickets, code enforcement matters, and low-level criminal charges all pass through this court. The court is still building out its case volume since the city was only formed a few years ago. But the case load has grown fast as South Fulton is the fifth-largest city in the state.

The court sits at 5440 Cascade Road, Atlanta, GA 30331. You can reach them by phone at (470) 809-7400 for case info or general questions. Walk-in requests are accepted during regular hours. Staff can look up cases by name or citation number. Bring a photo ID if you plan to go in person.

Note: The municipal court does not hear felony cases or civil lawsuits, which are handled at the county level.

Fulton County Criminal Records

Felony criminal cases in South Fulton are filed with the Fulton County Superior Court. The Atlanta Judicial Circuit covers all of Fulton County, including South Fulton. Drug charges, violent crimes, burglary, and other serious offenses go through the county system. The Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court keeps these records at the courthouse in downtown Atlanta on Pryor Street.

The county clerk runs an eServices portal for online case searches. You can look up cases by defendant name, case number, or attorney. The system shows case status, charges, court dates, and filing history. Criminal case data from the Atlanta Judicial Circuit goes back many years in this system.

You can also use the statewide E-Access to Court Records portal. It pulls case data from courts all over Georgia, including Fulton County. Set up a free account to start searching. This tool is good when you need to check records across more than one county at a time.

Search South Fulton Criminal Records

There are a few ways to look up criminal court records tied to South Fulton. The right method depends on what you need and how fast you need it.

The GSCCCA indexes court filings from all 159 Georgia counties. You can search for Fulton County records through this tool. A basic account costs $14.95 per month. Premium runs $29.95 per month. The GSCCCA also runs the free FANS alert system. It lets you track new filings by name across any county in the state. This can be useful if you want to know when a new case is filed for a specific person.

For your own criminal history, you can ask for a Purpose Code U report. This pulls data from the Georgia Crime Information Center and shows arrest records, charges, and outcomes from across the state. You need to give your name, date of birth, and fingerprints. The GBI runs this program. Call the Criminal History Records Helpline at (404) 244-2639 option 3 for help.

To search in person, go to the Municipal Court on Cascade Road or the Fulton County Courthouse on Pryor Street in Atlanta. Bring the full name and date of birth of the person you need records for. A case number helps speed things up. The clerk staff at both places can pull records while you wait.

Note: Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees are $0.10 per page and the first 15 minutes of search time are free.

Criminal Record Restrictions in South Fulton

Georgia law allows some criminal records to be restricted from public view. This used to be called expungement. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you may be able to restrict records for arrests that did not lead to a conviction, certain misdemeanor convictions after four years, and cases on a dead docket for more than 12 months. There is a lifetime cap of two misdemeanor restrictions.

If the arrest took place in South Fulton on or after July 1, 2013, reach out to the Fulton County District Attorney to start the process. For older arrests, contact the South Fulton Police Department or the agency that made the arrest. Agencies can charge up to $50 to process this type of request. Once the court grants the petition, the records are exempt from public access under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70.

Trafficking victims may get free record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 17-10-21. There is no fee for this. Contact a local attorney or the GBI for more details.

State Resources for South Fulton

The GBI runs the state criminal history database. You can call (404) 244-2639 option 3 or email gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us with questions about your record. The GBI Open Records Unit takes requests through their online portal only. They stopped taking email requests in December 2023.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, defense attorneys can request criminal history data from the GCIC by sending a written request with the case style, case number, and identifying info. This comes up often for lawyers working criminal cases in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit. Fees may apply but can be waived for people who cannot afford them.

The Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals both have online docket search tools. If a criminal case from the Atlanta Judicial Circuit was appealed, you can find it through those systems. This is mostly useful for serious felony cases where the outcome was challenged on appeal.

Nearby Cities

These cities near South Fulton also have criminal court records resources. Each one has its own municipal court for misdemeanor and traffic cases. Felony cases go through the county where the crime took place.