Search Dade County Criminal Records

Dade County criminal court records are held by the Clerk of Superior Court at the courthouse in Trenton. This is one of the smallest counties in northwest Georgia, sitting right along the Alabama and Tennessee borders. The clerk office processes felony and misdemeanor case filings and stores all criminal court records for the county. You can search for case files by visiting the office on West Crabtree Street or by using statewide online search tools. Dade County is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Staff at the clerk office can pull case records, check court dates, and provide copies during regular business hours.

Dade County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Superior Court in Dade County manages all criminal court records filed in the county. The office sits at 255 W. Crabtree Street in Trenton. Call (706) 657-4778 to ask about a case or check on a filing. This is the one office in Dade County where you can get copies of criminal case files, look up court dates, and file documents tied to a criminal matter. Staff are on site during normal hours and can help with most requests the same day. Dade County is a small jurisdiction, so the clerk office handles everything from felony filings to misdemeanor records in a single location.

The GSCCCA page for Dade County lists the clerk contact details and connects you to the county filing system through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority.

The GSCCCA site gives you a quick way to find the Dade County clerk info and links to statewide tools for searching court records in Georgia.

Note: Call ahead to confirm hours before making the trip to Trenton for criminal records requests.

Searching Dade County Criminal Records

There are a few ways to search for criminal court records in Dade County. The most direct path is to visit the clerk office in Trenton. Staff can look up cases by name or case number and make copies. Copy fees in Georgia run $0.10 per page for standard copies under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. The first 15 minutes of staff search time are free. After that, the office can charge based on the hourly rate of the lowest paid employee able to do the work. Most basic lookups in Dade County are done in just a few minutes, so you usually will not face extra charges beyond the copy fee.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, criminal court records in Georgia are public. Anyone can ask to see them. You do not need to state a reason. The clerk must respond within three business days. This law applies to Dade County the same as every other county in the state. If you cannot visit in person, you can mail a written request to the clerk at the Crabtree Street address.

To search criminal records in Dade County, you will need:

• Full name of the person you are looking for
• Date of birth or age if known
• Case number if you have one
• Type of case, felony or misdemeanor

Criminal Cases in Dade County

Dade County Superior Court handles felony cases. These include violent crimes, drug charges, theft over certain amounts, and other serious offenses. The State Court takes misdemeanor cases like simple assault, minor drug possession, and traffic offenses that carry criminal penalties. Both courts use the courthouse in Trenton. Magistrate Court deals with preliminary hearings and bond settings. All of these courts create records that the Dade County Clerk of Superior Court stores and maintains.

Dade County sits in the far northwest corner of Georgia. The county borders both Tennessee and Alabama, which can sometimes lead to confusion about jurisdiction. If an arrest took place in Dade County, the criminal case file stays with the Dade County courts regardless of where the person lives. Criminal cases here follow the same path as other Georgia counties. An arrest leads to charges. The charges move through the court system. Each step creates records that the clerk keeps on file. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, records from active investigations may be exempt from public view until the case is finished.

Dade County Records Online Access

Dade County does not run its own online court records portal. For online access to criminal records from this county, you can use statewide tools. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority indexes filings from all 159 Georgia counties. GSCCCA focuses mainly on real estate and lien filings, but it can point you to the right clerk for criminal case data in Dade County. A regular GSCCCA account runs $14.95 a month, and premium access costs $29.95 per month.

The E-Access to Court Records portal connects to case data from courts across Georgia. You will need an account to search. For Dade County criminal records, this can be a useful way to check case status from home instead of driving to Trenton. The system shows basic case info, court dates, and party names from participating courts.

For your own criminal history, visit the Dade County Sheriff's Office and ask for a Purpose Code U report. That is the standard way to get your Georgia criminal history for personal use. The GBI Criminal History page has details on how to get your statewide record. The GBI Criminal History Records Helpline at (404) 244-2639 option 3 can answer questions about your criminal history, including cases from Dade County. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, certain criminal records can be restricted from public view. This covers arrests that did not result in conviction and some misdemeanor convictions after a four-year wait.

Dade County Record Restriction

Record restriction is the process Georgia uses to limit public access to certain criminal history records. It replaced what used to be called expungement. The records still exist, but they do not show up in public searches. Law enforcement and judges can still see them. In Dade County, the process works the same as the rest of the state. Contact the District Attorney for arrests after July 1, 2013. For older arrests, go through the arresting agency. Agencies can charge up to $50 to handle a restriction request. The process takes between two weeks and 90 days.

Georgia limits each person to two misdemeanor conviction restrictions in their lifetime. Serious violent felonies and sexual offenses do not qualify. Time-expired restrictions happen automatically if the Georgia Crime Information Center does not get a final disposition within two years for a misdemeanor, four years for a felony, or seven years for a serious violent felony. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, the GCIC can share criminal history data with attorneys who submit a written request with case info. Defense lawyers in Dade County use this when they prep for trial. The fee is waived for defendants who cannot afford to pay.

Note: The GBI Open Records Unit no longer accepts requests by email, so use their online portal or mail your request.

Cities in Dade County

All criminal cases from cities and towns in Dade County go through the Superior Court or State Court in Trenton. The courthouse on West Crabtree Street is the main location for all felony and misdemeanor filings from the county.

Cities and towns in Dade County include Trenton and Wildwood. Criminal cases from all parts of the county are processed through the Dade County court system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Dade County. If you are not sure which county handles a criminal case, check the address where the arrest took place. Criminal cases must be filed in the county where the alleged crime occurred.