Paulding County Criminal Records

Paulding County criminal court records are held by the Clerk of Superior Court at the courthouse on Constitution Boulevard in Dallas. This fast-growing county sits west of metro Atlanta and handles a steady flow of felony and misdemeanor filings each year. You can search for criminal records in Paulding County by visiting the clerk office, calling them, or using Georgia's statewide court record tools online. The clerk staff can pull case files, check on court dates, and make copies of criminal records during regular business hours. Dallas is the county seat, and all Paulding County criminal filings come through this courthouse.

Paulding County Criminal Court Clerk

The Clerk of Superior Court in Paulding County handles all criminal court records filed in the county. The office is at 280 Constitution Blvd in Dallas. You can call (770) 443-7527 to ask about a case, check on a filing, or find out when a court date is set. Staff at this office can search by name or case number and pull the records you need. The Paulding County courthouse serves as the hub for all felony and misdemeanor criminal filings in the area. Walk-in visits are welcome during regular hours, which run Monday through Friday.

The GSCCCA page for Paulding County lists the clerk details and links to the county filing system through the state cooperative authority.

From this page, you can confirm the Paulding County clerk contact info and access filing indexes that the GSCCCA keeps for all 159 Georgia counties.

Note: Bring a valid photo ID if you plan to visit the Paulding County clerk office in person for criminal records.

Searching Paulding County Criminal Records

There are a few ways to get criminal court records from Paulding County. The most direct option is to call or visit the clerk office in Dallas. Staff can look up cases by name or by case number. If you want copies, the fee is $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 who can do the work. Many simple lookups in Paulding County take less than 15 minutes. You can also mail a written request to the clerk at 280 Constitution Blvd, Dallas, GA 30132.

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 Paulding County clerk must respond within three business days. This is the same rule for every county in Georgia. Your request can be made in person, by phone, by mail, or by fax. The Open Records Act gives you the right to inspect and copy these files, and it applies to all criminal case records that are not under active investigation or sealed by court order.

To search criminal records in Paulding County, you will want:

• Full name of the person you are looking for
• Date of birth or age if you know it
• Case number if one is available
• Type of case, felony or misdemeanor

Criminal Cases in Paulding County

Paulding County Superior Court handles all felony cases. These include drug charges, violent crimes, theft over certain dollar amounts, and white collar offenses. The State Court takes misdemeanor cases. DUI charges, simple assault, minor theft, and lower-level drug offenses go through State Court. Magistrate Court deals with bond settings and preliminary hearings. All of these courts create criminal records that the Paulding County Clerk keeps on file. Since Paulding County has grown fast in recent years, the court system sees a fair number of cases compared to smaller rural counties nearby.

Each criminal case in Paulding County begins with an arrest. Charges get filed. The case moves through hearings, motions, and then either a plea deal or trial. All of those steps generate documents that become part of the court record. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, some records stay closed while a case is still under active investigation. Once the case wraps up, most records open for public review. Basic docket info and court dates are typically available even for pending cases in Paulding County.

Paulding County Records Online Access

For online searches of Paulding County criminal records, you can use statewide tools. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority indexes filings from all 159 counties. While GSCCCA focuses mainly on real estate and lien filings, it can help you find the right clerk for criminal case data in Paulding County. A regular GSCCCA account costs $14.95 a month. Premium access runs $29.95 per month. You do not need an account just to look up clerk contact info on the GSCCCA site.

The E-Access to Court Records portal is another statewide option. It connects to case data from courts across Georgia. You need an account to search. For Paulding County criminal records, this can be a useful way to check case status without making the drive to Dallas. The system pulls data from participating courts and shows basic case info, court dates, and party names. Not all courts feed data into E-Access at the same pace, so what you see online may lag a day or two behind what the clerk has in the office.

For your own criminal history, visit the Paulding County Sheriff's Office and ask for a Purpose Code U report. This is the standard way to get your Georgia criminal history for personal use. The GBI Criminal History page has more details on how the statewide process works. Call the GBI helpline at (404) 244-2639 option 3 if you have questions about what is on your record.

Record Restriction in Paulding County

Georgia allows certain criminal records to be restricted from public view under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. This is what used to be called expungement. It applies to arrests that did not lead to a conviction, some misdemeanor convictions after a four-year wait, and cases placed on a dead docket for more than 12 months. Paulding County residents file through the District Attorney's office for arrests on or after July 1, 2013. For earlier arrests, contact the arresting law enforcement agency. The fee can be up to $50 to process the request.

Georgia limits each person to two misdemeanor conviction restrictions in their lifetime. Serious violent felonies and sexual offenses are never eligible. Time-expired restrictions happen on their own when the Georgia Crime Information Center does not receive a final disposition within two years for a misdemeanor, four years for a felony, or seven years for a serious violent felony. These automatic restrictions only cover the state database. If you want a full restriction, you have to go through the formal process. The GBI Open Records Unit handles state-level criminal history requests. As of December 2023, they no longer take requests by email. Use their portal at gbigeorgia.govqa.us or mail your request to P.O. Box 370808, Decatur, GA 30034.

Note: Defense attorneys in Paulding County can request criminal history data from the Georgia Crime Information Center under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 by sending a written request with case details.

Cities in Paulding County

All criminal cases from cities and towns in Paulding County go through the Superior Court or State Court in Dallas. The courthouse on Constitution Boulevard handles all felony and misdemeanor filings for the county.

Cities and towns in Paulding County include Dallas, Hiram, and Braswell. Criminal cases from all of these areas are processed through the Paulding County court system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Paulding County. Criminal cases must be filed in the county where the arrest happened. If you are not sure which county has the record, check the location of the alleged crime.