DeKalb County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the DeKalb County Jail roster, Georgia court records and Georgia prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Decatur.
Checking the registry instead? DeKalb County sex offender registry
DeKalb County inmate search: who is in the DeKalb County jail. One name search reaches the DeKalb County Jail roster and every other record type below.
DeKalb County is home to about 762,992 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), about the same as at the 2020 census: 7% of Georgia’s residents, the 4th most populous of its 159 counties. People arrested here are booked into the DeKalb County Jail. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the DeKalb County jail, in a Georgia state prison or in federal custody.
- DeKalb County jail bookingsThe DeKalb County Jail roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- Georgia court recordsthe statewide court source: case, charge and disposition
- Georgia prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- Georgia sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
DeKalb County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the DeKalb County Jail. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release.
What a DeKalb County booking record shows
DeKalb County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the DeKalb County Jail
Shows that someone was arrested in DeKalb County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the DeKalb County Jail roster.
Filed in the Superior Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the Superior Court; a misdemeanor to the State Court, in counties that have one. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the Clerk of Superior Court. Georgia court records in the search carry it where the court publishes it.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
DeKalb County arrest records by city. Stonecrest, Brookhaven and Dunwoody and 5 more.
DeKalb County has 8 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Stonecrest or Brookhaven is usually booked into the DeKalb County Jail, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the DeKalb County Jail roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
DeKalb County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In Georgia, felony cases from DeKalb County are heard in the Superior Court, and misdemeanors in the State Court, in counties that have one. The Clerk of Superior Court keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
Georgia’s statewide court source is part of a name search here, so a result can show how a case ended, not only that it began.
Finding a DeKalb County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the Clerk of Superior Court for DeKalb County, in Decatur, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the Clerk of Superior Court; certified copies usually carry a small fee.
DeKalb County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the DeKalb County Jail when someone is booked. Where DeKalb County publishes it, it appears on the official roster, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
DeKalb County sex offender registry. About 1,563 on our index have an address in DeKalb County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Sex offenders in DeKalb County cities
DeKalb County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
DeKalb County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the DeKalb County jail?
Search the person's name here: the search covers the DeKalb County Jail roster, Georgia state prisons, and federal custody, and each result names the facility. Adding an age or date of birth tells people with the same name apart.
Where are DeKalb County court records kept?
Felony cases from DeKalb County are heard in the Superior Court, and the Clerk of Superior Court keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the State Court, in counties that have one.
Does Georgia publish a statewide warrant list?
Not one that is part of our search. To check for a warrant in DeKalb County, ask the sheriff's office or the Clerk of Superior Court; a name search here still covers the DeKalb County Jail roster and Georgia court records.
Is an arrest in DeKalb County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the DeKalb County Jail records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the Superior Court (for a misdemeanor, the State Court, in counties that have one), and only the court record shows the outcome. Court records in the search carry that outcome where the court publishes it.
Does OffenderSearch show DeKalb County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where DeKalb County publishes a photo, it is on the sheriff's official roster. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in DeKalb County?
About 1,563 on our index have an address in DeKalb County. The DeKalb County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a DeKalb County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.