Burke County Booking Releases

Burke County booking releases are processed and stored by the Burke County Sheriff's Office in Waynesboro, Georgia. One of the largest counties in the state by land area, Burke County handles all jail operations through a single detention facility. The sheriff is responsible for keeping records of every person booked into and released from the county jail. Waynesboro serves as the county seat and is where the jail and main offices are located. You can find booking release information by contacting the sheriff's office by phone, visiting in person, or filing an open records request.

Burke County Sheriff Booking Releases

The Burke County Sheriff's Office is the custodian of all booking release records in the county. The office is in Waynesboro. You can reach them at (706) 554-2133. The sheriff manages the county jail, serves civil papers, patrols rural areas, and handles all inmate records. For booking releases, the jail staff are the primary point of contact.

O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7 requires every Georgia sheriff to keep a record of each person held in the county jail. Burke County complies with this. The record includes the person's name, what they were charged with, when they were booked in, and when they left custody. Because Burke County covers a large geographic area, arrests can happen in many different parts of the county. All of them funnel through the single jail in Waynesboro, so one inquiry covers all booking records.

The Waynesboro Police Department books its arrests through the Burke County jail as well. So if you are looking for someone arrested by city police, the records are still held by the sheriff's office.

Note: Burke County also has a state prison facility within its borders, but that is operated separately by the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Searching Burke County Booking Releases

The simplest way to search for a Burke County booking release is to call the jail at (706) 554-2133. Tell the staff who you are looking for. They can check the system and tell you if the person is in custody, when they were booked, and whether they have been released. This works well for current inmates and recent bookings.

Going to the sheriff's office in Waynesboro is another option. Walk in during business hours and ask the records staff to look up the booking. Bring the person's name and date of birth if you have it. The staff can search the system while you wait. If you need printed copies, they cost $0.10 per page.

Burke County may or may not have a public online inmate search. Check the sheriff's office website for current tools. Some Georgia counties post jail rosters online, while others do not. If no online search is available, phone and in-person requests are your options. For formal documentation, you can always submit a written open records request.

The VINE system helps track inmate status changes across all Georgia counties, including Burke.

VINE sends free alerts when someone's custody status changes, covering Burke County and the entire state.

Open Records for Burke County Booking Releases

You can request booking release records from the Burke County Sheriff's Office under Georgia's Open Records Act. The law at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 applies to all public agencies in the state. Write up your request with the person's name, any known dates, and what records you need. Deliver it to the office in Waynesboro by hand, by mail, or by email if they accept it.

Page copies are $0.10 each. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the county can charge for staff time. Burke County has three business days to respond once they receive your request. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, they must follow specific steps when processing your request. They must either provide the records, ask for more time, or deny the request with a legal citation.

Most booking release records are public. The main reasons for withholding records include active investigations, sealed court orders, and juvenile cases.

Burke County Booking Release Record Details

Each Burke County booking release record includes the inmate's full name, date of birth, height, weight, and other physical traits. Charges at the time of booking are listed. The booking date, time, and booking number are always part of the record. If a bond was set, the amount is noted. The release date and type of release complete the document.

Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 sets rules for booking photographs. Burke County follows these guidelines. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 lists exemptions that may apply to portions of booking records. Records connected to active investigations or protected personal information may be redacted. The county must tell you which exemption they are using if they withhold any part of your request.

Note: Burke County is one of Georgia's largest counties by area, so law enforcement activity spans a wide geographic range, all funneling through one jail.

Statewide Booking Release Resources for Burke County

State databases can help you search beyond Burke County records. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers all state prison inmates. If someone who was booked in Burke County later went to state prison, they will appear here. The GCIC holds about 4 million criminal history records across Georgia.

The VINE victim notification system lets you track custody changes for inmates in Burke County and throughout the state. Sign up for free alerts by phone, email, or text. The service runs day and night.

For state-level open records, the GDC Open Records portal and the GBI Open Records portal both accept online submissions. These portals handle records from the Department of Corrections and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Nearby Counties

Burke County is in east-central Georgia and shares borders with several counties. Each has its own jail and booking release records. Make sure you search the right county for where the arrest took place.