Clay County Booking Releases

Clay County booking releases come from the Clay County Sheriff's Office based in Fort Gaines, Georgia. This is one of the smallest counties in the state by population, tucked into the southwest corner along the Chattahoochee River. The Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and keeps records of every person booked in and released. Despite its small size, Clay County follows the same state laws and record-keeping rules as every other Georgia county. You can request booking release records by contacting the sheriff's office directly.

Sheriff and Booking Records

The Clay County Sheriff's Office manages the jail and all booking release records. The office is in Fort Gaines on the courthouse square. You can call (229) 768-2235 to ask about jail records and current inmates. Staff can look up a person and tell you their booking status.

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, every Georgia sheriff must keep a record of each person held in the jail. The record must have the inmate's name, booking date, charges, and release date. Clay County follows this law. Even though the jail sees fewer bookings than larger counties, every arrest gets fully documented.

Some small counties in Georgia contract with neighboring jails to house inmates. If Clay County sends inmates to another facility, the booking release records still originate with the Clay County Sheriff. You should start your search here regardless of where the person was actually held.

How to Search for Booking Releases

Clay County is a small county without a large online presence. Your best option is to call the Sheriff's Office at (229) 768-2235 and ask about the person you are looking for. Give the staff a name and any dates you know. They will check the system.

You can also visit the office in person in Fort Gaines. Bring your ID and be ready to explain what records you need. For recent bookings, staff can usually pull up the information right away. Older records may take a bit longer to find.

If you want a formal copy of a booking release record, file an open records request in writing. This puts your request on the record and gives the county a clear obligation to respond. You can mail or hand-deliver the request to the Sheriff's Office.

The GDC offender search tool shows records for people who left the Clay County jail and entered state prison.

Search this statewide database to find inmates who were transferred from Clay County to Georgia Department of Corrections facilities.

Open Records for Clay County Booking Releases

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives anyone the right to request booking release records from Clay County. The law is the same for small counties and large ones. Public records are open to the public. No reason is needed.

Put your request in writing and send it to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Be as specific as you can about what you need. The county has three business days to respond. The first 15 minutes of staff time to search for records is free. After that, copies cost $0.10 per page.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the county must provide access during normal business hours. If they deny your request, you are entitled to a written explanation. Most booking release records are available without restrictions.

What Booking Releases Contain

Clay County booking release records include the inmate's full name, date of birth, physical description, charges, booking date, arresting agency, bond amount, and release date. These are the standard data points that Georgia law requires. The record gives a full picture of the booking from start to finish.

Booking photographs may be part of the file. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 sets the rules for booking photos in Georgia. Clay County follows these rules when it handles photo requests.

Certain records may be exempt from public access. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, records tied to active investigations, juvenile cases, or sealed court orders may not be released. Standard adult booking and release data is public in most situations.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

Several state-level databases can supplement Clay County records. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers people serving state sentences. If someone left Clay County for a state prison, you will find them here.

The VINE notification system is free and covers all Georgia counties. Sign up to get alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. This is useful for Clay County and every other county in the state.

For state-level open records requests, the GDC Open Records portal and the GBI Open Records portal handle requests involving state agencies. Use these when your search goes beyond what a single county can provide.

Cities in Clay County

Clay County contains the town of Fort Gaines and a few very small communities. None have populations large enough for separate pages. All booking releases for the county go through the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Nearby Counties

For booking releases from areas around Clay County, check these neighboring counties. Each has its own jail and records system.