Heard County Busted Mugshots and Arrest Records

Heard County is a small, rural county in west Georgia with its county seat in Franklin, and the Sheriff's Office there manages all local arrests and bookings. If you are trying to find Heard County busted mugshots or look up a recent arrest record, this page explains where to search, what Georgia law says about booking photo access, and which statewide tools can help fill gaps when local online records are not available.

Heard County Sheriff Bookings and Jail Records

The Heard County Sheriff's Office in Franklin handles all arrests and bookings within the county. Heard County is one of Georgia's smallest counties by population, with just under 12,000 residents. The jail processes a lower volume of bookings than larger counties, but the records are still public under Georgia law. When someone is booked into the Heard County Jail, a record is created that includes their name, charges, arresting agency, and custody status.

Heard County does not operate a public online inmate lookup tool. This is typical for smaller Georgia counties that lack the resources to build and maintain a public jail portal. If you need to confirm whether someone is currently in custody in Heard County, calling the Sheriff's Office in Franklin is the best option. Staff there can confirm custody status and give you basic booking information. For older records or certified copies of Heard County arrest records, submit a written open records request to the Sheriff's Office.

The screenshot below shows the GBI homepage, a primary state resource for criminal history and arrest data that covers Heard County.

The GBI and its GCIC division maintain criminal history records statewide, giving access to Heard County arrest data through formal request channels.

Georgia State Databases for Heard County Arrest Records

Because Heard County does not have its own public inmate search tool, Georgia's statewide resources are the main path for finding arrest data online. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), operated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, holds criminal history records for every person arrested in Georgia. A GCIC record request can surface arrests, charges, and dispositions from Heard County and all other Georgia counties in a single search.

The Georgia Felon Search at georgia.gov is a $15 instant search for felony conviction records statewide. If someone was arrested in Heard County and convicted of a felony, the result should show up here. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender database is free and shows photos for people serving state prison time. Someone in the Heard County Jail on a local charge may not appear there, but prior state prison records tied to a Heard County conviction might be there.

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free, searchable by name or location, and includes photos and current registrant addresses. It is maintained by the GBI with input from local agencies like the Heard County Sheriff's Office. Search it to check for registered sex offenders in Franklin or anywhere in Heard County.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Felon Search tool, which costs $15 and provides instant statewide felony conviction results covering Heard County.

The Felon Search covers the entire state of Georgia, so a search for a Heard County arrest can reveal felony conviction records regardless of where the person is now.

Georgia Law Governing Heard County Busted Mugshots

Georgia passed O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 in 2014. The law bars Georgia law enforcement agencies from posting booking photos on the internet. This is why you won't find a Heard County mugshot gallery on the Sheriff's website. It doesn't mean the photos are sealed. They remain public records, but you have to request them through the formal open records process rather than clicking through an online database.

A separate Georgia law, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, addresses commercial mugshot websites. These sites sometimes collect and publish Heard County booking photos from sources other than the Sheriff's website. Under this law, mugshot companies must remove photos at no charge within 30 days when someone sends a proper certified mail request and the underlying arrest qualifies for record restriction. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has step-by-step guidance on using this removal process.

The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, sets the baseline rules for all public records requests in Heard County. Agencies must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time and the first 20 pages of records are free. Additional pages cost $0.10 each. These rules apply to any request you submit to the Heard County Sheriff, the Superior Court Clerk, or any other county office.

Heard County GDC Records and Sex Offender Registry

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is one of the few official Georgia tools that shows booking photos publicly without a formal request. Search by name at services.gdc.ga.gov to check whether someone has a GDC record tied to a Heard County conviction. The database is free to use and updated regularly. Keep in mind it only covers people in or formerly in state prison custody, not people held at the Heard County Jail on local charges.

The screenshot below shows the GDC offender query database, which provides free photo access for state prison inmates across Georgia including those with prior Heard County convictions.

GDC records are searchable for free. For someone in the Heard County Jail on a local charge, contact the Sheriff's Office directly since GDC only covers state inmates.

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry at state.sor.gbi.ga.gov lets you search for registered sex offenders in Heard County by name, county, or zip code. Results include current photos, addresses, and offense information. The Heard County Sheriff's Office reports changes to registrant status to the GBI, which keeps the registry updated. This is a free and reliable tool for checking offender status in the Franklin area.

How to Request Heard County Arrest Records

To get a copy of a Heard County arrest record or booking photo, send a written open records request to the Heard County Sheriff's Office in Franklin. Your request should include the person's full name, approximate arrest date if you know it, and a description of the records you want. You don't need to explain why you want them. Under state law, the agency must respond within three business days. Basic requests with short search times and fewer than 20 pages are typically free.

For state-level records, use the GBI's online open records request portal. This covers GBI records, GCIC criminal history, and some records from other Georgia agencies. If a person arrested in Heard County later went into GDC custody, their records at the state level would go through GBI or GDC, not the Heard County Sheriff.

Cities in Heard County

No city in Heard County currently meets the 25,000 population threshold for a dedicated busted mugshots page. For arrest records in Franklin, contact the Heard County Sheriff's Office directly.

Nearby Counties

Heard County borders six other counties in west Georgia. Each has its own arrest records and jail search resources.