Search Murray County Busted Mugshots

Murray County is a north Georgia county with Chatsworth as its county seat, and the Murray County Sheriff's Office handles all local arrest records, jail bookings, and busted mugshots for the county. This page covers how to find Murray County arrest data, which statewide databases apply, and what Georgia law says about booking photos and removal rights.

Murray County Sheriff and Jail Booking Records

The Murray County Sheriff's Office in Chatsworth is the main agency for local arrest records and busted mugshots. Every person booked into the Murray County Jail generates a record that includes their name, charges, arresting agency, and booking date. Georgia's Open Records Act makes these records public. Under a 2014 state law, the sheriff cannot post booking photos online, but the office provides records and photos through formal open records requests. For quick custody status checks, a phone call to the sheriff's office is the fastest option.

Murray County sits close to Whitfield County, which is home to Dalton. People in Murray County may be familiar with Dalton as the nearest larger city. Murray County itself does not have a city that meets the 25,000 population threshold, so Chatsworth remains the main local hub. The Chatsworth Police Department handles city-limit arrests, while the sheriff covers county-wide law enforcement. If you are unsure which agency handled a specific arrest, start with the sheriff's office.

Murray County has around 42,000 residents, which puts it on the higher end of rural Georgia counties. The jail handles a meaningful volume of bookings. Staff are generally more accessible than in very small counties, and the records process tends to be more routine. Still, state law sets the ceiling: three business days to respond, same fee schedule as everywhere else in Georgia.

The screenshot below shows the GBI open records portal, which supplements local Murray County sheriff resources for state-level criminal history requests.

The GBI portal accepts requests for state-held criminal history and investigative records that go beyond what the Murray County Sheriff maintains locally.

State Databases Covering Murray County Arrests

Several state tools cover Murray County arrest and conviction records. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation operates the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds criminal history records for all 159 counties. GCIC background checks cover arrests and dispositions, not just final convictions. For a thorough state-level criminal history tied to a Murray County case, a formal GCIC request through the GBI is the most complete option available.

The Georgia Felon Search is $15 and returns results instantly through the official georgia.gov portal. It draws from GCIC conviction data and is good for a quick felony check. If you need to confirm a felony record tied to a Murray County arrest or any other Georgia county, this tool gives you a fast answer. It does not show arrests without convictions but is reliable for felony conviction history.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and shows photos. It covers state prison inmates, not the local county jail. If someone was arrested in Murray County and later sentenced to state prison, the GDC database may have their record and current facility. This tool is separate from the local jail roster but useful for tracking post-conviction status in Georgia cases.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Felon Search service, a quick $15 tool that returns felony conviction records for Murray County and all of Georgia.

The Felon Search service runs through the official georgia.gov portal and is based on state-maintained GCIC conviction data covering all 159 Georgia counties.

Georgia Law on Booking Photos and Mugshot Websites

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, which took effect in 2014, bars law enforcement from posting booking photos online. The Murray County Sheriff and the Chatsworth Police Department both fall under this rule. This is why there is no live mugshot gallery on the county website. The photos remain public records, but you get them through a formal request rather than a public webpage. The law was passed to stop agencies from feeding commercial mugshot websites with fresh data.

O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 targets commercial mugshot sites. If one of those sites posted a Murray County booking photo and is charging for removal, that is illegal under Georgia law. You can send a certified letter demanding removal at no cost within 30 days. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has a free guide that explains exactly how to submit the removal demand. The law applies to for-profit sites, not to news organizations or official government records.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 sets the response deadline at three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time and the first 20 pages of documents are free. Pages beyond 20 cost $0.10 each. These rules apply uniformly to the Murray County Sheriff, Chatsworth PD, and every other public agency in Georgia.

Sex Offender Registry and GBI Resources for Murray County

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is a free GBI-maintained tool that covers registered sex offenders statewide. You can search by name or location to find offenders in Murray County or the surrounding area. Photos are included where the registry has them, and the database is updated regularly. No account or fee is needed to run a search. This is one of the most widely used free tools for checking criminal backgrounds in any Georgia county.

The GBI's open records portal lets you submit and track requests for state-held records online. If the Murray County case you are researching involved GBI investigators or moved through a state court, the portal may have files that the local sheriff does not hold. The same three-business-day response deadline and fee schedule apply at the state level as at the county level.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Sex Offender Registry, which is free to search and covers all registered offenders in Murray County.

The registry is maintained by the GBI, updated on a regular schedule, and shows photos where available at no cost to the user.

Requesting Murray County Arrest Records and Booking Photos

Contact the Murray County Sheriff's Office in Chatsworth to request a booking photo or arrest record. For arrests inside Chatsworth city limits, the Chatsworth Police Department holds those records. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, both agencies must respond within three business days. Include the person's full name and, if you have it, the arrest date or case number. That detail helps staff pull the record quickly and minimizes fee exposure.

For state-level records, use the GBI open records portal. The online system tracks requests from submission to response. If a Murray County case involved GBI investigators or moved through a state court, the portal may hold records that local agencies do not. Fees follow the same Open Records Act schedule that applies to county agencies.

Booking photos are public records in Georgia. The 2014 statute restricts online posting by agencies but does not seal the records from public access. You have a right to request them through the formal process. If a commercial website posted a Murray County booking photo and is seeking payment for removal, the Consumer Protection Division guide explains your legal rights under Georgia law and what steps to take.

Cities in Murray County

No city in Murray County currently meets the 25,000 population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Chatsworth is the county's main city. For arrest records there, contact the Murray County Sheriff's Office or the Chatsworth Police Department directly. Dalton, which is the nearest larger city, is located in neighboring Whitfield County and has its own page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Murray County borders several north Georgia counties, each with its own arrest record resources and sheriff operations.