Canton Jail Mugshots
Canton jail mugshots are processed at the Cherokee County Detention Center. Canton is the county seat of Cherokee County and sits about 40 miles north of Atlanta. With around 38,049 residents, the city has grown fast over the past decade. The Canton Police Department handles local law enforcement, but all bookings and mugshot photos go through the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. You can search the Cherokee County inmate roster online to find Canton jail mugshots for free. This page covers the search tools, legal rules, and steps involved.
Canton Quick Facts
Canton Police Department
The Canton Police Department patrols the city and responds to calls for service. Canton PD covers the downtown area, residential zones, and the commercial corridors along Highway 20 and Interstate 575. When an officer makes an arrest, the person goes to the Cherokee County jail for booking. Canton does not run its own detention facility.
| Agency | Canton Police Department |
|---|---|
| Address | 221 East Marietta Street, Canton, GA 30114 |
| Phone | (770) 720-4883 |
| Website | cantonga.gov/police-department |
| Booking Facility | Cherokee County Detention Center |
Because Canton is the county seat, the Cherokee County Detention Center is located right in town. That means Canton arrests do not travel far for booking. The jail is run by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and they handle intake, mugshots, fingerprints, and record keeping. Every booking creates a new entry in the county database whether the arrest came from Canton PD, the sheriff's office, or another agency.
Arrest reports are kept by Canton Police. Booking records are kept by the county. If you need both, you make two requests. One goes to the city. The other goes to the county sheriff.
Search Canton Jail Mugshots Online
The Cherokee County inmate roster is posted online by the sheriff's office. It shows current inmates with their booking photo, charges, and booking date. The roster updates regularly as new bookings come in and inmates are released. You do not need to create an account or pay anything to view it.
Look for the arresting agency field if you want to narrow results to Canton arrests. The roster includes bookings from Canton Police, Woodstock Police, Ball Ground Police, Holly Springs Police, and the Cherokee County Sheriff. Each entry tells you which agency brought the person in. This is the quickest way to find Canton jail mugshots.
Older records may not show on the active roster. Once someone is released or transferred, they can drop off the list. For past booking data, you can file a formal request with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 requires the county to respond within three business days. Copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page by O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.
The state prison system is a separate database. Use the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search if the person was convicted and transferred to state custody. This tool shows current photos, sentence details, and facility locations.
The GDC search covers state prisoners only. For local Canton jail inmates, stick with the Cherokee County roster.
Canton Mugshot Laws
Georgia law limits how jail mugshots can be distributed. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 says law enforcement cannot hand over booking photos to websites that charge people to remove their images. This rule went into effect in 2014. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office follows it for every mugshot request, including Canton bookings.
Anyone who requests a Canton jail mugshot from the county has to sign a statement. You agree not to post the photo on a commercial removal site. This is not optional. If a site does post your booking photo and demands money to take it down, Georgia gives you tools to fight it. Send a written request to the site. They get 30 days. After that, the Georgia Consumer Protection Division can step in.
The county's own inmate roster is not affected by this rule. Posting current inmate data on the jail's website is part of normal operations and is allowed under the statute. The law targets private companies that exploit booking photos for profit, not government transparency efforts.
Criminal History and Record Restriction
A jail mugshot only tells you about one booking event. For a complete picture, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation provides criminal history reports that pull data from all Georgia counties. This is useful if someone has records in Cherokee County and elsewhere in the state. The GBI check costs a fee and takes a few business days.
If you were arrested in Canton but the charges were dropped, dismissed, or you were acquitted, you may qualify for record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. You file a petition with the Cherokee County Superior Court in Canton. A judge reviews the request and, if approved, orders the sheriff's office and GBI to seal the booking data. After restriction, the mugshot no longer appears in public searches.
The process varies in how long it takes. Simple cases may wrap up in a few weeks. More complex situations can take months. Having a lawyer helps, but it is not required. Check with local legal aid groups in Cherokee County if you need help with the paperwork and cannot afford an attorney.
Cherokee County Jail
Canton is home to the Cherokee County Detention Center, which handles all bookings for the county. The facility processes inmates from Canton, Woodstock, Ball Ground, Holly Springs, Nelson, Waleska, and the unincorporated areas. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office manages the jail and all associated records.
For full information on the Cherokee County jail system, including the inmate roster, open records procedures, and legal framework, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are close to Canton. Each one uses its county jail for all booking and mugshot processing.