Search Chatham County Jail Mugshots

Chatham County jail mugshots are kept by the Chatham County Sheriff's Office in Savannah. The sheriff runs one of the busiest jail facilities in southeast Georgia, and booking photos are taken for every person brought into custody. You can look up current inmates and recent bookings through the sheriff's office website. Chatham County posts booking records for the past 24 and 72 hours, so recent arrest data is easy to find online. This page covers the main ways to search for jail mugshots in Chatham County, the rules that apply to these records under Georgia law, and how to get copies of booking photos from the jail.

Chatham County Sheriff's Office

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office handles all jail operations in the county. The main office is at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive, Savannah, GA 31405. You can call the booking line at 912-651-3700 any time of day or night. That line runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The front lobby number is 912-652-7785 for general questions during business hours.

The Chatham County jail sits at 1074 Carl Griffin Drive in Savannah, right next to the main office. Every person arrested in Chatham County gets processed at this facility. Staff take a booking photo during intake, along with fingerprints and personal details. The jail mugshot becomes part of the inmate's booking record and stays on file with the sheriff's office. Chatham County keeps these records as part of its law enforcement files, and they fall under Georgia's open records rules.

The sheriff's office website is the best place to start when looking up Chatham County jail mugshots. You can view bookings from the past 24 hours or past 72 hours through the site. This gives you a quick way to check recent arrests without having to file a formal request.

The screenshot below shows the Chatham County Sheriff's Office website, which serves as the hub for jail mugshot searches and inmate info in the county.

From this site, you can get to the booking search tool and find details on current inmates held at the Chatham County jail.

Chatham County Inmate Search

The main tool for finding jail mugshots in Chatham County is the booking search on the sheriff's website. This search shows results for the past 24 hours or 72 hours. Each result includes the inmate's name, booking date, charges, and a jail mugshot when one is on file. The tool is free to use and does not need an account.

Chatham County does not keep a long-term jail roster online. If you need to find a mugshot from a booking that happened more than 72 hours ago, you will have to contact the sheriff's office directly. Call 912-651-3700 or visit in person at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive in Savannah. The office can look up older records for you and let you know if the booking photo is still on file.

For inmates who have been convicted and sent to state prison from Chatham County, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is the right tool. This covers anyone serving a state sentence. The GDC search shows a current photo, sentence details, and location within the state prison system. It is separate from the county jail roster.

Chatham County Jail Mail Rules

Sending mail to an inmate at the Chatham County jail follows strict rules. All mail must go through JailATM.com. The mailing address is 925B Peachtree Street, NE, Box 2062, Atlanta, GA 30309. Do not send mail directly to the jail. It will not get delivered.

The jail allows soft cover books, magazine subscriptions, legal mail, and religious material. Hard cover books are not accepted. Money orders should be sent to Finance and Accounting Services at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive, Savannah, GA 31405. Personal checks and cash are not accepted for inmate accounts. These rules can change, so check with the jail before mailing anything.

Note: Legal mail from attorneys is handled separately and goes through the jail's legal mail process.

Mugshot Laws in Chatham County

Georgia law sets the rules for how jail mugshots can be shared and used. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, law enforcement agencies in Georgia are not allowed to post booking photos on websites unless certain conditions are met. This law took effect on July 1, 2014 through HB 845. Before that, mugshots were more freely shared online. The law now says that anyone who asks for a booking photo must sign a statement saying it will not be posted on a site that charges for removal.

This matters for Chatham County because the sheriff's office must follow these rules when giving out jail mugshots. The booking search on the website shows photos for current inmates as part of jail operations. But bulk distribution of mugshots to commercial websites is restricted. If a website posts your Chatham County booking photo and will not take it down, the Georgia Consumer Protection Division handles those complaints. Under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, sites must remove your mugshot within 30 days of a written request.

The Georgia Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives the public a right to see government records. Agencies have three business days to respond to a request. But jail mugshots fall under the more specific rules in § 35-1-19. So while you can request booking records, the sheriff's office may ask you to sign the required statement before releasing a photo.

Chatham County Record Restriction

If your case in Chatham County was dismissed, you may be able to restrict your arrest record. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, Georgia allows record restriction for certain outcomes. This includes cases that were dismissed, not prosecuted, or where the person was found not guilty. Once a record is restricted, the jail mugshot and booking data are sealed from public view.

To start this process, you file a petition with the court where your case was handled. In Chatham County, that would be the Chatham County Superior Court or the appropriate lower court. The process involves paperwork and may take several weeks. You do not always need a lawyer, but it helps to have one if the case is complicated. Once granted, the restriction applies to the arrest record, the booking photo, and any related court files.

Open Records Requests in Chatham County

You can file an open records request with the Chatham County Sheriff's Office to get jail records. This covers booking logs, arrest reports, and other documents. Under Georgia law, the office must respond within three business days. The request can be made in person at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive or by phone at 912-651-3700.

Copy fees are set by state law. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 caps the charge at 10 cents per page. The sheriff's office can also charge for search time if the request takes more than 15 minutes to process. For criminal background checks that go beyond Chatham County records, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs statewide criminal history searches through the Georgia Crime Information Center.

Cities in Chatham County

Chatham County includes Savannah and several other cities. All arrests by local police in Chatham County go through the county jail system. These cities have their own pages with more details on jail mugshots and how to search for local arrest records.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Chatham County. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, check the address where the booking took place. Jail mugshots stay with the county that processed the arrest.