Cobb County Jail Mugshots

Cobb County jail mugshots are managed by the Cobb County Sheriff's Office in Marietta. With a population over 766,000, Cobb County is one of the most populous counties in Georgia and processes a large number of bookings each year. The sheriff's office provides an online inmate lookup tool that shows booking photos, charges, and bond details. You can search for current Cobb County jail mugshots at no cost through the sheriff's website. This page covers how to find jail mugshots in Cobb County, the legal framework that governs these records, and the process for getting copies of booking data from the sheriff's office.

Cobb County Sheriff's Office

The Cobb County Sheriff's Office handles all jail and booking operations in the county. The office is based in Marietta and oversees one of the larger county jail systems in Georgia. Cobb County's population of about 766,149 makes it the third most populous county in the state. That population size means a high number of arrests and bookings flow through the system each year.

Every person arrested in Cobb County goes through the booking process at the county jail. Staff take a jail mugshot during intake. They also record fingerprints, personal info, charges, and bond details. All of this becomes part of the booking record. Cobb County stores these records digitally, and the online inmate lookup pulls directly from the jail's database.

The screenshot below shows the Cobb County Sheriff's Office website, which is the starting point for jail mugshot searches and inmate info in the county.

From this site you can find links to the inmate lookup tool, visitation info, and other jail resources for Cobb County.

Search Cobb County Jail Mugshots

To find Cobb County jail mugshots, contact the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. You can call the jail at 770-499-4200 and ask about a specific person. Staff can check custody status, charges, bond amounts, and booking details. The sheriff's office keeps all booking records on file including mugshot photos taken during intake.

Cobb County is covered by Georgia's VINE notification system. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. Register at www.vinelink.com or call 1-866-277-7477 to sign up. VINE sends free alerts by phone, email, or text when an inmate at the Cobb County jail is released, transferred, or has a status change. It does not show mugshots, but it confirms custody status and is a useful tool for tracking inmates.

Current inmates can be confirmed through the sheriff's office. Once someone is released or transferred, they may no longer show up in the active system. For older records, file an open records request with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.

For people who were convicted in Cobb County and sent to state prison, use the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search. The GDC tool covers state inmates and shows a current photo, sentence length, and facility location. It is a different system from the county jail lookup. The county tool shows local inmates while GDC shows those already sentenced and in the state prison system.

Cobb County Mugshot Laws

Jail mugshots in Cobb County are governed by Georgia state law. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, law enforcement agencies in Georgia cannot release booking photographs to websites that charge for removal. This law went into effect on July 1, 2014. The Cobb County Sheriff's Office follows these rules for all mugshot requests. If you ask for a booking photo, you must sign a statement saying the image will not go on a pay-to-remove site.

The inmate lookup on the Cobb County website shows mugshots as part of public jail operations. That is allowed under the statute. The law targets commercial exploitation of booking photos, not the routine display of current inmate info by the jail itself. If a third-party website posts your Cobb County jail mugshot and will not remove it, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 requires removal within 30 days of a written request. File a complaint with the Georgia Consumer Protection Division if the site ignores your request.

Cobb County Open Records

The Georgia Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives the public a right to request government records. This includes jail records held by the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. You can file a request for booking logs, arrest reports, incident reports, and other jail documents. The office must respond within three business days of receiving the request.

To make a request, contact the Cobb County Sheriff's Office in Marietta. Requests can be made in writing, by email, or in person. Copy fees are set by state law at 10 cents per page under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. If the request takes more than 15 minutes of staff time, the office can charge for that as well. Keep your request specific to make it easier for the office to process.

For criminal history searches beyond Cobb County records, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation provides statewide background checks through the Georgia Crime Information Center. This covers arrest and court data from all Georgia counties, including Cobb.

Note: Open records requests for Cobb County jail mugshots specifically may require the signed statement under § 35-1-19.

Cobb County Record Restriction

If your arrest in Cobb County did not result in a conviction, you may qualify for record restriction. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, Georgia allows people whose cases were dismissed, not prosecuted, or resulted in acquittal to have their arrest records sealed. This covers the jail mugshot, booking data, and fingerprints. Once restricted, the records no longer appear in public searches.

You start by filing a petition in the court where your case was handled. In Cobb County, that is typically the Cobb County Superior Court in Marietta. The petition should include your case number, the charges, and the outcome. A judge reviews the request and issues an order if it meets the requirements. The sheriff's office and GBI then seal the records.

The process can take several weeks to a few months. Having a lawyer is not always required, but it helps with complicated cases. Legal aid organizations in the Cobb County area may be able to assist if you cannot afford private counsel. Once granted, the restriction applies to all agencies that hold copies of your arrest record.

Cities in Cobb County

Cobb County has several cities and towns. All arrests by local police in Cobb County are processed at the county jail. These qualifying cities have their own pages with details about jail mugshots and local arrest records.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Cobb County. Jail mugshots are kept by the county where the arrest was processed. If you need records from a neighboring county, check that county's search tools.