Chatham County, GA

To look up a marriage license in Chatham County, GA (Savannah), contact the Chatham County Probate Court at 133 Montgomery Street, Suite 509, Savannah, GA 31401 (912-652-7264), with online searches at https://www.chathamcounty.org/Government/Departments/Probate-Court. Marriage licenses since 1852 are indexed; certified copies cost $10 each. Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. §50-18-70) makes marriage records public. Statewide marriage verifications (1952–present) come from the Georgia Department of Public Health Vital Records at https://dph.georgia.gov/vitalrecords for $10. Sources: Chatham County Probate Court (https://www.chathamcounty.org/Government/Departments/Probate-Court), GA DPH (https://dph.georgia.gov/).

Savannah, GA (Chatham County) death record: Chatham County Health Department Vital Records (https://gachd.org/) — death certificates issued for Chatham deaths, $25 per copy (O.C.G.A. §31-10-26 https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2024/title-31/chapter-10/). Statewide: Georgia DPH Vital Records (https://dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords) — death records 1919+, $25 per copy. Online ordering via ROVER (https://rover.dph.ga.gov/) or VitalChek (https://www.vitalchek.com/). Older records via Georgia Archives (https://www.georgiaarchives.org/). Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. §50-18-70). Death certificates restricted access first 50 years — typically subject's family, executor, or legal representative.

For information about a cold-case murder in Chatham County, Georgia (Savannah), the lead investigating agency is the Savannah Police Department Cold Case Unit. Savannah PD: https://www.savannahpd.org/, 201 Habersham Street, Savannah, GA 31401, 912-651-6675 (non-emergency); cold-case tipline 912-525-3124. The Chatham County Police Department (https://chathamcountypd.org/, 295 Police Memorial Drive, Savannah, GA 31405, 912-651-6675) covers unincorporated areas. The Chatham County Sheriff (https://chathamsheriff.org/, 1050 Carl Griffin Drive, Savannah, GA 31405, 912-652-7600) operates the jail and handles court warrants. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Cold Case Unit (https://gbi.georgia.gov/unsolved-cases) assists with stalled cases. National database: NamUs (https://www.namus.gov/) catalogs unsolved homicides and unidentified persons. The Doe Network (https://www.doenetwork.org/) covers cold cases nationally. For court-record review of any prosecution, search the Chatham County Superior Court Clerk at https://www.chathamcountysuperiorcourt.org/ (912-652-7197). Local news coverage at the Savannah Morning News (https://www.savannahnow.com/) and WSAV-TV (https://www.wsav.com/) reports on cold cases. To submit anonymous tips, call CrimeStoppers of Savannah-Chatham 912-234-2020. Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. section 50-18-70) opens closed cases (declined or unsolved with no active investigation) to public inspection.

To clear a criminal record in Colquitt, GA (Miller County), Georgia's record restriction process is governed by O.C.G.A. §35-3-37. Eligible offenses include arrests not resulting in conviction, dismissed charges, and certain misdemeanors after waiting periods. The 2020 Second Chance Law (HB 226) expanded eligibility for some non-violent offenses after 4 years. File a Petition for Restriction in the Miller County Superior Court at 155 South 1st Street, Colquitt, GA 39837 (229-758-4102). The GBI processes the actual record clearing. Forms and detailed eligibility info are at https://gbi.georgia.gov/services/obtaining-criminal-history-record-information-frequently-asked-questions. Sources: GA Record Restriction (https://gbi.georgia.gov/), O.C.G.A. §35-3-37 (https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2022/title-35/).

To check for an active warrant in Albany, GA (Dougherty County), contact the Albany Police Department at 201 W. Oglethorpe Boulevard, Albany, GA 31701 (229-431-2100), or the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office at 225 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA 31701 (229-431-3259). Some active warrants are posted at https://www.dougherty.ga.us/. Court bench warrants appear in the Dougherty County Superior, State, Magistrate, and Probate court records. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority at https://www.gsccca.org/ provides additional document searches. Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. §50-18-70) governs disclosure; agencies may withhold info that could compromise an active investigation. Sources: Dougherty County (https://www.dougherty.ga.us/), GSCCCA (https://www.gsccca.org/).

To look up assaults on a particular date in Helen, GA (White County), contact the Helen Police Department at 7445 South Main Street, Helen, GA 30545 (706-878-2009), or the White County Sheriff's Office at 96 Old Highway 75, Cleveland, GA 30528 (706-865-5177). File a Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. §50-18-70) request specifying date, approximate time, and location. Standard fees: $0.10 per page or $0.10 for the first quarter-hour of search time. Closed-case incident reports are public; ongoing investigations may be redacted. The GBI publishes aggregate crime data at https://gbi.georgia.gov/. Sources: Helen GA (https://www.cityofhelen.org/), White County (https://www.whitecounty.net/).