Tift County Arrest Records and Booking Reports

Tift County booking reports are maintained by the Sheriff's Office in Tifton and are available to the public under Georgia's Open Records Act. These records show who has been booked into the Tift County Jail, the charges on file, and the date of each arrest. Whether you want to confirm someone's current custody status or look up a past arrest in Tift County, the sheriff's office in Tifton is the primary source.

How to Find Tift County Booking Records

The Tift County Sheriff's Office in Tifton is the primary keeper of all local jail records. Each time a person is booked into the jail, staff log the name, date of birth, charges, and time of booking. This is the public jail docket, and it is open for inspection during normal office hours. You can walk in and ask to see the log. No prior appointment is needed for an in-person review of the docket.

For copies to be sent by mail or email, submit a written Open Records request to the Tift County Sheriff's Office. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq., the agency must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time is free. A fee may apply after that for staff time and copying. Send requests to the Open Records Officer at the Tifton office by mail or email.

A booking entry records an arrest. It does not represent a conviction.

What Tift County Jail Records Contain

Georgia law sets the standards for what county jails must record. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, the Tift County Sheriff must log each inmate's name, age, sex, race, charges, and the dates of booking and release. This applies to everyone held in the jail, even for a short stay. The docket is a running public record of all people processed through the Tift County Jail in Tifton.

Bond amounts, release or transfer data, and the arresting agency may also appear in the records. Booking photos may be included. Georgia limits how these photos are shared. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, law enforcement agencies cannot provide booking images to commercial sites that charge for removal. This rule applies in Tift County as it does throughout Georgia.

Georgia Department of Corrections Records

If someone has been convicted and is serving a state prison sentence, they will not appear in Tift County's local jail records. The Georgia Department of Corrections maintains a separate database for those individuals. The GDC and the county jail operate independently. State prisoners are tracked by GDC, not by the county sheriff in Tifton.

Search state prison inmates using the GDC offender search by name or GDC number. The GDC query form has more filter options. Certified state records can be requested by mailing Inmate Records and Information, PO Box 1529, Forsyth, GA 31029. This does not involve the Tift County Sheriff's Office.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association reported 25,487 county jail inmates in January 2026, with about 67.9% awaiting trial. Current data is available at georgiasheriffs.org.

The GDC covers state prison inmates. For Tift County Jail records, go to the sheriff's office in Tifton.

GBI GCIC Criminal History Records

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center. GCIC holds statewide criminal history records compiled from agencies across Georgia. It is more thorough than a single county jail docket. A GCIC search can show arrests, charges, and court outcomes from many counties and years. When you need a complete criminal history rather than a single booking entry, GCIC is the tool to use.

Contact the GBI GCIC office at 3121 Panthersville Road, Decatur, GA 30034. Call 404-244-2639 for scheduling information. Appointments are required. Review the GBI FAQ page before your visit to know what to bring and how to schedule. This is a separate process from requesting records at the Tift County Sheriff's Office.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, some GCIC records may be restricted. Dismissed charges or not-guilty verdicts can result in record restriction from public view.

VINE Notifications and Open Records in Tift County

VINE — Victim Information and Notification Everyday — is a free service that sends automatic alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. If someone is released from the Tift County Jail, transferred, or escapes, VINE notifies registered users right away by call, text, or email. You do not need to check the jail manually. Register at VINELink.com for free or by phone. VINE covers all Georgia counties, including Tift County.

The Georgia Courts website lets you track court cases after a booking. Court records show formal charges, hearings, and outcomes once a case moves into the court system.

Georgia's Open Records Act — O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 — makes jail dockets and booking logs public at the Tift County Sheriff's Office. Most records are available to anyone who requests them. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, limited exceptions apply. Any denial must be explained in writing citing the specific exemption used.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association publishes monthly jail data for all counties in Georgia, including Tift County's local jail in Tifton.

Nearby Counties

Booking records for neighboring counties are kept by each local sheriff. Use these links to find records near Tift County.