Search DeKalb County Jail Roster

The DeKalb County jail roster is one of the most active in Georgia, with an average of 2,200 inmates held on any given day. DeKalb County runs the largest pre-trial detention center in the state with 3,800 beds at 4425 Memorial Drive in Decatur. The sheriff's office keeps the roster up to date as people are booked in and out around the clock. You can search the DeKalb County jail roster online through the county portal, the sheriff's site, or third-party inmate search tools. If you need to find out who is in custody, this guide walks through each option and what to expect when you use them.

DeKalb County Sheriff's Office

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office handles the jail roster and all detention operations for this part of Georgia. The main office is at 4415 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30032. You can call the front desk at (404) 298-8111 during business hours, which run 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The jail hotline at (404) 298-8145 is a better number if you need to ask about a specific inmate on the DeKalb County jail roster. That line connects to the detention center staff who handle booking and intake around the clock.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office website has info on jail operations, visitation, and inmate programs. The site is a good place to start if you want to learn how the detention center works. You can also reach the DeKalb County government portal for the sheriff, which links to services and contact info. The operations line at (404) 298-8125 takes general questions, or you can email ops@dekalbcountyga.gov for non-urgent matters.

DeKalb County is the fourth most populous county in Georgia. With close to 760,000 people, the sheriff's office handles a high volume of bookings each day. The jail roster changes constantly as new arrests come in and inmates bond out or get transferred.

DeKalb County Detention Center

The DeKalb County jail sits at 4425 Memorial Drive in Decatur, just steps from the sheriff's main office. This is the largest pre-trial detention facility in Georgia with 3,800 beds. On a typical day, about 2,200 of those beds are in use. The jail runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every person arrested in DeKalb County goes through this facility for booking and processing before they show up on the jail roster.

The DeKalb County jail roster at this facility tracks a wide range of people. Some are waiting for trial. Others are serving short sentences. Some are held on warrants from other places. The intake process includes fingerprinting, photographs, and a health screening. Once that is done, the inmate's name and charges appear on the public roster. The facility also holds inmates for ICE and federal agencies in some cases, though those details are not always on the public jail roster.

The GDC facility page for DeKalb County gives an overview of the jail from the state's point of view. It covers the facility type and location but does not have the full detail that the sheriff's office provides. For current inmate data, the county's own search tools are the better option.

Note: The DeKalb County jail processes hundreds of bookings each week, so roster data can change within hours.

Search DeKalb County Inmate Records Online

DeKalb County has a few ways to search the jail roster on the web. The county runs a Tyler Tech portal that gives public access to court and jail records. This is the most direct tool for checking who is in the DeKalb County jail right now. You can search by name, case number, or date range. The results show booking info, charges, and bond amounts when they are set. It is free and does not need an account to use.

The DeKalb County Court jail roster page also provides inmate listings. This resource pulls from the same jail data and can be used as a second check if the main portal is down or slow. Having more than one search tool is helpful for a county this size. Not all Georgia counties offer this kind of web access, so DeKalb County is ahead of most when it comes to online jail roster transparency.

DeKalb County Jail Visitation

The DeKalb County jail uses video visitation only. In-person visits are not offered at this facility. You can visit on-site for two 30-minute sessions per week. Visiting hours run daily from 8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and again from 4:00 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. You do not need to schedule ahead of time for on-site video visits, but you will need to check in and follow the rules posted at the detention center.

If you can't make it to the jail in person, DeKalb County also allows remote video visits through Securus. These cost $5 for a 30-minute call. You can set up an account by calling Securus at 1-877-578-3658. Remote visits let you connect from a computer or phone. This is a paid service, so have a credit or debit card ready when you sign up. Many families in DeKalb County use this option because the jail is not easy to get to for everyone.

Note: Visit rules at the DeKalb County jail can change without much notice, so call (404) 298-8145 to confirm before you go.

DeKalb County Sheriff Field Services

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office has several specialized units that tie into the jail roster system. The 24-hour communications line is (404) 298-8400. This number works around the clock for urgent matters that can't wait for business hours. The domestic violence unit can be reached at (404) 298-8300. They handle cases where arrest data appears on the DeKalb County jail roster related to DV charges.

The fugitive unit at (404) 298-8402 tracks people with active warrants in DeKalb County. When a fugitive is picked up, their name goes right on the jail roster. The sex offender registry unit is at (404) 298-8397. They track registered offenders living in the county. The warrants division is at (404) 298-8200 and handles outstanding warrants from DeKalb County courts. Each of these units can help you find info about people who may show up on the jail roster or who have active cases in the county.

Court Services for DeKalb County operates at 556 N McDonough Street, Room B110, Decatur, GA 30030. Call (404) 371-2570 for questions about court dates, case status, or how a case ties into the jail roster. If someone was booked into the DeKalb County jail and you need to know their court date, this office can help.

DeKalb County Jail Records and Law

Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70, makes most DeKalb County jail roster records available to the public. You can ask the sheriff's office for booking data, arrest records, and other jail info. The law says they must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, they can bill you for the staff time it takes to find and copy the records. Copies cost $0.10 per page at most Georgia agencies.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, criminal history records in DeKalb County may get restricted over time. Misdemeanor arrests that never led to a conviction get restricted after two years. Non-violent felony arrests without a case outcome get restricted after four years. Serious violent crimes wait seven years before a restriction can apply. If the Georgia Crime Information Center restricts a record, the DeKalb County jail has 30 days to restrict its own copy after a written request from the person involved.

People who finish a sentence under Georgia's First Offender Act per O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-66 will not show up in the state offender search. Their records get sealed once they complete the terms. This does not always apply to the local DeKalb County jail roster, though, which may still show the original booking. Under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-74, agencies that deny valid open records requests face fines up to $1,000 for the first offense and $2,500 for each repeat within a year.

State Resources for DeKalb Inmates

If someone from DeKalb County has been moved to a state prison, the local jail roster will no longer show them. The GDC offender search tool is where you check for state inmates. It covers all Georgia Department of Corrections facilities. You search by name or offender ID number. The tool shows current location, charges, and tentative parole dates. It does not show county jail inmates, so if the person is still at the DeKalb County jail, use the county search tools instead.

VINELink is a free notification service that works with the DeKalb County jail. You can sign up to get alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. The system runs 24 hours a day. Alerts come by phone, email, or text. It is confidential, so your identity stays private. Call 1-800-398-2892 for help setting up VINE alerts for someone in the DeKalb County jail.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation keeps criminal history records at the state level through the GCIC. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association can also direct you to sheriff offices in other counties if you need to check multiple jail rosters. For open records from state facilities, use the GDC open records request page.

Cities in DeKalb County

DeKalb County includes several cities that rely on the county jail for detention. Arrests made by city police in these areas go to the DeKalb County jail, so the jail roster covers bookings from all of them. If someone was picked up in any of these cities, their name shows up on the same DeKalb County jail roster.

Nearby County Jail Rosters

DeKalb County borders several other counties in the metro Atlanta area. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check the neighboring county jail rosters listed here.