Crime Numbers
Whitfield County crime statistics are provided by the Georgia Crime Information Centre division of the state’s Bureau of Investigation. The division’s latest crime data for Whitfield County is for the year 2017 with recorded 247 violent crimes and 2,281 property crimes. These represent 3.1% and 22.3% dips in violent and property crime rates respectively when compared to 2013 figures. A closer look at the reported violent crimes for 2017 in the county shows that there were 2 murders, 34 rapes, 23 robberies, and 188 aggravated assaults. Whitfield County also recorded 468 burglaries, 1,625 larcenies, 180 motor vehicle thefts, and 8 arsons in 2017.
The five-year crime trend for Whitfield County shows that rape (30.8%), motor vehicle theft (16.1%), and arson (33.3%) rates went up between 2013 and 2017. In the same period, robbery (14.8%), aggravated assault (6.0%), burglary (33.7%), and larceny (21.5%) rates dipped.
Criminal Records
The Sheriff's Office of Whitfield County conducts state and local background checks in the county. To request a background check, a Georgia driver's license or Georgia identification is required. The fee for a background check is $10 and the only form of payment accepted is cash. The Record’s Department of the Sheriff's Office provides this service and is open Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The address is:
Whitfield County Sheriff Department
805 Professional Blvd
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 278-1233
Incident reports for Whitfield County can be obtained from the Sheriff's Office at the address stated above. To obtain an electronic copy, visit the Police to Citizen webpage on the Whitfield County website and choose “Event Search” on the page. Pertinent information such as date of occurrence, city, last name and first name will be required to complete the process.
The Sheriff's Office in Whitfield County keeps a database of sex offenders in the county. This registry can be accessed using the sex offender search tool on the Police to Citizen webpage of the county's website.
Jail Information
The Whitfield County Jail is the only correctional facility in the county. Its address is:
805 Professional Blvd
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 278-1233
Anyone can deposit money in inmates’ accounts at the kiosk located within the jail's lobby. This location is open every day of week and works round the clock. It accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit/debit cards. It is also possible to deposit money into an inmate's account online.
Inmate Records
The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office operates the county jail and provides inmate records. To find individuals incarcerated in the county prison, visit or call the facility using the contact information provided above. The facility also has a jail roster open to the public and can be accessed on the inmate inquiry webpage of the county website.
Court Records
In Whitfield County, the Superior Court is the general jurisdiction trial court. However, there are also Juvenile, Probate, Magistrate and Municipal courts in the county. Below are the addresses and contact information of these courts:
Whitfield County Superior Court
205 North Selvidge Street
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 275-7450
Fax: (706) 275-7456
Whitfield County Juvenile Court
205 North Selvidge Street
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 278-6558
Probate Court of Whitfield County
205 North Selvidge Street, Suite G
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 275-7400
Fax: (706) 281-1735
Whitfield County Magistrate Court
205 North Selvidge Street, P.O. Box 386
Dalton, GA 30722
Phone: (706) 278-5052
Fax: (706) 278-8810
Municipal Court of Cohutta
5102 Red Clay Road
Cohutta, GA 30710
Phone: (706) 694-3330
Municipal Court of Dalton
535 Elm Street, P.O. Box 1205
Dalton, GA 30722
Phone: (706) 278-1913
Fax: (706) 275-8946
Municipal Court of Tunnel Hill
210 G Vaughn Parkway, P.O. Box 159
Tunnel Hill, GA 30755
Phone: (706) 673-5535
Municipal Court of Varnell
P.O. Box 62
Varnell, GA 30756
Phone: (706) 694-8800
To view and request copies of Whitfield County Superior Court records, contact the Office of the Clerk of Superior Courts. The Office also provides an online clerk of court record search.
The probate court records can be accessed from the its webpage on the county's website while the magistrate court records also provides an online search tool on its page on the website. Both search tools require creating an account before accessing the resources. An account can be created by contacting the local Clerk of Courts Office, however, an online guest account may be used to access the Probate Court’s records.
The Clerks of Courts can be contacted at:
Melica Kendrick
Clerk of Court (Superior Court)
205 N Selvidge Street
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 275-7450
Judy Castaneda
Clerk of Court (Magistrate Court)
205 N Selvidge Street
Dalton GA 30720
Phone: (706) 278-5052
Samantha Splawn
Chief Clerk (Probate Court)
205 N Selvidge Street Suite G
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 275-7400
Fax: (706) 281-1735
Vital Records
The State Office of Vital Records provides divorce and marriage records that took place in the State of Georgia from June 1952 to August 1996. Divorce records in Whitfield County prior to 1952 and after 1996 are maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court while marriage records in the same category are maintained by the county’s probate court. To obtain a record, download and complete a Divorce Verification Request Form or a Request for Search of Marriage Record Form, and include a valid photo identification in your mail-in request. It typically takes 8-10 weeks to respond to mail-in requests. The search fee for a certified copy is $10 and additional certifications of same record ordered at the same time cost $5. Fees may be paid by certified check, money order, MasterCard or Visa (walk-in only), cash or debit card (walk-in only). Send mail-in requests and make certified checks or money orders payable to:
Georgia State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
?Atlanta, GA 30349
Walk-in Service
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday, Except State Holidays
State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
?Atlanta, GA 30349
Walk-in Service
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 7:30-4:00, Tuesday 7:30-6:00, Friday 7:30-12:30
Debbie Derreberry
Local Registrar
Whitfield Vital Records Office
808 Professional Blvd
Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: (706) 272-0827
Certified copies of birth and death certificates may also be obtained from the State Office of Vital Records or the Whitfield County Vital Records Office. Georgia law and the Department of Public Health regulations require that all requests for vital records include the signature and picture identification of the requestor and the proper fee. Birth and death records are available from January 1919 to the present at the State Office of Vital Records. To obtain a record, download and complete a request for a Request for Search of Birth Record Form or a Request for Search of Death Record Form and include a valid photo identification in your mail-in request. It typically takes 8-10 weeks to respond to mail-in requests. The search fee which includes one certified copy is $25 and additional certifications of the same record ordered at the same time cost $5. Fees may be paid by certified check, money order, Visa or MasterCard (walk-in and online only), cash or debit card (walk-in only). Send mail-in requests and make certified checks or money orders payable to the State Office of Vital Records at the address stated above.
Birth and death records in Whitfield County can also be obtained online. The Georgia Technology Authority, ROVER also provides the service on their website. The third-party vendors accept major credit cards and VitalChek also accepts phone-in requests. All three online services take 2-4 weeks to respond and up to 5 business days on all expedited orders.
