Madison County Police Records Search

Madison County police records are maintained by the Madison County Sheriff's Office in Danielsville, Georgia. Sheriff James Michael Moore leads the department and oversees the records division. The office keeps incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other law enforcement documents for the county. Madison County is in northeast Georgia, close to Athens and the University of Georgia area. The sheriff's office at PO Box 65 in Danielsville processes all open records requests for police documents filed by county deputies.

Madison County Sheriff's Office Records

The Madison County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county. The mailing address is PO Box 65, Danielsville, GA 30633. The phone number is (706) 795-6202. Sheriff James Michael Moore runs the department. The office handles all records requests during standard business hours, Monday through Friday.

Madison County sits right next to Clarke County, where Athens is located. Some people in Madison County commute to Athens for work and school. This proximity means incidents sometimes involve people and agencies from both counties. If the incident happened in Clarke County, you need the Clarke County or Athens-Clarke County records office, not Madison County. The county line matters when it comes to which agency has the report.

Submit your request with as much detail as you can. The date of the incident is essential. Names of the people involved help narrow the search. A case or report number makes it easy. If you do not have a case number, that is fine. The staff will search by other details. Just give them enough to work with.

Walk-in visits during office hours work well for simple requests. You can also call the office or mail a written request. Putting things in writing is always a smart move because it creates a record of your request.

How to Request Madison County Police Records

Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives you the right to request police records from the Madison County Sheriff's Office. You do not have to be a Madison County resident. Anyone can make a request. You do not need to state why you want the records either. The law does not require a reason.

The sheriff's office has three business days to respond. They will either provide the records, give you a timeline for when they will be ready, or deny the request with a written explanation. Simple requests for a single incident report are usually filled fast. Complex requests involving multiple records or older files may take more time.

There are several ways to submit your request. Call (706) 795-6202 and ask about the report. Mail a letter to PO Box 65, Danielsville, GA 30633. Visit the office in person during business hours. Written requests are recommended because they document exactly what you asked for and when.

Note: Madison County is close to Athens. Double-check which county the incident occurred in before you submit your request to the wrong office.

Madison County Records Fees

Fees for police records in Madison County follow the state schedule set by O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. Copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of staff research time are free. After that, the office can charge based on the hourly rate of the employee doing the search. For a basic request like one incident report, you will usually just pay the copy fee.

Accident reports cost about $5 for parties involved in the crash. If the total fees for your request will exceed $25, the sheriff's office must notify you before completing the work. You can then approve the cost or adjust your request to bring it down. Cash and checks are accepted. Ask about card payments when you submit your request.

Accident Reports in Madison County

Crash reports from Madison County are available from the agency that responded. If a sheriff's deputy worked the accident, the report is at the sheriff's office. The Georgia State Patrol handles crashes on state highways and interstates. Smaller municipal departments in the county may handle crashes within their jurisdictions.

State patrol reports are available online through the Georgia EPORTS system. You can also check the BuyCrash portal for reports from multiple agencies.

EPORTS lets you search for state patrol crash reports by date and location, pay the $5 fee online, and receive the report by email. BuyCrash covers reports from various agencies and lets you search by name, date, or crash location. Between these two systems, many Madison County accident reports can be found online without visiting the sheriff's office.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, non-parties to a crash may need to submit a written statement of need to obtain the accident report. People directly involved in the crash and their insurance companies do not need this extra documentation. This rule is specific to accident reports and does not apply to other police records.

Criminal Records and Background Checks

Criminal records in Madison County come from two offices. The sheriff's office holds arrest records from law enforcement actions. The Clerk of Superior Court in Danielsville keeps court records including charges, case dispositions, and sentencing information. These are separate records from different parts of the justice system.

For a statewide criminal history, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs background checks that cover all 159 Georgia counties. This is the most comprehensive option. A single-county check only shows what happened in that county. The GBI check covers the whole state. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a directory of all county sheriff's offices for multi-county inquiries.

Madison County borders several other counties in northeast Georgia. People living on the edges of the county may have records in Clarke, Oglethorpe, Elbert, Hart, Franklin, or Jackson counties. Each county keeps its own records, so you may need to check multiple jurisdictions for a thorough search.

Open Records Rights

The Georgia Open Records Act strongly favors public access. Initial incident reports and initial arrest reports must be released even while a case is still under investigation. The Madison County Sheriff's Office cannot withhold these basic records on the grounds that a case is open. The public has a right to the initial report.

Full investigation files become available once all legal proceedings for a case are finished. Until then, some details may be redacted to protect an active investigation. Juvenile records, confidential informant information, and records that could endanger someone are also exempt. But for routine requests, these exemptions rarely come into play.

If your request is denied, the sheriff's office must tell you why in writing and cite the specific law. You can challenge the denial in superior court. Georgia imposes penalties on agencies that wrongfully withhold records. These protections ensure that the open records law is more than just words on paper.

Note: Keep a copy of your written request and any responses from the office. This documentation is important if you ever need to challenge a denial.

Nearby Counties

If you need police records from areas around Madison County, try these neighboring counties.