Harris County Arrest Records

Harris County arrest records are created when a person is booked as an inmate at the county jail. During booking, law enforcement officers document important information about the arrest, such as the name and other identifying information about the arrested, information about the arrest, and offense description. For arrests that made it to trial, associated records may be found in Harris County court records. If the suspect is convicted of the charges that led to the arrest, corresponding criminal history records are created.

Are Arrest Records Public in Harris County?

Yes. Arrest records in Harris County are public in accordance with the Georgia Open Records Act. In compliance with this act, government offices in custody of these records provide avenues through which interested individuals can access them.

However, records may be sequestered from public access if their confidentiality is deemed necessary to ensure public safety, protect the privacy rights of record subjects, and preserve the integrity of the outcome of ongoing investigation or litigation. Record exemptions may be enforced by state laws or court order.

Exempt records include social security numbers and similar sensitive personal information, confidential information about witnesses, juvenile records, expunged records, and identifying information about confidential informants.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Members of the public are privy to the following contents of Harris County arrest records:

• Arrestee’s full name, sex, and date of birth (or age).
• Description of the alleged offense(s) and their classification (infraction, misdemeanor, or felony)
• Court information: case number, hearing dates, and assigned judge.
• Physical characteristics of the arrestee: height, weight, race, eye color, and hair color.
• Mugshot
• Date and time of arrest
• Arresting agency name
• Date and time of booking
• Name of detention facility
• Bail or bond information: amount, type, and conditions.

Harris County Arrest Statistics

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Crime Data Explorer website contains arrest information for counties across all states in the country. According to this data, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested 1,287 people (consisting of 899 males and 388 females) between December 2019 and December 2024.

Arrests for drug/narcotic offenses were most prevalent, with a total of 941 cases (73%). Other recorded arrests include 145 driving under the influence (DUI) cases (11%), 68 larceny cases (5%), 20 weapon law violations (2%), 10 burglary cases (1%), 48 simple assaults (4%), 1 motor vehicle theft, and 1 arson.

Find Harris County Arrest Records

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office executes arrest warrants in the county and is responsible for creating and maintaining the county’s arrest records. Interested parties should contact this office with the name of the arrestee to request records. Additional information that may aid a search includes the arrestee's date of birth and date of arrest. For visitors at the county jail or the sheriff’s office, a means of identification may be required for entry.

Harris County Jail
9825 State Highway 116
Hamilton, GA 31811
Phone: (706) 628-4211

To find individuals detained in a state prison, use the offender search portal provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections. If the arrest was made by a federal agency, one may search for inmates using the inmate locator. This online tool, provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, helps researchers identify the specific facility where an inmate is being held.

Free Arrest Record Search in Harris County

Arrest records are typically available for free at the sheriff’s office, although fees are usually required for obtained copies. Alternatively, there are many third-party websites where people can obtain these records for free. Searches on these platforms are usually name-based and usually cover information for multiple agencies and counties. However, a limitation associated with these resources is that records are usually limited and may contain errors. For a complete report, users are usually required to pay a fee.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Georgia, arrests stay on a person’s record indefinitely unless the record subject meets the eligibility criteria for their records to be expunged. Regardless of meeting the criteria, one must file for an expungement and have the court issue an expungement order before their record can be expunged. Note that expunged records are not destroyed. They are only made confidential and remain accessible to criminal justice agencies.

Expunge Harris County Arrest Records

A record expungement is a legal procedure by which a previously arrested person can restrict records pertaining to their arrests so that they don’t appear during background checks (O.C.G.A. §35-3-37). This typically helps to improve their chances of getting jobs, housing, and licenses. Note that an expungement does not completely destroy the affected record. It only restricts access to such records to law enforcement and judicial officials. Also, records that qualify for expungement are limited to certain misdemeanors and cases closed without the arrestee’s conviction.

For arrests that were made before July 1, 2023, expungement requests should be directed to the specific agency that made the arrest. For arrests made after this date, direct expungement requests to the prosecuting attorney (this would most likely be the solicitor general, a district attorney, or the attorney general). The expungement process is typically made up of four steps: obtaining and evaluating the record subject’s criminal records, filing an expungement petition, review of the petition by the court, and the issuance of an expungement judgment.

If the judgment is in favor of the petition, the court would issue an expungement order, commanding relevant agencies to remove the affected records from public access. If the petition is denied, the record subject has no more than 30 days to appeal to the Harris County Superior Court. Expungement request forms as well as relevant instructions are available online.

Harris County Arrest Warrants

Harris County arrest warrants are issued by the criminal division of the county’s magistrate court and are processed by the sheriff’s office. Arrest warrants are writs that authorize law enforcement officers to apprehend individuals suspected of committing a crime, found violating parole or probation terms, or who failed to honor a court summons.

Before a warrant is issued, law enforcement officers or private citizens must have filed a complaint, and the court must have probable cause linking the individual to be named on the warrant to the leveled charges. According to Georgia law, arrest warrants must contain the suspect’s name, gender, the alleged charges, the name of the issuing authority, the arrest clause, and bond information (if applicable).

Do Harris County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Harris County arrest warrants do not expire and can be executed years after issuance, as they are not subject to any statute of limitation. They only become void after the person named on the warrant gets arrested. Otherwise, they must be quashed or recalled by a judge.