Savannah People Search

Savannah is the county seat of Chatham County and one of Georgia's oldest and largest cities with a population of roughly 150,000. A people search in Savannah draws on both city and county records systems. The City of Savannah is bound by the Georgia Open Records Act to make public records available to anyone who makes a request. The city uses JustFOIA for centralized records management and has separate processes for police and fire records. Chatham County courts handle the more formal judicial records like civil cases, criminal files, and probate matters. Between the city and county, Savannah offers a solid set of tools for finding people through public data.

Savannah Open Records Requests

The City of Savannah open records page explains how public records work in the city. A public record in Savannah can be a document, paper, letter, map, book, tape, photograph, or computer-based data. To request non-public safety records, use the city-wide Open Records Request form. For police or fire records, select the right option on that same form. The city processes requests under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 and responds within three business days.

Below is the Savannah open records information page showing the request process and guidelines for people search requests.

One thing to know: the City of Savannah does not keep birth, death, marriage, or divorce records. For vital records, you need to contact Chatham County directly. The city also directs people to use the JustFOIA portal for centralized records tracking.

Savannah Court Records Search

The Savannah Recorder's Court is the busiest court in both the City of Savannah and Chatham County. It handles traffic citations, city ordinance violations, and preliminary hearings. The court is at 133 Montgomery St, Savannah, GA 31401. Phone: 912-652-7425. Office hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, with the cashier open 8:15 AM to 4:30 PM on weekdays.

You can search violations and pay traffic citations online through the Municipal Online Payments portal. This is a quick way to do a people search in Savannah since the system lets you look up cases by name or citation number. Court records are public under Georgia law, with few exceptions for sealed or juvenile cases per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72.

The violation search portal for Savannah and Chatham County is shown below.

The Recorder's Court handles both city and county traffic matters. This means a single search can pull up records from across the Savannah area.

Note: Failure to appear at Recorder's Court can result in a contempt charge and a $100 fee.

Savannah Police and City Records

Requests for police records like incident reports and accident reports go through the city's central Open Records portal. The Savannah Police Department headquarters is at 201 Habersham St, Savannah, GA 31401. The main police phone is (912) 651-6675. For a people search using police data, you can request reports by name, address, or case number.

The Clerk of Council is another useful resource. This office is the official records custodian for the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah. They keep legislative records, official acts, oaths, and the city's historical documents. If your people search involves city government actions or public officials, this is where to look.

The Savannah city contact directory shown below lists phone numbers and addresses for key departments, which can help guide your people search to the right office.

City Hall is at 2 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401. The main city phone is 912-651-6410. The Revenue Department can be reached at 912-651-6445. Fire records requests go through the Savannah Fire Records page.

Chatham County Records for Savannah

Savannah sits in Chatham County, so many people search records are held at the county level. The Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court keeps civil and criminal court files as well as real estate and land records. This office has been in place since 1798. It is one of the best sources for a thorough people search in the Savannah area since property transfers, lawsuits, and criminal filings all flow through here.

The Chatham County open records portal handles county-level requests. You can file requests for county records, police records, fire records, and E911 records all through this JustFOIA system. The county responds within three business days as required by O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.

For property tax records, the Chatham County Tax Commissioner at 222 W. Oglethorpe Ave, Suite 211, Savannah, GA 31401, keeps owner and address data. Phone: 912-652-7100. The Savannah property tax page also has info. Property records are a solid secondary source for people searches since they show who owns what and where.

Savannah County and Nearby Cities

Savannah is the county seat of Chatham County. All Superior Court, Probate Court, and Sheriff's Office records are handled at the county level. For a wider people search in the coastal Georgia area, check Chatham County resources as well.

Other cities in Chatham County with people search pages:

• Pooler