How to Fill Out and Submit the Georgia GCIC Consent Form

The Georgia GCIC consent form is a one-page authorization that lets a law enforcement agency search the Georgia Crime Information Center’s criminal history database using your name and personal identifiers. You fill it out, sign it, and take it with a government-issued photo ID to any Georgia sheriff’s office or police department. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, a private individual or business asking for someone’s Georgia criminal history must either submit that person’s fingerprints or a signed consent form containing the subject’s full name, address, Social Security Number, and date of birth.¹

One threshold point before you start. The consent form covers a name-based check only. If your employer or licensing board specifically requires fingerprinting, or needs an FBI national check, they will send you through the Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS) at a designated fingerprint site instead, and the consent form alone won’t satisfy that requirement.² Ask which process they want before you drive anywhere.

What to Have in Front of You

The form is short, but every field has to match what the database holds. A typo or a nickname can produce an inconclusive result or pull the wrong person’s record. Have these ready:

Your full legal name exactly as it appears on your ID, plus any prior names (maiden, previous married, legal aliases).
Your Social Security Number. The statute names SSN as one of the required identifiers. Under the federal Privacy Act of 1974, a government agency requesting your SSN must tell you whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary and how the number will be used.¹³
Date of birth, sex, and race. These fields separate you from other people with the same name.
Your current residential address as of the date you sign.
A government-issued photo ID, such as a Georgia driver’s license. The clerk verifies it against the name on the form.

Filling Out the Form

The official version is titled “Georgia Name-Based Criminal History Record Information Consent/Inquiry Form.” Most sheriff’s offices and police departments keep blank copies at the counter, and a downloadable copy is posted on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.⁴ Some agencies use their own reformatted version. The required fields are the same because GCIC prescribes the content.

The Authorization Block

At the top, write in the name of the agency or company you are authorizing to receive the results. That is whoever asked for the check, whether that’s your employer, a licensing board, or you personally. Under that, print your full name, address, sex, race, date of birth, and Social Security Number in the labeled fields.

Duration of the Authorization

The form has a line where you specify how many days the authorization stays valid, and a separate line granting continuing consent for the length of your employment if the employer needs to rerun checks periodically. These are different things. Check only the one that applies. A one-time authorization ends when the search runs; a continuing authorization keeps the door open for as long as you work there.

Signature and Notary

Sign and date the consent section. Some versions include a notary block beneath the signature line.⁵ Whether notarization is actually required depends on the entity requesting the check, so confirm with them in advance rather than making a second trip.

Purpose Codes

The bottom of the form is labeled “Agency Use Only,” and the clerk fills it in. It’s still worth knowing the codes, because the wrong one can limit what the search returns. Tell the clerk which situation applies to you. The codes on the form are:⁴

E for general employment screening.
W for positions working with children.
M for positions working with individuals who have mental disabilities.
N for positions working with the elderly.
P for publicly accessible felony conviction records (no consent needed).
F for probate court and weapons carry license applications.
U when you’re requesting a personal copy of your own record.

If your job involves children, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities, those categories have their own codes rather than the general “E.”

Where to Take It, What It Costs, How Long It Takes

Take the completed and signed form, plus your photo ID, to any sheriff’s office or police department in Georgia. You aren’t limited to your county of residence, though most people go to the nearest agency. The clerk checks your ID against the form, enters your data, and runs the search.²

Fees vary. Local agencies are authorized to charge amounts covering their direct and indirect costs.¹ Cobb County, for example, charges $20 for a criminal background check.⁶ Call the agency before you go to confirm both the fee and payment methods. Some take only cash.

Timing is usually quick. Many offices can hand you a printout at the counter shortly after the search runs. If a hit needs additional review, expect one to two business days. Depending on the arrangement, results either go to you directly at the counter or to the requesting entity. A returned record includes identification data, arrest information, court dispositions, and incarceration records from Georgia correctional facilities.

Consider Pulling Your Own Record First

If a background check is coming up for a job or a license, reviewing your own record first is the cleanest way to catch errors before they cost you something. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you have the right to inspect the criminal history GCIC maintains about you by submitting a written application.⁷ A formal record inspection at GCIC headquarters costs $10 if your fingerprints are already on file, or $25 if you need to be fingerprinted at GBI headquarters. A record restriction (formerly called expungement) is a separate $25 fee.⁸ Disputing a mistake after an employer has already seen it is harder and slower.

Felony Records Available Without Your Consent

One thing the consent form doesn’t control. Georgia law allows in-state felony conviction records to be released without your consent when the requesting party can positively identify the person. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34(d.2), local criminal justice agencies can disseminate felony conviction, plea, and sentencing records to private individuals and businesses without fingerprints or a signed consent.¹ The consent form is what unlocks the rest of the record: misdemeanors, arrests that didn’t result in a conviction, and other non-felony information.

If an Employer Is Running the Check on You

The GCIC consent form handles the state side. When an employer uses a third-party screening company to pull your record, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) layers on top of Georgia law.

Before ordering the report, the employer has to give you a standalone written disclosure that a background check will be conducted, and you have to give written authorization. The disclosure cannot be buried inside an employment application or bundled with waivers.⁹ Courts enforce that requirement strictly.

If the employer decides not to hire you because of something in the report, FCRA requires a two-step process. First, a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of your report and a summary of your rights. Then at least five business days to review the report and dispute anything inaccurate before the employer makes a final decision. Skipping the process exposes the employer to statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation, even without proof of actual harm.

The EEOC also has guidance on how employers may use criminal records in hiring. Under Title VII enforcement guidance, an employer that screens out applicants based on criminal history has to show the policy is job-related and consistent with business necessity, evaluating the nature and severity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction or completion of the sentence, and whether the offense relates to the duties of the position.¹⁰ A blanket “no criminal record” policy without individualized review risks a discrimination claim, particularly when it disproportionately affects applicants in a protected class.

1
Georgia Code. Georgia Code 35-3-34 – Disclosure and Dissemination of Criminal Records
2
Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Obtaining Criminal History Record Information Frequently Asked Questions
3
Social Security Administration. Privacy Act of 1974
4
Office of the Secretary of State. Georgia Name-Based Criminal History Record Information Consent/Inquiry Form
5
Jasper County Schools. Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) Consent Form
6
Cobb County Georgia. Background Checks
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Georgia Code. Georgia Code 35-3-37 – Criminal History Record Information, Review, Corrections, Restriction of Access for Certain Dispositions
8
Georgia Bureau of Investigation. GCIC Fees
9
Federal Trade Commission. What Employment Background Screening Companies Need to Know About the Fair Credit Reporting Act
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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act