A person who has been convicted for committing certain criminal offenses under O.C.G.A. 42-1-12 must register with the Sheriff of the county they live in or move to within 10 days of moving to that county.

The offender must be convicted of a crime that is by its nature a sexual offense, such as:

* O.C.G.A. 16-6-1 Rape
* O.C.G.A. 16-6-2 Sodomy (against a minor); Aggravated Sodomy (against a minor or an adult)
* O.C.G.A. 16-6-3 Statutory Rape (unless the age of the perpetrator is 18 years of age or younger)
* O.C.G.A. 16-6-4 Child Molestation; Aggravated Child Molestation
* O.C.G.A. 16-6-5 Enticing a child for indecent purposes
* O.C.G.A. 16-6-22.2 Aggravated Sexual Battery

In relation to crimes where the victim is a minor, O.C.G.A. 42-1-12 includes the following offenses under (a)(4)(A):

• Kidnapping of a minor, except by a parent
• False imprisonment of a minor except by a parent
• Criminal sexual contact toward a minor
• Solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual contact
• Use of a minor in sexual performance
• Solicitation of a minor to practice prostitution
• Any conduct that by its nature is a sexual offense against a minor

For an offender to qualify for registration in Georgia, the offender must either be released from prison or placed on probation, parole or supervised release after July 1, 1996. If an offender who is registered in another state moves to Georgia, the offender is required to register in the state of Georgia.

O.C.G.A. 42-1-12 (i)(3) states “the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or any sheriff maintaining records required under this code section shall release relevant information collected under this code section that is necessary to protect the public.” However, due to the fact this information is continually changing, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office makes no expressed or implied guarantee concerning the accuracy of this information.