Case facts choose the rule path
Dates, registry applicability, supervision status, court orders, and special conditions can change what must be reviewed.
Data and methodology
A screening result is only as honest as its rules, geometry, and source data.
SafeAddress is designed to show what the system knows, what it does not know, and why an authorized reviewer may still need to investigate.
Method principles
Four rules guide every screening
These principles matter more than a polished map.
Boundary rules need boundary data
Where law measures property edge to property edge, address-point distances remain estimates and must be labeled that way.
Missing data never becomes clearance
Incomplete coverage, uncertain classification, stale records, or failed source retrieval should push a case toward review.
A person retains authority
The software supports research and documentation. It does not replace legal, supervisory, sheriff, court, zoning, or agency decisions.
Georgia rule structure
The offense date can change the applicable restriction categories.
Georgia statutes use different date bands and definitions. The current screening model treats those bands separately and routes unknown or disputed dates to manual review.
Special conditions may add restrictions beyond the general statutory map. A court order, supervision condition, victim-related restriction, banishment area, or agency policy can control the final decision even when no mapped conflict appears.
Screening profile inputs
Relevant date band
The act or offense date used to choose the statutory screening path.
Applicability and exemptions
Facts or legal authority that may change whether a restriction applies.
Supervision and court conditions
Additional conditions that may be more restrictive than the mapped statutory categories.
Measurement
A point on a map is not a property boundary
That distinction is central to SafeAddress.
Why the difference matters
Georgia’s statutory text describes certain distances from the outer boundary of the residential property to the outer boundary of the restricted property at their closest points.
An address geocoder usually returns a point associated with an address range or structure. Large, irregular, or multi-building parcels can make point-to-point distance materially different from boundary-to-boundary distance.
Result language
Three outcomes, none of them called approval
The words are deliberately conservative.
No mapped conflict found
The available mapped data did not show an in-range conflict.
This is not approval. Coverage, parcel geometry, local rules, case conditions, and reviewer confirmation may still be needed.
Manual review
The system cannot support a favorable result from the available facts.
Common reasons include missing dates, incomplete coverage, uncertain facility classification, point-only geometry, or special conditions.
Potential conflict
A mapped location appears close enough to require confirmation.
The reviewer should verify the source, category, geometry, applicable rule, and any exemption before deciding.
Data quality ladder
Not every source deserves the same weight
SafeAddress should preserve provenance and label the role each source played.
| Source tier | Typical examples | SafeAddress treatment | Can absence establish clearance? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritative geometry | Official parcel polygons and agency-maintained facility boundaries | Preferred for final measurement support, subject to review and currency checks | No, not by itself |
| Official point records | Government address points, licensed-provider addresses, agency directories | Useful for discovery and preliminary screening; point limitations stay visible | No |
| Supplemental public data | OpenStreetMap and other community-maintained location records | Used to surface possible locations that need verification | No |
| User-submitted information | Housing listing, landlord contact, case note, supporting document | Stored with submitter, timestamp, status, and review requirement | No |
Official reference points
Georgia sources used to shape the current methodology
These links support research. They do not replace current legal advice or agency confirmation.
- O.C.G.A. § 42-1-15Open source
Georgia Bureau of Investigation page covering restrictions for certain acts on or after July 1, 2008, including closest property-boundary measurement language.
- O.C.G.A. §§ 42-1-16 and 42-1-17Open § 42-1-16
GBI pages covering earlier date bands and their respective definitions and restrictions.
- Georgia Department of Community SupervisionOpen source
Published special conditions that require prior residence approval and may impose additional restrictions.
- Georgia Sex Offender RegistryOpen source
GBI notes that registry information changes frequently and does not carry an express or implied accuracy guarantee.
A clearer first step
A serious pilot starts with one county and one accountable workflow.
We will document the rules, data sources, reviewer roles, and limitations before expanding coverage.