Calhoun County Sex Offender Lookup

Calhoun County Sheriff and Sex Offender Registration

The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office oversees sex offender registration for Calhoun County, a rural county in the Florida Panhandle. Every person with a qualifying sex offense conviction who lives, works, or regularly comes to Calhoun County must register in person with the sheriff's office. No city police department in the county handles registration. Everything goes through the sheriff.

Calhoun County is one of Florida's less populous counties, with roughly 15,000 residents spread across a rural landscape in the Panhandle. The sheriff's office covers the entire county, including Blountstown and all unincorporated areas. When registering, staff collect a photograph and fingerprints, document the registrant's address and vehicle information, and record any online identifiers. That data is forwarded to FDLE within 24 hours of the registration event.

All registered sex offenders and predators in Calhoun County appear in the FDLE statewide registry database. The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office sends registration updates to FDLE within 24 hours, keeping the public database current for anyone searching Calhoun County records.

Registration Requirements in Calhoun County

Florida's sex offender registration law, Florida Statute § 943.0435, sets the same rules for Calhoun County that apply in every Florida county. Sexual offenders must report to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office twice per year. Sexual predators must report four times per year. Both groups must also report within 48 hours whenever any registered information changes.

The 48-hour change-reporting rule is strict. A new address, a new vehicle, a new phone number, a new email address, or a new social media account are all changes that require an in-person visit to the sheriff's office within two days. Moving within Calhoun County still triggers the 48-hour window. So does a new job or a new school enrollment. There is no exception for minor or local changes.

Transient offenders without a fixed address face the most demanding schedule: they must report every 30 days. In a rural Panhandle county like Calhoun, that means making the trip to Blountstown monthly regardless of the distance from wherever the person happens to be staying. The law does not reduce reporting frequency based on geographic inconvenience.

Anyone who moves into Calhoun County from out of state must register within 48 hours of establishing any form of residence in the county. That includes temporary housing. The clock starts on arrival, not when a permanent address is secured. Bring conviction documents from the previous state; the sheriff's office needs them to determine the correct Florida registration category and reporting schedule.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in Calhoun County

Florida law divides registry participants into two categories with different obligations and different community notification procedures. Understanding the difference matters for registrants and for the public alike.

Sexual predators are designated by a court under Florida Statute § 775.21, the Florida Sexual Predators Act. The court makes this designation at or near sentencing based on the nature of the offense, prior history, and other statutory factors. Once applied, the designation is permanent and follows the person throughout the registry system regardless of where they live in Florida.

In Calhoun County, sexual predators report to the sheriff four times per year versus the twice-yearly schedule for sexual offenders. Predators are subject to active community notification, meaning FDLE notifies local law enforcement and may alert community members when a predator registers or moves within the county. In a small, close-knit community like Blountstown, a predator registration can generate noticeable community attention.

Sexual offenders make up the broader category. They include anyone with a qualifying sex conviction who is not designated a predator. They still appear in the public database, must report twice per year, and must comply with all 48-hour change-reporting requirements. The differences are in reporting frequency and the intensity of community notification. Both groups are subject to residency restrictions under state law.

How to Search Calhoun County Sex Offenders

The main tool for searching sex offenders and predators in Calhoun County is the FDLE statewide registry. It is free, requires no login, and includes all registrants in every Florida county. To narrow results to Calhoun County, select Calhoun from the county dropdown when conducting a search.

You can search by name if you are looking for a specific person, or you can run an address or ZIP code search to see who is registered near a particular location. The map view is a useful option for small counties like Calhoun, where the geographic distribution of registrants across a rural landscape may be relevant to understanding the overall picture.

Because Calhoun County is small, the total number of registrants is lower than in large urban counties. That makes it practical to pull the full county list and review all current registrations. Results include each registrant's photograph, current registered address, and details about the offense. Data updates within 24 hours of any registration change at the local sheriff's office. For questions about a specific registrant, call the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at (850) 674-5049.

Residency Restrictions in Calhoun County

Florida Statute § 775.215 sets the state baseline for where sex offenders and predators may live. Under that statute, no registered person may reside within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, park, playground, or other location where children regularly gather. The distance is measured from the property line of the restricted site to the offender's home, not from building entrance to building entrance.

Calhoun County's rural character means that restricted zones often cluster around the limited number of schools and parks in the county. But it also means available housing is spread across a larger area, which can make it easier to find a compliant residence in some cases. Still, anyone subject to registration should verify compliance before moving in. Do not assume a rural setting means there are no restrictions nearby.

Blountstown and any other incorporated areas in Calhoun County may adopt local ordinances that add stricter rules. Local rules can extend the buffer zone or restrict additional types of locations. The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at (850) 674-5049 can offer general guidance, but checking with the local municipality is also advisable before selecting a residence within city limits.

FDLE Offender Search Tool

The statewide FDLE sex offender search is the main public tool for Calhoun County registry lookups.

Use the FDLE offender search and select Calhoun County to view all current registrations. Results include name, photograph, address, and offense details. The database is updated within 24 hours of any change processed at the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office.

Florida Offender Alert Notifications

The Florida Offender Alert system is a free email notification service that sends alerts when a sex offender or predator registers near an address you specify. It covers all of Florida, including Calhoun County, and costs nothing to use.

Sign up at the Florida Offender Alert website by entering an address and setting your desired notification radius. You can monitor a home, a school, a church, or any other location you care about. The system sends an alert when a new registration falls within your radius, and also when an existing registrant moves to an address within your zone.

For Calhoun County residents, this tool provides a layer of ongoing awareness that manual searches cannot replicate. In a small county where everyone tends to know everyone, a registry change can have real community impact. The alert system keeps you informed without requiring you to check the FDLE database manually every few days. Alerts typically go out within hours of a registry update.

Cities in Calhoun County

No cities in Calhoun County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Blountstown is the county seat and the largest community in Calhoun County. Sex offender registration for Blountstown and all other Calhoun County areas is handled through the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at 20776 Central Ave E, Blountstown, FL 32424.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Calhoun County in the Florida Panhandle. Each county manages its own registration through the local sheriff's office.