Washington County Sex Offenders

Washington County sex offenders and sexual predators are required by Florida law to register with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and every active registrant in the county appears in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement public database, which anyone can search free of charge without an account. Washington County is a rural Florida Panhandle county with Chipley as the county seat, and all registrations for the county's cities and unincorporated areas are processed in person at the sheriff's office regardless of where the underlying conviction originated. Anyone who lives, works, or regularly spends time in Washington County must comply with Florida's registration requirements.

Washington County Sheriff and Sex Offender Registration

The Washington County Sheriff's Office processes all sex offender and predator registrations for the county. Florida law requires anyone convicted of a qualifying sexual offense who lives, works, or regularly spends time in Washington County to register in person at the sheriff's office. The obligation applies equally to people with Florida convictions and to those relocating from other states whose offenses would qualify for registration under Florida law. Where the conviction came from does not change what is required here.

Registration is done in person only. No mail or online process is available. When you arrive at the sheriff's office, staff collect your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, physical description, all vehicle information, phone numbers, and every electronic identifier you use, including email addresses and social media usernames. A photo is taken during the visit. Bring valid government-issued ID and documentation from your conviction. If you are transferring from another county or state, bring prior registration paperwork so staff can correctly determine your designation and set your schedule.

Once registration is complete, the sheriff's office sends fingerprints and your photo to the FDLE. Your record typically appears in the public database within a short period. Any changes, including new addresses, vehicles, phone numbers, and online accounts, must be reported to the sheriff within 48 hours. That window does not stop for weekends or public holidays. Missing it carries the same legal penalty as failing to register in the first place.

Registration Requirements in Washington County

Florida's sex offender registration rules are set out in Florida Statute § 943.0435. The rules apply the same way in Washington County as they do across all 67 Florida counties. There are no county-level exceptions. The statute defines what information registrants must provide, how often they must appear in person, and what penalties apply for failing to comply.

Re-registration frequency depends on your designation. Standard sex offenders must appear in person twice a year. The first visit is due during your birth month. The second comes six months after that. Sexual predators operate on a stricter schedule. They must re-register four times per year, once every three months. The more frequent requirement reflects the elevated level of assessed risk that the predator designation carries under Florida law.

Transient registrants, those without a fixed address who move between locations regularly, must report to the Washington County Sheriff's Office every 30 days. Not having a permanent home does not reduce or remove registration obligations. It changes the cycle to monthly check-ins instead of twice or four times annually.

The 48-hour rule applies to all changes, not just addresses. A new vehicle, a new email, a new phone number, a new employer, each one must be reported within two days of the change. You cannot bundle these updates into your next scheduled visit. Registration in Florida is a lifetime obligation in most cases. Failing to register, or failing to report a change within 48 hours, is a third-degree felony under Florida law, and the penalty applies regardless of when or where the original offense occurred.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in Washington County

Florida law divides registrants into two groups: sexual offenders and sexual predators. Both appear in the FDLE public registry, but the rules and notification procedures that govern them are different.

Sexual offenders are people convicted of qualifying crimes under Florida law, or people convicted in other states of offenses that would trigger registration here. They must appear twice yearly, report all changes within 48 hours, and comply with residency restrictions. Their records are available in the FDLE database. The state does not run an active community notification program for this group. The public can look up their records, but no formal process alerts neighbors when a standard offender moves in nearby.

Sexual predators carry a separate and more serious designation. The predator label is not assigned automatically at sentencing. A court must make a formal finding that the person meets the specific legal criteria established in Florida Statute § 775.21. Once designated, a predator must re-register every three months and is subject to active community notification. When a predator registers at a new Washington County address, the sheriff's office may notify nearby residents, schools, and childcare providers directly. Both tiers appear in the same FDLE search tool, and predator records are clearly labeled so the public can distinguish them from standard offender records.

Washington County is a small rural county, and the total number of registrants in the FDLE database for this county is considerably lower than in Florida's larger urban counties. Searching by county in the FDLE portal will return a manageable list of all current Washington County registrants at once.

Search Washington County Sex Offenders Online

The FDLE sex offender search portal is the official tool for finding registered offenders and predators in Washington County. No account is required. The search is free. You can look up by county, city, ZIP code, individual name, or radius from a specific street address.

Each result shows the registrant's photo, current registered address, physical description, offense history, and predator status if applicable. Given the county's small population, filtering to Washington County in the portal will return all registrants without needing additional refinement. The radius search is still useful if you want to check who is registered near a specific school or address. Records reflect the most recent information submitted through the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

For people who recently moved to Washington County from another state, nsopw.gov aggregates registration data from all participating states and is useful for cross-state checks. Once a person establishes a Washington County address and registers here, their record will appear in the FDLE database.

The FDLE registry provides public access to all sex offender and predator records in Florida, including every registrant in Washington County.

Residency Restrictions in Washington County

Under § 775.215, registered sex offenders and sexual predators in Florida may not live within 1,000 feet of any school, childcare facility, park, playground, or location where children regularly gather. That distance is measured from property line to property line. The restriction is state law and applies uniformly throughout Washington County as it does everywhere else in Florida.

The rule covers both permanent and temporary residences. Spending even a single night at a non-compliant address is a violation. The Washington County Sheriff's Office reviews new addresses against these restrictions during registration. If an address falls within the 1,000-foot buffer, the registrant must select a compliant location before the address can be accepted.

Some cities and municipalities in Washington County may have local ordinances that extend beyond the state minimum. Local governments can expand the buffer zone or restrict registrants from certain public areas. Anyone selecting a new address in Washington County should verify both state law and any applicable local rules before making a commitment to move. A good-faith move to a non-compliant address is still a violation under Florida law.

The FDLE search portal lets you look up Washington County sex offenders by name, ZIP code, or address proximity, free of charge and without creating any account.

Florida Offender Alert Notifications for Washington County

Washington County residents can sign up for free email alerts through Florida Offender Alert. The service monitors new registrations and address changes in the ZIP codes you select and sends an email when activity occurs in a zone you are watching. Each alert includes the registrant's photo and their registered address.

There is no cost to use the service. Pick the ZIP codes that cover your neighborhood or any other areas you want to track, and the system monitors for changes automatically. You can watch multiple ZIP codes from one account. For residents in Chipley, Bonifay, and other Washington County communities, the alert service is a simple way to stay current without checking the FDLE database manually each week.

Cities in Washington County

Washington County's incorporated cities include Chipley, Bonifay, Caryville, Vernon, and Wausau. Chipley, the county seat, has a population of roughly 3,600. None of these cities come close to the threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All sex offender registrations in Washington County, for every city and unincorporated area, are handled through the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 1293 Jackson Ave in Chipley.

Nearby Counties

Registrants who move out of Washington County must notify the sheriff and register with the receiving county's sheriff within 48 hours. All surrounding counties follow Florida's statewide registration requirements.