Blount County Background Check
Blount County background check records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk, General Sessions Court, and Sheriff's Office in Maryville, the county seat. Records are available in person, by mail, and through the TBI's statewide TORIS search system.
Blount County Quick Facts
Blount County Circuit Court Clerk
The Blount County Circuit Court Clerk serves the 5th Judicial District and is located at the Blount County Justice Center, 926 East Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804. The main phone number is 865-273-5400. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
The Circuit Court Clerk maintains records for all felony criminal cases, civil court matters above the General Sessions limit, and appeals from lower courts in Blount County. To request records, you can visit in person or submit a written request by mail. Mail requests should include the subject's full name, date of birth if available, a case number if you have it, the type of records needed, and your contact information. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a money order or cashier's check for copy fees.
Copy fees in Blount County follow state standards: $0.50 per page for regular copies, plus an additional fee for certified documents. If you are searching for a specific case and don't have a case number, staff can search by name. The clerk's office handles a large volume of records requests due to Blount County's size, so calling ahead can save time.
Blount County Circuit Court records are public records under the Tennessee Public Records Act. This includes felony case files, jury verdicts, sentencing orders, and related documents. If a case was appealed to a higher court, the clerk can tell you how to access the appellate record as well.
Blount County General Sessions Court
The Blount County General Sessions Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary hearings on felony charges, civil matters up to $25,000, traffic cases, and small claims. The General Sessions Court Clerk is located at the Blount County Justice Center at the same address as the Circuit Court.
General Sessions records make up a significant portion of Blount County background check results. Misdemeanor convictions, dismissed cases, and preliminary hearing records are all held at this court. If a charge was resolved at the General Sessions level without being bound over to Circuit Court, the General Sessions Clerk holds the final record.
The Blount County General Sessions Court also processes orders of protection, which are part of the public record unless sealed. These can be relevant in some background check contexts, particularly for employment in fields involving vulnerable populations. The clerk's office can confirm whether an order of protection is on file for a particular individual.
For records involving juveniles, a separate Juvenile Court handles those cases in Blount County. Juvenile records are confidential and are not part of the public background check record in most circumstances. Contact the Blount County Juvenile Court for more information on how those records are handled.
Blount County Sheriff's Office
The Blount County Sheriff's Office is located at 940 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804. The non-emergency phone number is 865-273-5000. The Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement countywide and maintains arrest records, booking logs, and incident reports.
Arrest records from the Blount County Sheriff's Office are public. You can request them by visiting the office in person or submitting a written records request. The office manages the Blount County Detention Center, which processes all county-level bookings. Booking photos, arrest dates, and charge information are part of the public record.
The Maryville Police Department handles law enforcement within city limits separately from the Sheriff's Office. If you need arrest records from a Maryville Police incident, contact the Maryville Police Department's records division rather than the Sheriff's Office. The two agencies maintain separate arrest logs, though both feed into the TBI statewide database.
For a full Blount County background check, including cases handled by all law enforcement agencies in the county, a TBI statewide name search is the most complete option. Local Sheriff's Office records alone will not capture everything.
Statewide Background Checks for Blount County Residents
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation runs TORIS, the statewide criminal history search system, at tbibackgrounds.tbi.tn.gov. A name-based search costs $29. It covers all arrest and disposition data from every county in Tennessee, including Blount County.
A TBI TORIS search shows charges, court dispositions, and case outcomes statewide. This makes it more useful than a single-county clerk search for anyone who may have lived or worked in multiple Tennessee counties. The name-based check is open to the public and does not require a special account or agency affiliation.
For employers, licensing boards, and others needing a fingerprint-based search, the TBI also offers that service through IdentoGO. These checks require an ORI number. The TBI background checks page has details on both name-based and fingerprint-based searches and how to get started. You can also mail requests to TBI at 901 R.S. Gass Blvd., Nashville, TN 37216, or call 615-744-4057.
Public Records Access in Blount County
All Blount County courts and government offices operate under the Tennessee Public Records Act, T.C.A. § 10-7-503. This law grants any Tennessee citizen the right to inspect public records during regular business hours without needing to state a reason. The law presumes records are open unless a specific exemption applies.
Records custodians in Blount County must respond promptly to public records requests. Standard exemptions include juvenile court records, active criminal investigation materials, personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers, and certain victim information. For most background check purposes, court records and arrest logs are fully accessible.
If a Blount County office denies your records request, you can appeal to the Office of Open Records Counsel at the Tennessee Comptroller's office. The appeal process is free. Blount County government also maintains a public records request process through the county's administrative offices. Contact the county mayor's office if you have trouble getting records from a specific department.
Expungement of Blount County Records
Tennessee's expungement statute, T.C.A. § 40-32-101, allows certain Blount County criminal records to be destroyed. Charges that were dismissed, cases where a grand jury returned no true bill, and arrests that did not result in charges qualify for free expungement by petition to the court.
Some conviction records also qualify for expungement in Blount County. The offense cannot involve violence, the use of a deadly weapon, or a sex crime requiring registration. If the court grants expungement, all public records of the case are permanently destroyed and the person is restored to their pre-arrest legal status.
Expungement petitions in Blount County are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk at the Justice Center in Maryville. Legal Aid of East Tennessee serves Blount County and can help eligible individuals navigate the expungement process at low or no cost. Contact their Knoxville office for assistance or a referral.
Blount County Felony Offender Records
The Tennessee Department of Correction's Felony Offender Information Lookup is available free at apps.tn.gov/foil-app. FOIL shows current incarceration status, facility location, booking photo, sentence information, and projected release dates for anyone in the state prison system.
Blount County residents serving state prison sentences appear in FOIL results. The tool is updated within one week of an offender entering the TDOC system. People who have completed their sentence and been discharged are not shown. FOIL also does not include people held in the Blount County Detention Center who are not yet transferred to a state facility.
For information on someone currently held at the Blount County Detention Center, contact the Blount County Sheriff's Office at 865-273-5000. Jail roster information may also be posted on the Sheriff's Office website. Local jail records are maintained separately from the TDOC statewide system.
Cities in Blount County
Maryville is the county seat and largest city in Blount County. Court records for the city of Maryville are handled through the Blount County court system.
Nearby Counties
Blount County is in East Tennessee and borders several other counties. Each has its own courts and background check resources.