Cheatham County Background Check
Cheatham County background check records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk, General Sessions Court, and Sheriff's Office in Ashland City, the county seat. Records can be accessed in person at the courthouse, by mail, or through the TBI statewide TORIS system.
Cheatham County Quick Facts
Cheatham County Circuit Court Clerk
The Cheatham County Circuit Court Clerk is located at the Cheatham County Courthouse, 100 Public Square, Ashland City, TN 37015. The office phone number is 615-792-4316. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk serves the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart counties.
The Circuit Court Clerk maintains records for all felony criminal cases, civil cases above the General Sessions limit, and jury trials in Cheatham County. To request records, visit the clerk's office or send a written mail request. Written requests should include the subject's full name, date of birth if you have it, any case number, the type of records needed, and your return address. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment by money order or cashier's check. Standard copy fees are $0.50 per page, with additional fees for certified copies.
Cheatham County's location adjacent to Davidson County means it sees residents who work or have connections in the Nashville metro area. The Circuit Court handles felony cases involving drug offenses, property crimes, and other serious charges. All records are public under the Tennessee Public Records Act.
The clerk's office can search records by name if you don't have a case number. For cases that were transferred between counties within the 23rd Judicial District, the clerk can help you track down where the records ended up. Calling ahead is worthwhile if your request involves archived records or cases from many years back.
Cheatham County General Sessions Court
The Cheatham County General Sessions Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary felony hearings, traffic violations, civil matters up to $25,000, and small claims. The court is at the Cheatham County Courthouse in Ashland City. The clerk's office handles both General Sessions and Circuit Court records.
For most standard background checks in Cheatham County, General Sessions records are a key source for misdemeanor and traffic cases. If a charge was resolved at the General Sessions level without going to the grand jury, the record stays here. Cases bound over to Circuit Court will have records in both courts.
Cheatham County General Sessions sees a regular volume of cases given its proximity to the Nashville metro and its role as a bedroom community for Davidson County. Traffic matters, DUI cases, and misdemeanor charges make up a significant portion of the docket. All of these are public records available through the clerk's office in Ashland City.
Civil orders of protection are also processed through General Sessions in Cheatham County. These records are public unless sealed by the court. For background checks in contexts involving child care, elder care, or other sensitive employment, an order of protection can be relevant. The clerk can confirm whether an active order is on file for any specific person.
Cheatham County Sheriff's Office
The Cheatham County Sheriff's Office is at 100 Public Square, Ashland City, TN 37015. Non-emergency phone: 615-792-2098. The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement throughout unincorporated Cheatham County and operates the county jail, which processes all county-level bookings.
Arrest records from the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office are public. You can request them in person or by written request. The office can confirm arrests made by the department, provide arrest dates and charge information, and supply booking photos as part of the public record. It does not conduct general criminal background checks for the public but can verify specific arrest records on file.
Several smaller municipalities in Cheatham County have their own police departments, including Ashland City itself. Those departments maintain their own arrest records separately from the Sheriff's Office. For a complete Cheatham County background check that includes all law enforcement agencies, a TBI statewide name search is the more thorough option. All agencies in the county report to the TBI regardless of jurisdiction.
Nashville is in neighboring Davidson County, not Cheatham County. If you are looking for records involving a Nashville address, contact the Davidson County clerk's office or Metro Nashville Police instead. Cheatham County's courts only hold records for cases that occurred within Cheatham County boundaries.
Statewide Background Checks for Cheatham 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 and covers all 95 Tennessee counties, including Cheatham County.
A TBI TORIS search is more complete than a single-county search. Many Cheatham County residents have employment or other connections in Davidson or Robertson counties, so their criminal history may span multiple jurisdictions. The TBI search captures arrests and dispositions from anywhere in Tennessee. No special account is needed for a public name-based search.
For employers and agencies that need fingerprint-based checks, IdentoGO provides that service on behalf of the TBI. Fingerprint searches require an ORI number. See the TBI background checks page for full details. Mail requests go to TBI at 901 R.S. Gass Blvd., Nashville, TN 37216. Phone: 615-744-4057.
Public Records Access in Cheatham County
All Cheatham County courts and government offices operate under the Tennessee Public Records Act, T.C.A. § 10-7-503. Any Tennessee citizen has the right to inspect public records during regular business hours without needing to state a reason. The law treats records as open by default unless a specific exemption applies.
Records custodians in Cheatham County must respond promptly to public records requests. Standard exemptions include juvenile court records, active investigation materials, and specific categories of personal identification data. Court case files, arrest records, and dispositions for adult cases are generally available for inspection and copying.
If a Cheatham County office denies your request, you can appeal to the Office of Open Records Counsel at the Tennessee Comptroller's office. Appeals are free and do not require legal representation. Most routine background check records requests in Cheatham County are handled at the Ashland City courthouse without difficulty.
Expungement of Cheatham County Records
Tennessee law allows certain criminal records to be permanently destroyed through expungement under T.C.A. § 40-32-101. Dismissed charges, grand jury no true bill decisions, and situations where no charges were filed all qualify for free expungement by court petition.
Some Cheatham County conviction records are also eligible for expungement. The crime must meet state eligibility standards. Violence, weapon offenses, and sex crimes requiring registration do not qualify. Once the court grants expungement, all records of the case are permanently destroyed and the individual is restored to their pre-arrest legal status.
Expungement petitions in Cheatham County are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk at the courthouse in Ashland City. The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands serves Cheatham County and can help eligible residents check whether their records qualify and assist with filing the petition. Contact their Nashville or regional office for help.
Cheatham County Felony Offender Records
The Tennessee Department of Correction provides the Felony Offender Information Lookup (FOIL) free of charge at apps.tn.gov/foil-app. FOIL lets the public search for anyone currently in the state prison system and shows their current facility, booking photo, sentence information, and projected release date.
Cheatham County residents sentenced to state prison appear in FOIL results. The database is updated within one week of an offender's entry into the TDOC system. People who have been fully released are not shown. The tool also does not include those held locally at the Cheatham County Jail rather than a state facility.
For local jail information, contact the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office at 615-792-2098. The county jail holds defendants awaiting trial and those serving short sentences. Local jail records are not part of the TDOC database and must be requested directly from the Sheriff's Office. The jail also holds individuals on state detainers awaiting transfer to a state facility.
Nearby Counties
Cheatham County sits just west of Nashville and borders four other Tennessee counties. Each has its own courts and public records offices. Nashville's records are maintained in Davidson County.