Giles County Background Check Records

Background check records in Giles County are kept by the Circuit Court Clerk in Pulaski and are also searchable statewide through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. This page explains how to access criminal history, court records, and arrest information for Giles County, Tennessee.

Circuit Court Clerk - Felony Case Records

The Giles County Circuit Court Clerk handles felony criminal cases and civil filings under the 22nd Judicial District. The courthouse is at 1 Public Square, Pulaski, TN 38478. Phone: (931) 363-5300. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

All felony charges in Giles County are processed through Circuit Court. This includes drug felonies, weapons charges, robbery, assault with serious injury, and other significant criminal matters. The clerk's staff can pull case records by defendant name or case number and provide charging documents, order sheets, and sentencing records.

The free online case search at tncourts.gov covers Giles County cases. It shows charges, filing dates, and case outcomes for Circuit Court and Criminal Court filings. This is a fast, free first step before making a trip to Pulaski. Older or complex records may require an in-person visit to the clerk's office.

Giles County is in southern Middle Tennessee near the Alabama state line. Criminal activity sometimes crosses county and state lines. A Giles County court search is county-specific. For a broader search covering all of Tennessee, the TBI statewide check is the right tool.

Giles County Circuit Court Clerk background check records

General Sessions Court - Misdemeanor Records

The Giles County General Sessions Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, small civil claims, and preliminary hearings. This court processes charges such as misdemeanor drug possession, petty theft, minor assault, traffic offenses adjudicated in court, and similar matters.

The General Sessions Clerk is at the Pulaski courthouse. Call (931) 363-5300 for records inquiries. Sessions Court records are public under Tennessee law and accessible during business hours, either in person or by written request.

A complete background check requires checking both Circuit Court and General Sessions Court. These courts are separate and do not automatically share records with each other. A person may have no felony history but carry multiple misdemeanor convictions in Sessions Court. Checking both courts is the only way to see the full county record.

Giles County borders Lawrence County, Marshall County, Lincoln County, and Maury County. People with ties to the Giles County area may also have records in these neighboring jurisdictions. A county-specific search in Giles alone may miss activity from across county lines.

Giles County Sheriff's Office - Arrest Records

The Giles County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement in unincorporated areas and runs the county jail. The office is at 115 South Second Street, Pulaski, TN 38478. Contact them at (931) 363-3505. The sheriff is the main source for county-wide arrest records and booking information.

Booking records from the Giles County Jail are public records in Tennessee. Each booking creates a record documenting the person's name, the charges at the time of arrest, and the date and time of booking. These are available by request from the sheriff's office. Written requests by mail are standard for historical records.

The Pulaski Police Department handles arrests inside Pulaski city limits. Contact them at (931) 363-3557 for incidents within the city. For arrests in unincorporated Giles County, the sheriff's office is the right contact. Both agencies operate independently.

Remember that arrest records and court records are separate. An arrest record shows a person was taken into custody. It says nothing about guilt or conviction. Court records show what the judge decided. Both are relevant for a complete background check, but they come from different offices and document different events.

Statewide Background Checks - TBI TORIS

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation operates TORIS for statewide background checks. Access it at tbibackgrounds.tbi.tn.gov. The fee is $29 per name-based search, and results are returned online quickly. All 95 Tennessee counties are covered, including Giles County.

Giles County sits near the Alabama border. While the TBI covers Tennessee records only, it does cover all Tennessee counties. Someone who lived in Maury County or Lincoln County before moving to Giles County may have records from those counties. The TBI catches all of it in one search.

For regulated employment such as working with children, elderly residents, or in healthcare, a fingerprint-based TBI check is often required. These are more accurate than name searches and are legally recognized for licensing and employment verification purposes. See the full TBI background check program at tn.gov/tbi.

Public Records Access - T.C.A. § 10-7-503

Tennessee's open records law at T.C.A. § 10-7-503 entitles any citizen to inspect public records at government agencies. Court records, arrest records, and most criminal justice records in Giles County are public under this statute.

You do not need to prove you are a resident of Giles County or provide a reason for the request. Walk in to the relevant office during business hours or mail a written request. The agency must respond promptly. For most standard court records, clerks can pull the files the same day.

Copy fees apply. Most Tennessee government offices charge between $0.15 and $0.50 per page for standard document copies. Certified copies are more expensive. You pay only for what you copy; inspecting records at the office without making copies is free of charge.

Some records are exempt. Active investigation files, sealed court records, juvenile case files, and certain victim information are not public. If the agency denies your request, they must identify the exemption. Disputed denials can be challenged through the Office of Open Records Counsel in Tennessee.

Expungement in Giles County - T.C.A. § 40-32-101

Tennessee's expungement law at T.C.A. § 40-32-101 allows eligible individuals to have certain criminal records removed from public access and from the TBI criminal history database. After an expungement, the record is sealed and will not appear in most background checks.

In Giles County, file the expungement petition in the court where the original case was heard. This will be either the Circuit Court or the General Sessions Court at the Pulaski courthouse. Include the correct case number, charge, and disposition. Filing in the wrong court wastes time.

Eligible cases include dismissed charges, not-guilty verdicts, and certain designated eligible convictions under Tennessee law. First-time offenders who completed a judicial diversion program also qualify. The filing fee is set by statute and varies by case type. Fee waivers are available for those who cannot pay.

After the court grants the expungement, it sends the order to the TBI and to each agency that holds the record. Those agencies must remove or seal the record. This process takes some time, so the background check may still show the record for a short period after the order is entered. Eventually it will be removed from all official databases.

Felony Offender Records - FOIL

The state's Felony Offender Information Lookup is free and available at apps.tn.gov/foil-app. FOIL shows records for people who served time in a Tennessee state prison for felony convictions.

Search by name and see sentence dates, offense category, release information, and current TDOC supervision status. This is a useful free tool for quickly checking whether someone has served state prison time in Tennessee. You do not need a TBI account or any fee to run a FOIL search.

FOIL limits are real. It only shows state prison inmates. People on probation only, those who served county jail time, or those with expunged records do not appear. For a full Giles County background check, combine FOIL with TBI TORIS and court record searches. Each source fills a different gap in the overall picture.

Cities in Giles County

Pulaski is the county seat and largest city in Giles County. It does not meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. For background check records for any location in Giles County, use the county-level resources listed above.