Montgomery County Background Check

Montgomery County background check records are handled by the Circuit Court Clerk, the Criminal Court Clerk, the General Sessions Court, and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Montgomery County is home to Clarksville, the fifth-largest city in Tennessee, and operates a full criminal court system separate from its circuit court.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk

The Circuit Court Clerk's office serves the Montgomery County Circuit Court and maintains civil and domestic case records. The office is located at 2 Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040, inside the Montgomery County Courts Complex. Phone: 931-648-5703. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Circuit Court Clerk handles civil filings, domestic relations cases, and some criminal matters at the circuit court level. If you need records from a civil or domestic case, this is the right office to contact. To request copies, you can appear in person or submit a written request by mail. Copy fees follow the standard Tennessee schedule: $0.50 per page for standard copies, with certified copies carrying an additional charge per document. Include full name, approximate date of the case, and a case number if you have one.

Montgomery County also has a separate Criminal Court Clerk because the county's population and caseload are large enough to support a dedicated criminal court. Not every Tennessee county has both offices. The circuit court and criminal court in Montgomery County operate out of the same complex at 2 Millennium Plaza.

Montgomery County Criminal Court Clerk

The Criminal Court Clerk's office maintains all felony criminal records for Montgomery County. This office handles charges, indictments, judgments, and sentence records for cases heard in the Montgomery County Criminal Court. The office is located at 2 Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040. Phone: 931-648-5787. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

For a Montgomery County criminal background check based on local court records, contact the Criminal Court Clerk. You can request records in person, by mail, or by phone. Mail requests should include the full name of the subject, a date range or case number, and your contact information along with payment. The office accepts checks and money orders payable to the Montgomery County Criminal Court Clerk.

Tennessee courts participate in the state's online case lookup system. You can search Montgomery County criminal court records for free at tncourts.gov/case-search. That tool shows case status, charges, and hearing dates for cases across Tennessee courts, including Montgomery County Criminal Court.

Montgomery County General Sessions Court

The General Sessions Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, felony preliminary hearings, small claims, civil matters under $25,000, and traffic violations. The General Sessions Court Clerk is located at 2 Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040. Phone: 931-648-5710. General Sessions Court records are public and are part of the full background check picture for Montgomery County.

Misdemeanor convictions and dismissed charges from General Sessions Court are part of a person's Montgomery County criminal record. These records show up in the TBI's statewide TORIS search and in the free online case search. If you are doing a thorough check on someone with ties to Clarksville or the surrounding area, General Sessions records are worth reviewing alongside Criminal Court and Circuit Court records.

The General Sessions Court also manages Judicial Diversion cases. Under judicial diversion in Tennessee, a qualifying offender pleads guilty but the judge defers the finding. If the person completes their probation, the charge can be dismissed and expunged. These records may appear in initial searches but can later be removed from public view.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement for unincorporated areas of Montgomery County and runs the county jail. The Sheriff's Office is at 120 Commerce Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Phone: 931-648-0611. The Sheriff's Office maintains arrest records and booking records for individuals taken into custody in Montgomery County.

Arrest records from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office are separate from court records. An arrest record shows that someone was taken into custody but does not indicate a conviction. For a full background check, you should review both arrest records and court records. The Sheriff's Office can confirm whether a person was booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

The Clarksville Police Department serves the city of Clarksville and maintains its own arrest records. The Clarksville Police Department is at 135 Commerce Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Phone: 931-645-8477. Local police records and sheriff records together cover most arrests in Montgomery County.

Statewide Background Checks - TBI TORIS

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation operates the TORIS system at tbibackgrounds.tbi.tn.gov. A name-based search costs $29. Results cover arrests and charges from all 95 Tennessee counties, including Montgomery County. This is the best tool for a statewide criminal history check on anyone who has lived in or around Clarksville or the broader Tennessee area.

The TORIS search is faster than contacting individual county clerks. Results typically come back quickly after payment. Keep in mind that TORIS covers Tennessee records only. It does not include records from Kentucky or other states. Fort Campbell, which straddles the Tennessee-Kentucky border near Clarksville, has its own military law enforcement; those records do not appear in TORIS.

For fingerprint-based checks, IdentoGO provides in-person fingerprinting services at locations in Clarksville. Fingerprint searches are more accurate than name-based searches when a subject has a common name or may have used aliases. More information is on the TBI background checks page.

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

Under T.C.A. § 10-7-503, any Tennessee resident has the right to inspect public records during regular business hours. Montgomery County courts and government offices must respond to public records requests promptly. Most court records are open to the public, with limited exceptions for juvenile records, sealed cases, and records protected by court order.

To make a public records request in Montgomery County, contact the specific office that holds the records you need. For court records, go to the Circuit Court Clerk, Criminal Court Clerk, or General Sessions Court Clerk depending on the case type. For Sheriff's Office incident reports and arrest records, contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office directly. Each office can provide a written request form, or you can submit a request in writing on your own.

There is no charge to inspect records in person. Copy fees apply when you request copies to take with you. Montgomery County offices generally process requests within seven business days, though complex or large requests may take longer.

Expungement - T.C.A. § 40-32-101

Tennessee law permits expungement of certain criminal records under T.C.A. § 40-32-101. In Montgomery County, a person can petition for expungement if their case was dismissed, a grand jury returned no true bill, or they were released without charges being filed. These petitions are filed at no cost with the Montgomery County Criminal Court Clerk or General Sessions Court Clerk depending on the original court.

Conviction expungements are also available in Tennessee for some offenses. The crime cannot involve violence, a deadly weapon, or a sex offense that requires sex offender registration. After a waiting period and completion of all court requirements, a qualifying person can petition the court to expunge the conviction record. If granted, the record is physically destroyed and the person can legally deny the arrest or charge ever occurred.

The Montgomery County Public Defender's office and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee can assist low-income residents with expungement petitions. Call the Montgomery County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service for help finding a private attorney if needed.

Felony Offender Records - FOIL

The Tennessee Department of Correction provides the Felony Offender Information Lookup at apps.tn.gov/foil-app. FOIL shows current incarceration status, facility name, booking photo, sentence details, and earliest parole eligibility date for felony offenders in the state system. Searches are free and open to the public.

Montgomery County residents and former residents who are in the Tennessee prison system appear in FOIL results. The database updates within one week of an offender entering the system. FOIL does not show local jail records. For Montgomery County Jail information, contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office directly.

Cities in Montgomery County

Clarksville is the county seat and the only city in Montgomery County with a population over 100,000. Background check records for Clarksville residents go through the Montgomery County court system.

Nearby Counties

Montgomery County borders several counties in Tennessee. Each has its own courts and background check resources.

View All 95 Tennessee Counties