Knox County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the Knox County Detention Facility roster, Tennessee court records and Tennessee prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Knoxville.
Checking the registry instead? Knox County sex offender registry
Knox County inmate search: who is in the Knox County jail. One name search reaches the Knox County Detention Facility roster and every other record type below.
Knox County is home to about 500,669 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), up 4.5% since the 2020 census: 7% of Tennessee’s residents, the 3rd most populous of its 95 counties. People arrested here are booked into the Knox County Detention Facility. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the Knox County jail, in a Tennessee state prison or in federal custody.
- Knox County jail bookingsThe Knox County Detention Facility roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- Tennessee court recordsthe statewide court source: case, charge and disposition
- Tennessee warrantsthe statewide warrant system
- Tennessee prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- Tennessee sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
Knox County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the Knox County Detention Facility. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release.
What a Knox County booking record shows
Knox County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the Knox County Detention Facility
Shows that someone was arrested in Knox County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the Knox County Detention Facility roster.
Filed in the Criminal Court or Circuit Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the Criminal Court or Circuit Court; a misdemeanor to the General Sessions Court. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the Criminal Court Clerk. Tennessee court records in the search carry it where the court publishes it.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
Knox County arrest records by city. Knoxville and Farragut.
Knox County has 2 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Knoxville or Farragut is usually booked into the Knox County Detention Facility, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the Knox County Detention Facility roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
Knox County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In Tennessee, felony cases from Knox County are heard in the Criminal Court or Circuit Court, and misdemeanors in the General Sessions Court. The Criminal Court Clerk keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
Tennessee’s statewide court source is part of a name search here, so a result can show how a case ended, not only that it began.
Finding a Knox County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the Criminal Court Clerk for Knox County, in Knoxville, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the Criminal Court Clerk; certified copies usually carry a small fee.
Knox County warrant search: Tennessee warrant lookup.
Tennessee publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it, so a warrant entered there for someone in Knox County shows with the person’s other records. Not every local warrant reaches a published list. A search that finds nothing is not proof that no warrant exists; to be certain, ask the Knox County sheriff’s office or the Criminal Court Clerk.
Knox County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the Knox County Detention Facility when someone is booked. Where Knox County publishes it, it appears on the official roster, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
Knox County sex offender registry. About 1,033 on our index have an address in Knox County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Sex offenders in Knox County cities
Knox County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
Knox County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the Knox County jail?
Search the person's name here: the search covers the Knox County Detention Facility roster, Tennessee state prisons, and federal custody, and each result names the facility. Adding an age or date of birth tells people with the same name apart.
Where are Knox County court records kept?
Felony cases from Knox County are heard in the Criminal Court or Circuit Court, and the Criminal Court Clerk keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the General Sessions Court.
Can I search Knox County warrants online?
Tennessee publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it. Not every local warrant reaches that system, so to be certain, ask the Knox County sheriff's office or the Criminal Court Clerk.
Is an arrest in Knox County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the Knox County Detention Facility records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the Criminal Court or Circuit Court (for a misdemeanor, the General Sessions Court), and only the court record shows the outcome. Court records in the search carry that outcome where the court publishes it.
Does OffenderSearch show Knox County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where Knox County publishes a photo, it is on the sheriff's official roster. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in Knox County?
About 1,033 on our index have an address in Knox County. The Knox County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a Knox County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.