Blount County Adult Detention Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

Open Blount County Inmate Search first. It shows who is in custody and the charges. A booking that is only a few minutes old may take a little while to appear. If the name is still missing after an hour, call the jail at 865-273-5245 and give the full legal name and birth date.

Two things never close: the jail lobby and the judicial commissioners. Both are in the Justice Center on East Lamar Alexander Parkway. The Sheriff's Office main line is 865-273-5000. Clerk offices keep daytime hours, so night and weekend bond questions go to the jail lobby.

Judicial commissioners set it. They answer to the General Sessions judges, and they arraign arrested people, set bonds, and set court dates. Sheriff James L. Berrong runs the jail, but the Sheriff's Office cannot raise or lower a bond. Only a commissioner or judge can change the number.

Tennessee law requires a person to be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. In Blount County that magistrate is a judicial commissioner who is on duty in person at all hours. A bond decision does not wait for a court morning. Check Blount County Inmate Search again before you drive over.

Bring a government photo ID, the person's full name, and the exact bond amount from the search. Call 865-273-5245 before you leave home to ask how the jail wants cash or a bondsman's paperwork presented. Keep every receipt and write down the case number.

Not if you use a bondsman. A cash bond is the full amount. A professional bondsman charges about 10 percent of the bond for Tennessee residents. The bondsman then promises the court the whole amount if the person does not appear.

Tennessee residents usually pay a premium near 10 percent. The bondsman may add one $25 initiation fee and a $12 bail tax. Ask for a receipt for each charge. If the bondsman takes collateral, you must get a written receipt describing it and how to get it back. A bondsman may not drop the bond without good cause. Bondsmen are licensed by the state Board of Professional Bondsmen and must also be approved by the court in the judicial district.

Yes. Tennessee allows a bond backed by real estate located in Tennessee. It moves slower than cash, because the paperwork must be prepared and approved by the court. Ask the General Sessions Clerk at 865-273-5450 which forms the court wants and who must sign.

Sometimes. The law tells the court to consider a promise to appear or an unsecured bond first, using community ties, work, and record. Money bail comes next, and only when lighter conditions will not secure the person's return. A lawyer can ask the court to consider a promise to appear at the first hearing.

Tennessee law holds a person arrested for stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, or certain domestic offenses for 12 hours unless the official finds no threat to the victim. In some aggravated assault cases the hold can run up to 24 hours. Before release, the court orders no contact, and some cases add GPS monitoring that the defendant pays for if able.

Not always. Bail is a right for nearly every charge in Tennessee, and the constitution carves out only capital crimes. A no-bond entry can also mean a probation violation, a hold from another county, or a bond not yet set. Ask the commissioner at the Justice Center for the reason in writing, or ask a lawyer to request a hearing.

Most arrests start in General Sessions Court, which has four divisions. The General Sessions Clerk answers at 865-273-5450. The Circuit Court Clerk, who handles felony paperwork after indictment, is at 865-273-5400, 926 East Lamar Alexander Parkway.

The courthouse is at 341 Court Street in Maryville. The Clerk and Master is at 865-273-5500 and handles chancery matters, not criminal bonds. The General Sessions and Circuit clerks work from the Justice Center.

Alcoa, Friendsville, Louisville, Maryville, Rockford, and Townsend are all cities in the county. Tell the jail desk at 865-273-5245 which department made the arrest, so the booking record and any hold match. The bond process is the same.

The 5th Judicial District Public Defender's Office takes appointed cases and answers at 865-981-2395. Ask the court at the first appearance to appoint counsel if money is tight. A lawyer can bring proof of a job, family, and a local address to a bond review. Under Tennessee law, the court may weigh how long a person has lived here and who will vouch for them.

Call the Blount County Juvenile Detention Center, 329 Court Street, Maryville, at 865-273-5959. The juvenile clerk is at 865-273-5935 and the juvenile court office is at 865-273-5945. Juvenile cases are private, so the adult search may show nothing.

A missed date lets the court forfeit the bond and send out an arrest order. Call the clerk the same day and call a lawyer. If a bondsman signed the bond, the bondsman may also bring the person back to court.

A cash deposit is returned after the case ends and the person is discharged. Fines and court costs are taken out first. A bondsman's premium is the price of the service, so ask the bondsman before signing whether any part ever comes back.

No office takes gift cards for bond. Money sent to a jail account for calls or the commissary is not bail and does not release anyone. Verify any request by calling 865-273-5245 yourself.

• Jail: Blount County Jail, Blount County Justice Center, 940 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804; 865-273-5245
• Bond guide: Jail bail and bond page
• Sheriff's Office: Main line 865-273-5000; records 865-273-5003
• Custody lookup: Blount County Inmate Search
• Judicial commissioners: Justice Center, Maryville; on duty in person at all hours
• General Sessions Clerk: 865-273-5450
• Circuit Court Clerk: 926 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville; 865-273-5400
• Courthouse: 341 Court Street, Maryville
• Juvenile: Detention Center, 329 Court Street, Maryville, 865-273-5959; juvenile clerk 865-273-5935
• Public defender: 5th Judicial District, 865-981-2395

Bond amounts, fees, and office hours can change by court order. Confirm details for a specific case with the jail or a clerk before you hand over money. This page gives general information and is not legal advice.