Knox County Detention Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

Use Knox County Inmate Search to see the booking. Knox County has three adult sites: the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility, 865-281-6700; the Knox County Jail at 400 West Main Street, 865-342-9620; and the Work Release Center at 4900 Maloneyville Road. The Sheriff's Office also posts a 24-hour arrest list and a list of everyone now in custody. If the search shows nothing, call the Detention Facility first.

Each person on the list carries a bond type. Common ones are appearance, release on recognizance, pretrial, cash, to be set, denied, and none. Release on recognizance and pretrial release involve no money. Cash and appearance bonds have a dollar amount. To be set means a judge has not finished. Denied means no bond is allowed. None is used for holds, such as an immigration detainer.

There are two doors. At the jail and Detention Facility, the full amount is paid in cash only. At the Criminal Court Clerk's cashier counter, City-County Building, 400 Main Street, 865-215-2375, the full amount can be paid in cash, a cashier's check, or a money order. The clerk keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After hours, cash goes to the Detention Facility on Maloneyville Road.

No. The cash machines in the jail lobbies put money on an inmate's account for phone time and store items. Deposits made there never count toward bond. Pay bond at the clerk's counter or at the jail, and ask for a bond receipt that shows the case.

A judge or magistrate. Tennessee law says each person arrested on a bailable offense must be admitted to bail, and the amount must come from that person's own facts. The Sheriff's Office cannot lower it. After a judge sets it, the number may still change at a hearing. Ask the General Sessions Court at 865-215-2370.

The clerk's page puts the fee at 10 percent of the bond plus $37 for a Tennessee resident, and 15 percent plus $37 for someone who lives outside the state. State statute sets these maximums. The money goes to the company, and the clerk does not hold or refund it or apply it to court costs.

Every company must hold a state license and be approved by the courts. The Criminal Court Clerk posts Local Bond Company Rules and an Active Court-Approved Bonding Company List on its website. Check the name there.

Cash costs more up front, but it can come back. The clerk holds cash bond until the case ends. If costs are assessed, the cash is applied to them and the rest is refunded. Cash paid at the jail or the clerk's counter may be applied to court costs. A bonding company fee is gone whatever the outcome. If you can raise the full amount, cash is usually cheaper in the end.

Yes. Land can serve as collateral for a bond in Knox County. Property bonds are handled through the Criminal Court Clerk's Office, 865-215-2375, and the clerk can tell you what papers are required. A lawyer can help with title and valuation. The judge must accept the property, and the review takes time, so release is slower than with cash.

It is a General Sessions session held each day at 10:00 a.m. in the Fourth Sessions courtroom, main floor of the City-County Building. People released on bond before seeing a judge must come on the date and time set by the release officer. If they fail to appear as scheduled, they are subject to immediate arrest. Mark the date on every release paper.

General Sessions has a misdemeanor court (First Sessions), a DUI court (Second Sessions), a felony court (Third Sessions), and a traffic and bonded arraignment court (Fourth Sessions). Criminal Court takes felonies that go forward. Courts open at 8:30 a.m. in General Sessions and 9:00 a.m. in Criminal Court. The Sessions clerk, 865-215-2370, keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tennessee law bars release within 12 hours of an arrest for stalking, child or elder abuse, and many domestic offenses unless an official finds no threat to the victim. If strangulation, serious injury, or a weapon is involved, the hold can last 24 hours. A no-contact order must be set before bond. Knox General Sessions hears domestic violence cases at the start of its misdemeanor docket each day.

DUI cases are heard in Second Sessions Court. For alcohol-related driving offenses with a crash, a child in the car, or a prior record, state law tells the judge to require an ignition interlock device as a bond condition unless it would not serve justice. Repeat cases can add alcohol monitoring that the defendant pays for. Ask a lawyer about these conditions before release.

It means no bond is allowed on the current record. Capital offenses are not bailable in Tennessee. A hold from another court or agency can also make a person ineligible for release.

A lawyer can ask the judge for a bond review. The court begins with release on a promise to appear and uses the lightest conditions that will assure attendance. If you cannot afford a lawyer, ask the judge to appoint one. The Knox County Public Defender, the 6th Judicial District, answers at 865-594-6120.

The East Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center is in the Richard L. Bean Building, 3321 Division Street, Knoxville, 865-215-6500. It holds minors aged 12 to 17 accused of delinquent acts or ordered held by the court. The Juvenile Court Office answers at 865-215-6400. Juvenile records are private and will not appear in the adult search.

After a missed date, the judge may declare the bond forfeited and issue a warrant. A bondsman may return the defendant to custody. Each reset or continuance costs $10 per case at the clerk's office. Call the Criminal Court Clerk, 865-215-2375, the same day and speak with a lawyer.

The Clerk's Office holds cash bond until the case ends. Court costs are subtracted first, and the remainder is refunded. Bring the receipt from the jail or the cashier counter when you ask. Bonding company fees are never refunded by the clerk.

No Knox County office accepts gift cards, wire transfers, or payment apps in return for a release. Callers who claim to be deputies and demand money in minutes are lying. Hang up and call the Detention Facility at 865-281-6700 or the clerk at 865-215-2375 yourself.

• Main jail: Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility, 5001 Maloneyville Road, Knoxville, TN 37918; 865-281-6700
• Bond guide: Knox County jails and bond guide
• Custody lookup: Knox County Inmate Search
• Knox County Jail: 400 West Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; 865-342-9620
• Work Release Center: 4900 Maloneyville Road, Knoxville, TN 37918; 865-281-6700
• Criminal Court Clerk: Cashier counter, City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; 865-215-2375
• General Sessions: City-County Building, 400 Main Street; 865-215-2370
• Public defender: 6th Judicial District Public Defender 865-594-6120
• Juvenile: East Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center, 3321 Division Street, Knoxville, TN 37919; 865-215-6500; Juvenile Court 865-215-6400

Fees, hours, and phone numbers can change. Call the Detention Facility or the Criminal Court Clerk about your own case before you pay. Nothing here is legal advice.