Knox County Jail

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.

When police make an arrest in Knox County, the first few court decisions can affect whether a person waits at home or in custody. The county seat is Knoxville, but the exact courtroom depends on whether the charge is a city ordinance violation, a misdemeanor, or a felony. Use the linked questions to find the courthouse information, bail process, defense-lawyer options, sentencing rules, youth-court process, and federal court details.

Circuit Court Clerk — court filings and hearing information

Knox County Circuit Court Clerk — Listed office address: 400 Main Street Suite M-30, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Circuit Court Clerk telephone: (865) 776-3949

Circuit clerks handle many criminal and civil filings. Chancery Courts usually address civil and equity matters, while General Sessions Courts handle many initial criminal hearings. Call the applicable clerk for the specific courtroom assignment.

Knox County: the county seat is Knoxville. Tennessee General Sessions Court ordinarily handles initial criminal appearances, misdemeanor proceedings within its authority, and felony preliminary hearings. Felony jury trials are heard in the Circuit or Criminal Court serving Knox County. The Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for criminal filings and records in courts assigned to that clerk; some Tennessee counties have separate criminal clerks.

Courthouse and court clerk contacts

• Criminal Court Clerk, 400 Main Street SW, Suite 149, Knoxville, TN 37902, 865-215-2375
• General Sessions Criminal Court Clerk, 400 Main Street SW, Suite M84, Knoxville, TN 37902, 865-215-2375

Chancery Court generally hears civil matters such as certain family, property, estate, and business disputes; a Chancery clerk is not a substitute for the criminal clerk. The exact court named on a summons controls where the hearing takes place.

After a custodial arrest in Knox County, the arresting agency arranges booking and detention. The person may be housed in a county facility or another authorized jail under an established custody arrangement.

Booking may include identification, fingerprints, a photograph, a property inventory, and a medical or mental-health screening. The defendant is then brought before the proper judicial officer for a probable-cause and release decision as required by law. A family member should write down the full legal name, booking number if known, charges, and scheduled hearing.

A judge or authorized magistrate decides whether someone charged in Knox County can go home before trial and under what conditions. Release on recognizance means there is no up-front bond payment; other orders may require a cash deposit, surety, supervision, travel restrictions, or no contact with another person. Commercial bonding is permitted in Tennessee, but a bondsman cannot decide the court’s bond amount.

If the order allows payment, first establish whether the court or jail collects the money, the exact amount, and whether another hold prevents release. A paid bond does not erase the charges and missing court can lead to forfeiture and arrest.

Many less serious cases in Knoxville begin in General Sessions Court. A prosecutor can discuss a plea, dismissal or diversion; not every offense qualifies. A defendant does not receive a full jury trial in General Sessions Court, and a final misdemeanor decision there requires appropriate consent or waiver under Tennessee law. The case may instead proceed in a court with jury-trial authority.

Maximum misdemeanor punishments

• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

These are the usual class limits under Tenn. Code § 40-35-111, not promised outcomes. DUI, domestic assault and other offenses can add required fees, treatment, jail minimums, or enhanced penalties based on earlier convictions.

A felony complaint arising in Knox County may start before a General Sessions judge for the initial appearance and preliminary hearing. That hearing tests whether there is enough evidence to continue; it does not decide guilt. A grand jury may indict and the case then moves to the county’s Circuit or Criminal Court. Tennessee also provides other lawful charging routes and waivers in limited circumstances.

After formal charges, the defense can obtain discovery, seek hearings on contested evidence, negotiate a plea, or request trial. A serious felony trial typically uses a twelve-person jury. Felony cases can take substantially longer than minor citations, so hearing notices and attorney communications matter.

A homicide, robbery, rape, or aggravated-assault accusation in Knox County brings particularly serious release and sentencing questions. Judges examine the actual charge and lawful detention criteria; no family should assume that paying a bond automatically means release if there are warrants or other holds.

For example, Tennessee treats many intentional aggravated assaults involving serious bodily injury or a deadly weapon as Class C felonies, with a statutory class range of 3–15 years. Some forms are Class B or D, and the aggravated-assault statute separately caps the ordinary offense fine at $15,000. Murder and other offenses have special sentencing statutes beyond the ordinary felony chart. Defense counsel should review the exact subsection charged.

For a child under 18 accused of wrongdoing in Knox County, the juvenile-court process is different from an adult prosecution. Police or an intake officer may refer the complaint for informal services or ask the juvenile court to hear it. Detention is a separate decision and does not necessarily mean the child has been found delinquent.

A juvenile judge can consider supervision, treatment, community services, restitution, and placement when legally authorized. In especially serious cases, Tennessee law permits transfer proceedings to adult criminal court after a hearing and required findings. Families should ask promptly about appointed counsel, the detention hearing and any restrictions on release of a minor's records.

The punishment depends on the precise statute, offense date, prior record, and any mandatory or alternative-sentence rules. For crimes governed by ordinary Tennessee classification ranges, the overall imprisonment and usual maximum fines are:

• Class A: 15–60 years; ordinary fine ceiling $50,000.
• Class B: 8–30 years; ordinary fine ceiling $25,000.
• Class C: 3–15 years; ordinary fine ceiling $10,000.
• Class D: 2–12 years; ordinary fine ceiling $5,000.
• Class E: 1–6 years; ordinary fine ceiling $3,000.
• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

A court may impose probation, diversion, restitution, treatment or a suspended sentence when the law permits. Tennessee’s felony offender-range rules narrow the sentence within the broader class range; special laws and prior violent convictions can change release eligibility. County jail and state prison are not interchangeable labels for every sentence.

Someone facing a criminal case in Knox County who cannot afford a private defense attorney may ask the judge for appointed counsel. The court reviews an affidavit or other proof about income, assets and ability to pay. An appointment can be through a district public defender or a conflict lawyer when the public defender cannot handle the case.

At the first hearing, the defendant should clearly say they want a lawyer and cannot afford one. A family member can help gather pay information and court papers but cannot waive the defendant’s rights for them. Tennessee has elected district public defenders, and their service areas can cross county borders.

Police in Knoxville or another town in Knox County may issue a city citation rather than a county criminal warrant. Some Tennessee municipal courts handle ordinance violations and limited traffic matters; their powers depend on the local charter and state law. Serious criminal charges do not become city-court felonies merely because city police made the arrest.

Check the court name actually printed on the summons. If a charge carries criminal jail exposure, ask a lawyer whether the municipal court has authority over it and whether the case is before a General Sessions or state criminal court instead.

Knox County belongs to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee — Northern Division. The division’s listed courthouse is in Knoxville: 800 Market Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. A federal criminal case might involve interstate fraud, offenses on federal property, federal drug trafficking, some firearms offenses, or violations of federal criminal statutes. A state offense does not automatically become federal because it is serious.

Federal defendants may appear before a U.S. magistrate judge for detention and preliminary proceedings; felony cases usually proceed through indictment or another permitted federal charging process, followed by arraignment and trial or plea. Federal prison sentences are administered by the Bureau of Prisons. People awaiting trial or transfer may be held in a contracted or local detention center rather than a prison operated by BOP. Families can search the official Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for eligible federal inmate records.

This Knox County guide offers general criminal-court information, not advice for a particular defendant. Law and court operations may change; a lawyer can explain the charge and next steps in the actual case.