Union County Jail

Search Union County Inmate Search by last name. It lists who is held and why. Allow a few hours for a fresh arrest to show up.

The jail line is 865-992-6262 and the main Sheriff's Office line is 865-992-5212. Have the full legal name and birth date ready.

Use the jail line, 865-992-6262, for questions about a person being held. Use the Sheriff's Office records line, 865-992-5212, for paperwork. The non-emergency dispatch line is 865-992-4062.

Do not use dispatch to ask about bail.

A judge or magistrate decides for each person. Tennessee Code 40-11-105 gives a person arrested for a bailable offense the right to be admitted to bail, and the Sheriff's Office can release only after bail has been set (40-11-106). The jail cannot lower the number.

A lawyer can ask the court to review it.

You pay the whole amount. A cash deposit under 40-11-118 equals the bail and is made with the court clerk, who may accept debit cards or mobile cash apps and pass on the processing fee.

The Circuit Court Clerk is at 865-992-5493. Courthouse offices open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ask what to do when the clerk is closed.

About 10 percent of the bond for a Tennessee resident (40-11-151), or 10 to 15 percent for a person from out of state. A 5 initiation fee and a 2 bail tax may be added once.

Request duplicate receipts. The premium is the bondsman's fee and is not returned.

Ask to see the Board of Professional Bondsmen license (40-11-321) and proof that the courts of the Eighth Judicial District, which includes Union County, approve the bondsman. If collateral is required beyond the fee, a written receipt must describe every item and how to redeem it.

Yes, real estate located in Tennessee can secure a bond. The court reviews the papers first, so release is slower than with cash. The Circuit Court Clerk at 865-992-5493 can explain what Union County asks for. A written bond signed by two sufficient sureties, neither a bondsman nor an attorney, is another route.

The list in 40-11-118(b): how long the person has lived here, job history and finances, family, character and mental condition, record and attendance at past hearings, the seriousness of the offense, the possible sentence and any danger shown by the record. Whether the person is in Tennessee lawfully matters too.

A community member may vouch for a defendant, though not for more than two at once.

The court must consider it first. Under 40-11-115(b), release on the person's own promise or an unsecured bond comes before money bail, which is for cases where lesser conditions will not reasonably assure appearance (40-11-117). The conditions must be the least onerous that will do the job (40-11-116).

Bring proof of a job and a home address.

The cause may be a hold from another county, a probation hold, or the 12-hour domestic or stalking hold under 40-11-150. A capital charge cannot be bailed under Article I, section 15.

Call the jail at 865-992-6262 and ask which applies.

In covered cases the person cannot be released within 12 hours of arrest unless the official finds no threat to the victim. An aggravated assault with strangulation, serious injury or a deadly weapon can bring a hold of up to 24 hours, plus a no-contact order and GPS monitoring before bond.

They can be. A judge can order an ignition interlock under 40-11-118(d) in certain alcohol cases, and third or later alcohol offenders can be required to wear a transdermal alcohol monitor and pay for it.

The person is brought before a magistrate "without unnecessary delay." The magistrate explains the charge and the rights to a lawyer and to silence. For a felony, a preliminary hearing is set within 14 days if the person stays in jail and 30 days if released.

Ask the judge for a court-appointed lawyer. The Eighth Judicial District public defender can be reached at 423-563-9701.

Union County offices are at 901 Main Street, Suite 100, Maynardville. The Circuit Court Clerk is at 865-992-5493, the General Sessions judge at 865-992-5484, and the County Clerk at 865-992-8043.

Confirm the room and time of a hearing with the clerk before you go.

Juvenile Court is a separate office. Start with the Circuit Court Clerk at 865-992-5493 to find where the youth is held and when the detention hearing takes place. Juveniles are kept out of the adult search.

No. Phone and commissary money stays with the vendor. Bail goes to the clerk, a bondsman or into a property bond. Ignore any message that offers a faster release for a fee.

The bond can be forfeited under 40-11-139 and 40-11-201 if he fails to appear, and the court can order him picked up. A cash depositor risks the deposit, and a bondsman may surrender him (40-11-132). Call the clerk right away.

After the conditions are met and the defendant is discharged, the clerk returns a cash deposit (40-11-119), after fines and costs are applied (40-11-121). Section 40-11-118(c) says a surety is not on the hook for fines, costs or restitution unless the bond names them and the surety consents.

• Jail: Union County Jail, 130 Veteran's Street, Maynardville, TN 37807; 865-992-6262
• Sheriff's Office records: 865-992-5212
• Custody lookup: Union County Inmate Search
• County offices: 901 Main Street, Suite 100, Maynardville, TN 37807; Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Circuit Court Clerk: 865-992-5493
• General Sessions judge: 865-992-5484
• County Clerk: 865-992-8043
• Public defender: Eighth Judicial District, 423-563-9701
• Bond help: bail instructions for the Union County jail

Costs, hours and phone numbers can change, and a judge may order terms different from those described. Call before bringing cash to Maynardville. This guide does not replace legal advice.

Families dealing with an arrest in Union County need more than a courthouse name: they need to understand who controls release and how the case moves forward. The county seat is Maynardville, 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

Union County Circuit Court Clerk — Listed office address: 901 Main Street Suite 220, Maynardville, TN 37807.

Circuit Court Clerk telephone: (865) 992-5493

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.

Union County: the county seat is Maynardville. 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 Union 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

Call the Circuit Court Clerk for any other court contact.

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 Union 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 Union 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 Maynardville 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Maynardville or another town in Union 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.

Union 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 Union 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.