Tennessee Background Checks

Tennessee Criminal Records

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) website covers a myriad of services and public information. Listed among the information to be found: MethWatch, the TBI's most wanted, elber abuse, missing children, AMBER alerts and much more. The TBI is the primary criminal investigation agency responsible for public corruption, Medicaid fraud, fugitives, and domestic terrorism. For Tennessee background checks, the TBI also houses the database for Tennessee criminal records that can be searched either online or by mail.

For those with a credit card and e-mail address, an online electronic application may be conducted. An e-mail address is necessary, as all record request results will be sent to the recorded e-mail address. If a credit card is not being used or an e-mail address is not readily available, records may be requested by filling out the provided online form and mailed into the address listed on the application. All record searches are charged a $29 fee.

To request criminal records by mail do the following:

Step 1: Fill out the Criminal History Information Request Form. Click Here.
Step 2: Provide payment. There is a $29.00 processing fee for each request.
Step 3: Mail the completed application to the address indicated on the form.

For further information regarding accessing Tennessee criminal records, contact the TBI office at the address below:

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Tennessee Criminal History Information Request
901 R.S. Gass Blvd
Nashville, TN 37216
(615) 744-4057 (phone)
(615) 744-4651 (fax)

Resource Links
Tennessee Background Checks
Request Form

Tennessee Court Records

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts encompasses all aspects of court data and information within the state of Tennessee. The website contains extensive court data, court rules, programs and services, and includes a self help section for those needing to produce and file court information without the help of a lawyer or legal assistance.

The court website allows for Tennessee court records searches based on first name, last name or appeal number. Once this information has been inputted, a list of case histories is presented for the user to review. The retrieved record includes information on the case type, presiding judge, attorneys and the entire filing history. All searches conducted with the court website are completely free of charge.

For further information regarding accessing Tennessee court records, contact the Administrative Office of the Courts office at the address below:

511 Union Street
Suite 600
Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 741-2687
(800) 448-7970

Resource Links
Tennessee Case Records Search

Tennessee Jail Records

In addition to Tennessee jail records, the Tennessee Felony Offender information website imparts data to the public regarding victims' programs, sex offender registry, and meth offender registry. The information given concerning current or past inmates is submitted to the central database from various jurisdictions found within the state of Tennessee. Additionally, web users may request an official statewide background check directly from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

To locate a current or previous offender within this database, Tennessee jail records searches can be made by name, offender ID or state ID number. To ensure that all searches are conducted by actual people and not automatic information gathering bots, all users are required to input a set of letters prior to being allowed to see the search results. The results returned by searches will include the inmate ID number, birth date, race, sex, supervision status, and sentence begin and end dates.

To search for jail records online do the following:

Step 1: Visit the Tennessee Inmate Search webpage. Click Here.
Step 2: Select 1 of the 3 available search options and fill out the required information fields.
Step 3: Click “Search” to view all available results.

For further information regarding accessing Tennessee jail records, contact the Tennessee Department of Corrections at the address below:

Rachel Jackson Building, Sixth Floor
320 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0465
(615) 741-1000

Resource Links Tennessee Offender Information Lookup

Tennessee Driving Records

For drivers services, highway patrol information, public safety and even handgun permits, the Tennessee Department of Safety website is the preferred Internet stop. The website contains a large assortment of information pertaining to driving and vehicle safety and licensing information.

If you are conducting a Tennessee background check, keep in mind that Tennessee driving records may be obtained in person for yourself or for others who have authorized their release. For those who are authorized to retrieve one's driving record, a notarized statement must be filled out and filed with the Tennessee Department of Safety. The state does not currently have an online database for records retrieval; hence, all requests must be made either in person or by mail. There is a $5.00 fee involved and records will contain a total of three years of information.

For further information regarding accessing Tennessee driving records, contact the Tennessee Department of Safety office at the address below:

Tennessee Department of Safety
MVR Request
PO Box 945
Nashville, TN 37202
(615) 253-5221

Resource Links
Tennessee Driving Record Information

Additional Resources

Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry
Tennessee Attorney General