Tennessee, county records
Find the right office in Shelby County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Federal
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee handles bankruptcy cases for West Tennessee, posting court calendars and filing fees; case dockets are on PACER.
Open official site Tennessee Federal CasesProperty records
Obtain property tax info by contacting the TN Comptroller of the Treasury.
Open official site Tennessee Property RecordsVital records
Request birth and death certificates from the TN Dept. of Health.
Open official site Tennessee Birth RecordsState records
Find active and inactive corporations by name from the Tennessee Department of State.
Open official site Tennessee Business & Corporation SearchState records
Search property and claim status by individual name or business through the Treasury Dept.
Open official site Tennessee Unclaimed PropertyPolice & jail
The Tennessee Department of Correction publishes its own list of offenders now under a sentence of death in Tennessee, with related facts on the state's death penalty.
Open official site Tennessee Death RowVital records
Request a copy of a marriage certificate from the TN Department of Health.
Open official site Tennessee Marriage SearchLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Shelby County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Shelby County, responsible for patrolling unincorporated areas, managing Shelby County jail, and processing arrests.
Police Departments. In addition to Shelby County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement in Shelby County is provided by several municipal police departments. Each department is responsible for maintaining law and order within its jurisdiction, handling local crimes, and coordinating with the Sheriff's Office on major investigations.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is at 201 Poplar Avenue, 9th Floor, Memphis, TN 38103. To search for inmates in Shelby County custody, the public can use the online Inmate Information Search available through the Sheriff's Office website, which provides booking information, charges, bond amounts, and projected release dates. Arrest records in Shelby County are considered public records under the Tennessee Public Records Act (Tennessee Code Annotated § 10-7-503 and § 10-7-504), which establishes the right of citizens to inspect and copy public records. Shelby County Corrections Center houses pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates, with capacity for over 2,000 individuals.
Arrest Records. Arrest records in Shelby County are maintained by Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request arrest records through the Sheriff's Office, often requiring a formal request and payment of a nominal fee.
Jail & Inmate Records. The main detention facility in Shelby County is Shelby County Jail, which is operated by Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office website, allowing the public to search for current detainees.
Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Shelby County are taken and retained by Shelby County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by request.
Shelby County Trustee's Office, located at 160 North Main Street, Suite 230 (phone: 901-222-2222), collects property taxes and provides online tax payment services. Shelby County Register of Deeds, located at 160 North Main Street, Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38103 (phone: 901-222-2300), maintains all land and property records for Shelby County, including deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, easements, plat maps, right-of-way documents, and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings. Building permits, construction permits, and zoning approvals in unincorporated Shelby County are handled by Shelby County Office of Planning and Development, located at 160 North Main Street (phone: 901-222-2600). Property tax records and assessment information are maintained separately by the Shelby County Assessor of Property, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134 (phone: 901-222-7001).
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 51 named mine sites inside the county, 21 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 78 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Clay.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Tennessee's coal regulatory program was run by OSMRE until the state took it back; the state AML program is in TDEC.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Shelby County Sheriff or a city police department in Shelby County. Ask that agency for its record.
The Tennessee criminal history record comes from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Request a Tennessee name based criminal history check online through Tennessee Open Records Information Services (TORIS), paying by credit card. Fee: $29.00 for each name based check.
Search the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry (TBI), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county election commission or through the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. You must be registered no later than 30 days before the election; mailed forms must be postmarked at least 30 days before.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Shelby County are kept by the Shelby County register of deeds. Property values are set by the county assessor of property, and tax bills come from the county trustee.
Certified birth and death certificates for Tennessee come from the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. All county health departments can issue any birth or death certificate registered statewide with the Tennessee Office of Vital Records; you do not need to go to the county where the event occurred. In person with no appointment at Tennessee Vital Records, 1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243, or at any county health department; by mail to that address with a check or money order payable to Tennessee Vital Records; or online through VitalChek. Fee: $15.00 for each birth or death certificate, first and additional copies.
Business entity filings are searched with the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations. Business licenses are issued by the county clerk, and by the city if it imposes the business tax, where the business is located; businesses with taxable receipts over $3,000 need one.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.