McMinn County Court Records

McMinn County court records are official court documents created or introduced during cases heard in the county’s courts. These judicial records include dockets, transcripts, orders, summons, and judgements of civil and criminal court cases. The clerks of McMinn County courts are responsible for filing, maintaining, and providing public access to such records, as long as they are not sealed or expunged. These clerks may send copies of their records to central state judicial repositories where they make up Tennessee court records.

Are Court Records Public in McMinn County?

In compliance with the Tennessee Public Records Act, anyone can access McMinn County court records. This rule applies to most of the county’s court records. However, the State of Tennessee allows that confidential court records be kept from public access. Examples of McMinn County court records that are sealed, removed, or restricted by court orders and state statutes are:

• Criminal records of minors
• Adoption records
• Records of parolees and individuals on probation
• Individuals’ medical records, including mental health records
• Records containing sensitive business information
• Abuse victims’ records identifying them
• Personal and unpublished notes, briefs, and memoranda of judges

McMinn County Court Records Search

Searching for McMinn County court records requires contact record custodians in the county. The McMinn County Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for maintaining and providing public access to the records of the county’s Circuit, Criminal, Sessions, Juvenile, Traffic, and Child Support Courts. The Clerk & Master of the Chancery Court fulfills the same role for that court. Accessing the records maintained by these clerks would require calling or visiting their offices.

McMinn County Courts

The McMinn County judicial system includes the following courts:

McMinn County Circuit Court
McMinn County Justice Center
1317 South White Street
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1923

McMinn County Chancery Court
McMinn County Courthouse
6 East Madison Avenue
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1281
Fax: (423) 744-1652

McMinn County Criminal Court
McMinn County Justice Center
1317 South White Street
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1923

McMinn County General Sessions Court
McMinn County Justice Center
1317 South White Street
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1923

McMinn County Juvenile Court
McMinn County Justice Center
1317 South White Street
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1923

Athens City Court
815 North Jackson Street
Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 744-2731
Fax: (423) 744-8868

Calhoun City Court
746 Highway 163
P.O. Box 115
Calhoun, TN 37039
Phone: (423) 336-2348
Fax: (423) 336-1527

Englewood Town Court
111 South Niota Road
P.O. Box 150
Englewood, TN 37329
Phone: (423) 887-7224
Fax: (423) 887-7715

Etowah Municipal Court
City Hall
415 North Tennessee Avenue
P.O. Box 1077
Etowah, TN 37331
Phone: (423) 263-2202 ext. 2

Niota City Court
201 East Main Street
P.O. Box 515
Niota, TN 37826
Phone: (423) 568-2584
Fax: (423) 568-3026

McMinn County Criminal Records

Criminal records are law enforcement files documenting the criminal histories of individuals. A McMinn County criminal record will include all instances of criminal arrests, prosecutions, and incarcerations involving the subject of the record. While local law enforcement agencies in the county may be able to provide only the criminal records prepared by their officers, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) can deliver complete McMinn County arrest records other criminal histories from the records collated from multiple agencies.

The TBI only fulfills requests for adult criminal records. It offers both name- and fingerprint-based background checks that can be requested online or by written application (Spanish) sent by mail. The TBI receives requests for fingerprint-based criminal history checks through its approved provider, IdentoGo. Each request costs $50 for individuals but qualified organizations seeking the criminal histories of applicants to job positions may pay $37.15. The charge for a background check for a volunteer is $33.15 while the fee for a criminal history required for international adoption procedures is $23.90.

Get McMinn County Civil Court Records

In McMinn County, civil court records are prepared through the courses of civil law cases heard in the county’s court. These records include documents introduced or generated in different types of civil cases such as those involving small claims, contract disputes, and municipal violations. To get a McMinn civil court record, you must first identify the court where the associated case was heard. If the case was decided in the county’s Circuit or General Sessions court, then the custodian to court is the Circuit Court Clerk. You may contact this court official by calling or visiting their office at:

1317 South White Street
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-1923

The Circuit Court Clerk receives visitors between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., except for the lunch period from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., on Mondays through Fridays.

For civil court records held at the McMinn Chancery Court, you should visit the office of the Clerk & Master of that court located at:

McMinn County Courthouse
6 East Madison Avenue
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-1281

This office is open between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Similarly, you need to contact the other courts in McMinn County to access their civil court records.

McMinn County Marriage Records

McMinn County marriage records are vital records serving as legal documentation of marital unions duly licensed to occur in the county. While the County Clerk issues marriage licenses, McMinn County marriage certificates are only available from the Vital Records Office of the Tennessee Department of Health. Certified copies of these records are available to eligible persons if requested from:

Tennessee Vital Records
1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243

The office opens to the public between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Certified copies of McMinn County marriage records are also available from any of the local health departments in the state.

In addition to these walk-in options, you may also submit a request for a McMinn County marriage record by mail. To do so, complete and sign an Application for Certificate of Marriage and mail it along with a copy of valid ID and a check or money order for the copy fees required to the address listed above. The cost of each certified copy of a McMinn marriage certificate requested from the Tennessee Department of Health is $15. When writing a check or money order for the total amount of copies requested, you should make it payable to Tennessee Vital Records.

McMinn County Divorce Records

McMinn County divorce records are vital records documenting marriage dissolutions in the county. While you may get a copy of a divorce decree from the McMinn County court where the divorce was finalized, only the Vital Records Office of the Tennessee Department of Health can provide a divorce certificate.

To get a certified copy of a McMinn County divorce certificate, visit the Tennessee Vital Records office in Nashville or the nearest local health department to submit your application in person. Alternatively, you may fill and sign an Application for a Certificate of Divorce or Annulment. Send the completed application, a valid ID, and a check or money order for the number of copies requested. The cost of each certified copy of a divorce record provided by the Tennessee Department of Health is $15. When writing a check or money order for the total fee, make it payable to Tennessee Vital Records.

McMinn Birth and Death Records

McMinn County birth and death records are also documents provided by the Vital Records of the Tennessee Department of Health. They document all birth and death events recorded in the county. If you are eligible for such a record, you can get a certified copy of a McMinn birth or death certificate by visiting the Tennessee Vital Records office in Nashville or a local health department. If you wish to submit a mail request, you should complete and mail an Application for a Birth or Death Certificate to:

Tennessee Vital Records
1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243

Your application should include a copy of a valid ID and a check or money order for the number of certified copies ($15 per copy) requested. Write the check or money order to be payable to Tennessee Vital Records.

McMinn County Probate Court Records

The Probate Court is a division of the Chancery Court in McMinn County. Its records are maintained by the Clerk & Master of the Chancery County. Probate court records are legal documents submitted to, or prepared by, the Probate Court while hearing cases involving the division of the estates of deceased individuals. To view or access copies of Probate Court records in McMinn County, you must contact the Office of the Clerk & Master of the court at:

McMinn County Courthouse
6 East Madison Avenue
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-1281

McMinn County Property Records

Property records are official documents stating the ownership, location, and/or value of real estate properties such as lands and buildings. In McMinn County, most property records are maintained and available from the Assessor of Property. This official indexes all tangible and intangible properties in the county and makes these records available online. To see the real estate values of the county’s properties, you should use the Tennessee Property Assessment Data search tool provided by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

Records of McMinn County property leases, charters, and real estate conveyances are maintained by the county’s Register of Deeds. To access these records, you may call or visit:

McMinn County Register of Deeds
6 East Madison Avenue
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-1232

McMinn County Court Records Online

Accessing McMinn County court records online requires checking official court websites. However, third-party court records finders, such as tennesseecourtrecords.us, make the process easier. By providing a single search tool to querying multiple official sites, these independent websites can help you save time. However, while they provide quick and convenient access, their access to official court records may be limited.