Reviewed and updated October 3, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Carter County is a county in Tennessee with about 57,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 7 county office pages for Carter County, every one opened and checked, and lists 1 more whose site blocks automated checks.
In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, District Attorney General, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.
Where Carter County public records live
Each kind of Carter County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.
- Arrests and jail bookings: cartertnsheriff.gov/inmateRoster (details)
- Court cases: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/circuit_court_clerk... (details)
- County records: tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=10 (details)
- Deeds and recorded documents: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/register_of_deeds.php (details)
- Property values and parcels: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/assessor_of_propert... (details)
- Birth and death certificates: vitalrecords.tn.gov/hc/en-us (details)
- Criminal prosecutions: tennesseeda.gov/district-1 (details)
- Public records requests: cartercountytn.gov/public_documents/index.php (details)
Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Carter County
A person arrested in Carter County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Carter County.
- Website: cartertnsheriff.gov/inmateRoster (page title: Inmate Roster | Carter County Sheriff's Office (TN))
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.
Court records and case lookups in Carter County
Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Carter County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Carter County.
- Website: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/circuit_court_clerk... (page title: Carter County Tennessee)
- Phone: (423) 542-1835
- Address: 900 East Elk Avenue Suite 906 Elizabethton, TN 37643
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
- Statewide court case search: tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/public-case-history
County Clerk of Carter County
The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Carter County.
- Website: tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=10 (page title: Clerks | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts)
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Deeds, land records and property values in Carter County
Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Carter County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.
Recorded documents: Register of Deeds
- Website: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/register_of_deeds.php (page title: Carter County Tennessee)
- Phone: (423) 542-1801
- Address: 801 East Elk Avenue Elizabethton, TN 37643
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Property values: Assessor of Property
- Website: cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/assessor_of_propert... (page title: Carter County Tennessee)
- Phone: (423) 542-1801
- Address: 801 East Elk Avenue Elizabethton, TN 37643
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.
Birth, death and marriage records in Carter County
Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Carter County are issued by the office below. The Tennessee state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.
- Website: vitalrecords.tn.gov/hc/en-us
- Checked: October 2, 2026, the site blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), and the page was found in a live search index on October 2, 2026; open it directly in a browser.
- Tennessee state vital records office: vitalrecords.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/36329848421651-Fees
District Attorney General for Carter County
The District Attorney General is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Carter County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.
- Website: tennesseeda.gov/district-1 (page title: 1st Judicial District | Steven R. Finney)
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Carter County
Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Carter County.
- Website: cartercountytn.gov/public_documents/index.php (page title: Carter County Tennessee)
- Phone: 423-543-4319
- Address: 801 E. Elk Avenue Elizabethton, TN 37643
- Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.
Statewide Tennessee sources
Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the Tennessee state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.
- Statewide court case search: tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/public-case-history
- State prison inmate locator: foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp
- Sex offender registry: sor.tbi.tn.gov/home
- State vital records office: vitalrecords.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/36329848421651-Fees
- State criminal history records: tn.gov/tbi/divisions/cjis-division/background-checks.html
- Business entity search: sos.tn.gov/businesses
- Unclaimed property search: treasury.tn.gov/Unclaimed-Property/Claim-Unclaimed-Property/Find-Yo...
More Carter County links from the SearchSystems directory
These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Carter County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.
- carter, larry wayne - Tennessee Sex Offender Registry (sor.tbi.tn.gov)
- Mary Gouge | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (tncourts.gov)
- SEC.gov | Search Filings (sec.gov)
- Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - TORIS (tn.gov)
- Tennessee Property Assessment Data | Parcel Details (assessment.cot.tn.gov)
- Tennessee VINE - VINELink (vinelink.vineapps.com)
- Verify Public Search (verify.tn.gov)
Cities and towns in Carter County
Carter County has 2 incorporated cities and towns (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city.
- Elizabethton (14,461)
- Watauga (367)
Other counties in Tennessee
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for every county in Tennessee.
Counties starting with B 5 counties
Counties starting with C 11 counties
Counties starting with D 5 counties
Counties starting with G 5 counties
Counties starting with H 12 counties
Counties starting with L 6 counties
Counties starting with M 12 counties
Counties starting with P 4 counties
Counties starting with R 4 counties
Counties starting with S 8 counties
Counties starting with W 7 counties
Carter County Arrest Records
The Carter County arrest records guide names the two agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 1,431 arrests the two agencies with every month of 2024 on file reported that year. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.
Carter County Records Guides
SearchSystems has nine more guides to Carter County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Carter County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Carter County inmate search (the custody page of the Carter County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Carter County criminal records (the court file, the Tennessee criminal history and the local arrest records), Carter County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Carter County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Tennessee Public Records Act requires), Carter County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Carter County DUI (the DUI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Carter County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Carter County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).
Licenses, vehicle titles and driving records are the one set of Carter County records held by the Tennessee DMV rather than the county; the DMV guides: the Tennessee DMV, ordering a Tennessee driving record, DUI license suspension in Tennessee and how a Tennessee car title is transferred.
The 2 DMV offices in Carter County: Carter County Kiosk and Elizabethton Driver Service Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Carter County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Carter County?
Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Carter County at cartertnsheriff.gov/inmateRoster. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.
Where do I look up a court case in Carter County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for Carter County is at cartercountytn.gov, phone (423) 542-1835. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.
Who records deeds in Carter County?
The Register of Deeds, at cartercountytn.gov. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Carter County are filed there.
How do I request a public record from Carter County?
Through the records request page at cartercountytn.gov/public_documents/index.php. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.