Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Knox County, Tennessee, has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Knox County is held at the county jail, run by the Knox County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Knox County public records, Knox County arrest records, Knox County warrants, Knox County criminal records, Knox County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Knox County
The county jail, run by the Knox County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Knox County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.knoxcountytn.gov (page title: Knox County Tennessee | Sheriff | 24 Hour Arrests), phone 865-281-6700, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 865-281-6700.
The Knox County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 1,310 people, down from about 1,460 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2024 was 1,371 beds, and it ran at 96 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Knox County has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 26 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Knox County Jail
The Knox County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Knoxville make the arrests that end in a booking in Knox County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Knox County: the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Pellissippi State Community College (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Knoxville's 8,484 for 2025 and the Knox County Sheriff's Office's 6,821 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Knox County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,305 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Knox County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Tennessee Department of Correction lists its inmates at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Knox County?
Ask the Knox County Sheriff's Office at 865-281-6700; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at sheriff.knoxcountytn.gov.
How many people are in the Knox County jail?
About 1,310 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 1,371 beds.
What is the phone number for the Knox County jail?
865-281-6700, the number on the page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Knox County go?
To a facility of the Tennessee Department of Correction; its inmate locator is at foil.app.tn.gov/foil/search.jsp.
Is this the official Knox County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.