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 between September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
McMinn County, Tennessee, has about 57,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in McMinn County is held at the county jail, run by the McMinn 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: McMinn County public records, McMinn County arrest records, McMinn County warrants, McMinn County criminal records, McMinn County court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McMinn County
The county jail, run by the McMinn County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in McMinn County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the McMinn County Sheriff's Office at mcminncountytn.gov/sheriffs_dept.html (page title: McMinn County, TN), phone (423) 745-5620, 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 (423) 745-5620.
The McMinn County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 300 people, down from about 370 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2024 was 348 beds, and it ran at 86 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McMinn County has about 57,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 53 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the McMinn County Jail
The McMinn County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Athens, Etowah, Englewood, Niota and Calhoun make the arrests that end in a booking in McMinn County.
The Sweetwater Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including McMinn County, so its arrests are not broken out for McMinn County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Athens's 887 for 2025, the McMinn County Sheriff's Office's 396 for 2025 and Etowah's 101 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in McMinn County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,396 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 McMinn 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 McMinn County?
Ask the McMinn County Sheriff's Office at (423) 745-5620; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mcminncountytn.gov/sheriffs_dept.html.
How many people are in the McMinn County jail?
About 300 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 348 beds.
What is the phone number for the McMinn County jail?
(423) 745-5620, the number on the page of the McMinn County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McMinn 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 McMinn 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.