Population
911K
County Seat
Memphis
Libraries
24
Schools
250
Searching Shelby County: what to expect
By Tennessee standards Shelby County is well wired: 15 local sources publish directly from county offices, with state databases filling the remaining categories. The county docket is online at chancerydata.shelbycountytn.gov — one of the more useful local sources, since Tennessee has no single statewide court search. Two local sources do most of the work — register.shelby.tn.us for deeds and recorded documents, warrants.shelby-sheriff.org for the sheriff's side — jail roster and inmate lookups. Anything not online lives with the county offices in Memphis.
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by SearchSystems Editorial Team — verified against official government sources. About our editorial process.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all Shelby County record-source URLs verified against the official local and Tennessee state publishers on the review date. 7 primary .gov / official sources cited below.
Shelby County — Key Numbers (2026)
Population, demographics, and county-seat data for Shelby County, Tennessee — verified against U.S. Census 2024 estimates.
910,530
Population
Census estimate
357,839
Households
Census estimate
$59,621
Median income
Annual household
$206,100
Median home value
Census ACS
Memphis
County seat
In Tennessee
Criminal records
see state portal
Court records
15 sources
Wants & warrants
see state portal
Property records
11 sources
Vital records
2 sources
Voter records
1 source
Professional licenses
1 source
Recorded documents
see state portal
Count of verified official sources per record type. Multiple sources One source Use state portal
Shelby County Records at a Glance
| Record type | Shelby County verified sources |
|---|---|
| Court records | Docket Entries - Chancery Court - Shelby County Docket Entries - Circuit Court - Shelby County |
| Criminal records | https://warrants.shelby-sheriff.org/m/warrant_mobi... Shelby County Sheriff's Office Tennessee Sex Offender Registry - TN.gov |
| Wants & warrants | |
| Property records | Assessor of Property, Shelby County TN Willie F. Brooks, Jr. | Shelby County Register of Deeds |
| Vital records | Vital Records at the Library and Archives | Tennessee Secret… Marriage Licenses |
| Voter records | Tennessee GoVoteTN |
| Professional licenses | Land Bank Properties |
| Recorded documents | Shelby County, TN - Official Website | Official Website Central Records - Memphis Police Department |
Count of officially verified .gov / .us record sources cataloged for Shelby County. Sources reviewed June 04, 2026.
What Changed in 2026 — Shelby County Records
2026
Shelby County official government portal active
The official Shelby County government website at www.shelbycountytn.gov continues to serve as the canonical local source.
2026
Shelby County court records portal verified
State court system links for Shelby County verified against the Tennessee judiciary portal in 2026.
2026
Shelby County property records online
Shelby County property assessment and recorder office online portal active in 2026.
2026
FBI Identity History Summary (federal complement)
For records that may exist outside Tennessee, the FBI Identity History Summary at fbi.gov complements all county-level state records.
The 4-Step Shelby County Records Pathway
1
Step 1 — Start at the Shelby County clerk/courthouse
For most local records (court cases, property deeds, marriage licenses), the Shelby County clerk's office is the first stop.
2
Step 2 — Use the Tennessee statewide systems
Criminal background, court case search, voter registration, and professional licensing are all run at the Tennessee state level — not by the county.
3
Step 3 — Federal sources for federal records
Federal court cases (PACER), federal tax liens (IRS), military records (NPRC), and immigration data (ICE) are all federal — not held by the county.
4
Step 4 — Cross-check before relying on data
Most county portals lag 24-48 hours behind the courthouse. For time-sensitive verification, call the clerk directly.
Five Things People Get Wrong About Shelby County Records
MYTH"Shelby County maintains all criminal records."
FACTCriminal records for Shelby County are held by the Tennessee state repository, NOT the county. The county sheriff has only the local arrest log.
MYTH"Records sealed in Shelby County are gone everywhere."
FACTSealing removes records from public search but they still exist at the courthouse and may appear in FBI records (Identity History Summary).
MYTH"Free 'instant background' sites have Shelby County data."
FACTOnly the official Tennessee state repository has verified, current Shelby County data. Free sites often have stale data.
MYTH"The Shelby County assessor's value is what I'll sell my home for."
FACTThe Shelby County assessor's value is for property tax purposes only — usually below market value.
MYTH"All county records older than 50 years are public."
FACTPartially false. Public-records rules vary by record type AND state. Court records and deeds are usually older-public; vital records remain restricted longer (often 75-125 years).
Primary Sources and Official Record Portals
- www.shelbycountytn.gov — Official Shelby County government website
- chancerydata.shelbycountytn.gov — Court records — official source
- register.shelby.tn.us — Property records — official source
- sos.tn.gov — Vital records — official source
- tnmap.tn.gov — Voter records — official source
- landbank.shelbycountytn.gov — Licenses — official source
- fbi.gov — FBI Identity History Summary (federal record)
Related — Shelby County & Tennessee Records
For records not specific to Shelby County, use Tennessee's statewide system or the national hub.
📍 Tennessee statewide record systems:
- Tennessee Court Records →
- Tennessee Criminal Records →
- Tennessee Property Records →
- Tennessee Vital Records →
- Tennessee Voter Records →
- Tennessee Wants & Warrants →
- Tennessee Licenses →
- Tennessee Recorded Documents →
🇺🇸 National hubs:
Related Public Records
Tennessee statewide records: Court records · Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Property records · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses · Recorded docs
National directories: Court records · Criminal records · Property records · Vital records · Federal databases
Looking for a person, not a database? Start with the Tennessee guides:
About Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is located in southwestern Tennessee. The county seat is Memphis (official site: http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/).
- Households: 357,839
- Median household income: $59,621
- Median home value: $206,100
- Below poverty line: 18.1%
- Land area: 752.8 sq mi
- Population density: 1,209.6 people / sq mi
Docket Entries - Chancery Court - Shelby County
Official Free
Court case information for Shelby County, Tennessee. Attorneys of record appear on the docket, useful when you need to contact a party. Case numbers speed searches considerably, but party names work.
Docket Entries - Circuit Court - Shelby County
Official Free
Court case information for Shelby County, Tennessee. Judgment and disposition entries here are what background screeners verify against. Hearing calendars on the same system show what is coming up, not just what happened.
Logged Off - Shelby County Criminal Justice System Portal
Official Free
Official public records resource for Shelby County, Tennessee. Older material may require an in-person visit or a mailed request. It is the authoritative source for this record type in its jurisdiction.
Big - Shelby County
Official Free
ACS, a Xerox company and the ACS, a Xerox company logo are registered trademarks. This material contains trade secrets and other confidential information and is subject to a confidentiality agreement.
Docket Entries - Chancery Court - Shelby County
Official Free
Court case information for Shelby County, Tennessee. The docket is the official chronology; news accounts and third-party sites derive from it. Juvenile, adoption, and sealed matters are excluded by rule everywhere.
Not an Official Document
Official Free
Court case information for Shelby County, Tennessee. Civil, criminal, probate, and traffic divisions may index separately — check each if a search runs dry. Attorneys of record appear on the docket, useful when you need to contact a party.
Probate Court | Shelby County, TN - Official Website
Official Free
Probate court records for Shelby County, Tennessee — estates, wills, and guardianships. Case files include inventories and accountings, not just the will itself. Estate files show wills admitted, executors appointed, and how property passed.
Pay Online | Shelby County, TN - Official Website
Official Free
Official public records resource for Shelby County, Tennessee. Staff at offices like this handle lookup questions daily — asking is normal. The office's own search beats aggregators for currency, if not always for convenience.
Shelby County Records | Shelby County Register of Deeds
Official Free
Birth Records 1874-1917 Chancery Court Divorce Index 1945-1997 Circuit Court Indexes 1893-2000 Death Records 1848-1967 Marriage Indexes/Images 1920-1989 Marriage Records 1820-2015 Memphis Census 1865 Memphis City Directories 1849-1943 Memphis Police Blotter 1858-1860 Memphis Police Blotter 1858-1860 Index Memphis Police Blotter 1858-1860 Book Memphis Provost Marshal 1863-1865 Naturalization Records 1856-1906 Occupant, Entry, and Survey Books 1819-1962 Probate Court Loose Paper Index 1820-1900 Probate Court Will Book Indexes/Images 1830-2000 Quarterly Court Loose Papers Index 1820-1865
Circuit, Criminal, Chancery & Business Courts | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts
Official Free
Governor Bill Lee appointed Chris Frulla to the Circuit Court and Raymond Lepone to the Criminal Court in Judicial District 30, which covers Shelby County.
https://warrants.shelby-sheriff.org/m/warrant_mobi...
Official Free
Do not attempt to arrest or detain any of the subjects of the warrants listed in this database. No attempt should be made to apprehend these individuals except by law enforcement or peace officers. Some individuals may be armed and should be considered dangerous.
Shelby County Sheriff's Office
Official Free
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee is a full-service law enforcement agency and the pre-trial custodial keeper of those who are charged with crimes.
Tennessee Sex Offender Registry - TN.gov
Official Free
You may search for an offender by name, alias, address, city, county, zip code, offender ID, registry status or offense.
Bill Lee Governor TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION ATTN: TORIS
Official Free
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found Tennessee criminal history based on the information provided.
🌐 tn.gov
Tennessee Drug Offender Registry Database
Official Free
Please provide either the last name and first initial of the drug offender or the county of the offense.
Assessor of Property, Shelby County TN
Official Free
Shelby County Assessor of Property · May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!. The Assessor's office is closing on November 26th at NOON in celebration of the national holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, December 1st 2025. Melvin Burgess ·
Willie F. Brooks, Jr. | Shelby County Register of Deeds
Official Free
Recorded documents for Shelby County — deeds, mortgages, liens, and releases — are indexed through this office. If a link breaks, the office homepage at register.shelby.tn.us carries the new path.
Information | Shelby County Trustee, TN - Official Website
Official Free
Official public records resource for Shelby County, Tennessee. Public-records law applies here: what they hold, you can generally request. The information comes straight from the office that creates the record, not a reseller.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE 2025 TANGIBLE ...
Official Free
Shelby County Assessor of Property · May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!. The Assessor's office is closing on November 26th at NOON in celebration of the national holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, December 1st 2025. Melvin Burgess ·
Properties Available for Sale | Shelby County Trustee, TN - Official Website
Official Free
Starting 30 days before the auction opening date, the properties offered will be available to view on ZeusAuction.com. In addition, the list of properties offered at the tax sale will also be advertised in the Memphis Daily News, between 30 - 45 days before the opening day of the tax sale.
Assessor of Property, Shelby County TN
Official Free
Property research in Shelby County starts here: parcels, assessments, and tax detail. It sits outside government; official offices remain the record of authority.
Cumberland County Register
Official Free
VanBuren County Document images that are retrieved will be $4.00 each. The search by name option will require a 0.25 cent charge to open each name retrieved. As a Gap Control customer, you can monitor recorded documents in any of the counties available on TitleSearcher.
Shelby County Register of Deeds
Official Free
Results will provide an aerial view of the property, surrounding parcels, assessment information, sales data, deeds, and property tax information for Shelby County as well as the muncipality in which the parcel is located.
Elections | Tennessee Secretary of State
Property & Tax Records
OfficialFree
Voter registration and election information for Shelby County, Tennessee. Election offices update the file continuously; a lookup today reflects the live roll. District assignments here settle which races you actually vote in.
Title and Registration
Property & Tax Records
OfficialFree
Official public records resource for Shelby County, Tennessee. It is the authoritative source for this record type in its jurisdiction. What displays online is usually a subset — the office holds more than it posts.
Evaluation and Referral Bureau
Property & Tax Records
OfficialFree
Official public records resource for Shelby County, Tennessee. The information comes straight from the office that creates the record, not a reseller. What displays online is usually a subset — the office holds more than it posts.
Crime Map
Official Free
Law enforcement records from Shelby County, Tennessee. Victim and juvenile details are redacted by law from the public versions. It covers this agency's jurisdiction; city departments and neighboring counties publish their own.
Vital Records at the Library and Archives | Tennessee Secretary of State
Official Free
Davidson County (as distinct from Nashville) began keeping their own death records in 1900 and continued to do so through 1913. The death records in this index include the following information: last name, first name, race, date of death, age, place of burial, and the volume & record number. Please note that many of the recorded names in this index do not appear in the Index to Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912.
Marriage Licenses
Vital Records
OfficialFree
Marriage license records for Shelby County, Tennessee. Older licenses may predate the index; the issuing office can search its books on request. Licenses index by both parties' names, with certified copies from the issuing office.
Apply for a Birth or Death Certificate
Vital Records
OfficialFree
Vital records information for Shelby County, Tennessee. The names, dates, and places here are usually enough to locate the official record. Death records typically open to the public sooner than birth records — most states stagger access.
Tennessee GoVoteTN
Official Free
A marriage license may be obtained order, along with the exact date of the marriage and the full names of both parties, to: Shelby County Clerk, 150 Washington Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 Remember, we need the exact date of the marriage and the full names of both parti
Shelby County Election Commission
Voter Records
OfficialFree
Voter registration and election information for Shelby County, Tennessee. Registration data is public under state law, though how much displays online varies. It is the fastest way to verify a registration survived a move or name change.
"Obituaries from Nineteenth Century Memphis Newspapers"
Official Free
This index is a compilation of names as they appear in funeral and obituary notices, as well as the mortuary reports of the Memphis Board of Health submitted to the "Memphis Appeal" and later in the "Commercial Appeal". Obituaries were often submitted from the surrounding Mid-South area.
Land Bank Properties
Official Free
to view unofficial election results from the Shelby County Primary The General Assembly has adopted revised congressional districts during the Second Extraordinary Session of the 114th General Assembly held in May 2026. to learn more.
Verify Public Search
Official Free
NETR Online • Shelby • Shelby Public Records, Search Shelby Records, Shelby Property Tax, Tennessee Property Search, Tennessee Assessor
Central Records - Memphis Police Department
Official Free
Law enforcement records from Shelby County, Tennessee. Reports post on the office's schedule, typically daily or weekly. Full incident reports come by records request; what posts online is the summary log.
Jail Inmates - Inmate Lookup - Shelby County, TN
Official Free
Current inmate information for Shelby County is published here. If a link breaks, the office homepage at imljail.shelbycountytn.gov carries the new path.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up court cases in Shelby County?
Shelby County court cases are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk / Criminal Court Clerk. Search the Docket Entries - Chancery Court - Shelby County portal: https://chancerydata.shelbycountytn.gov/chweb/ck_public_qry_doct.cp_dktrpt_docket_report?case_id=CH-06-1019. For federal matters, see PACER.
How long does an arrest stay on my record in Tennessee if I wasn't convicted?
In Tennessee, an arrest stays on your record indefinitely unless you petition the court to seal or expunge it, even if charges were dropped or you were found not guilty. Tennessee's rules for clearing non-conviction records are stricter than for convictions — start with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Are Tennessee marriage records public?
Marriage records in Tennessee are generally public — anyone can verify that a marriage occurred and request a non-certified copy. Certified copies (needed for legal purposes like name changes or immigration) may be restricted to the spouses, immediate family, or those with a court order.
Are Tennessee criminal records public?
Mostly yes. Tennessee's public-records law makes adult arrests, court filings, and conviction histories accessible to anyone unless a specific statutory exemption applies. Juvenile cases and sealed records are generally excluded by statute.