SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 10, 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.

About this guide

Smith County is a county in Tennessee with about 21,000 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 Smith County, every one opened and checked.

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 Smith County public records live

Each kind of Smith 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.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Smith County

A person arrested in Smith 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 Smith County.

SearchSystems has not yet verified an online jail or inmate page for Smith County. The sheriff's office is the place to ask, and the state inmate locator in the statewide sources below covers state prisons.

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Court records and case lookups in Smith County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Smith 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 Smith County.

  • Website: tncourts.gov/node/9782392 (page title: Smith County | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts)
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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County Clerk of Smith 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 Smith County.

  • Website: tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=134 (page title: Clerks | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts)
  • Address: 122 Turner High Circle, Ste. 101 Carthage, TN 37030
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Smith County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Smith 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

Property values: Assessor of Property

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Birth, death and marriage records in Smith County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Smith County are issued by the office below. The Tennessee state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

  • Website: tn.gov/health/vr.html (page title: Tennessee Department of Health Office of Vital Records)
  • Phone: 855-874-7686
  • Address: 710 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37243
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
  • Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.

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District Attorney General for Smith County

The District Attorney General is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Smith 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-15 (page title: 15th Judicial District | District Attorney Jason Lawson)
  • Phone: (931)962-1144
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Public records requests to Smith 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 Smith County.

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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.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Smith County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in Smith County

Smith County has 3 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.

  • Carthage (2,266)
  • South Carthage (1,584)
  • Gordonsville (1,387)

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Smith County Arrest Records

The Smith County arrest records guide names the four agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 1,068 arrests the four agencies with every month of 2025 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.

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Smith County Records Guides

SearchSystems has nine more guides to Smith County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Smith County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Smith County inmate search (the jail, its numbers and who books people into it), Smith County criminal records (the court file, the Tennessee criminal history and the local arrest records), Smith County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Smith County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Tennessee Public Records Act requires), Smith County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Smith County DUI (the DUI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Smith County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Smith County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Smith 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.

Where do I look up a court case in Smith County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Smith County is at tncourts.gov/node/9782392. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Smith County?

The Register of Deeds, at smithcotn.com/register-of-deeds. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Smith County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Smith County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Smith County vital records at tn.gov/health/vr.html, phone 855-874-7686, or from the Tennessee state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Smith County?

Through the records request page at smithcotn.com. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.