The Carter County jail roster is a publicly accessible record of individuals currently held at the Carter County Jail in Tennessee. CarterCourt.us can help you find publicly available information about current and recent inmates, including booking details and charges. You can also access jail roster information through the Carter County Sheriff's Office inmate search page, by calling the jail directly, or by visiting in person. A jail roster search allows the public to confirm whether someone is in custody, view the charges against them, and check booking dates. The Carter County Sheriff's Office maintains the roster, which is hosted online and updated as inmates are booked in or released.
Search Current Inmates in Carter Jail
There are several ways to look up someone currently held at the Carter County Jail.
Online Search
- Visit the Carter County Sheriff's Office inmate search page.
- The roster displays a list of in-custody inmates sorted by booking date. Each entry typically shows the inmate's name, booking date, and charges.
- If the page does not offer a built-in search field, use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows or Cmd+F on Mac) to search for a specific name.
- You can also search for publicly available court and inmate information through CarterCourt.us.
To search, you will need at least the individual's full legal name. A booking number, if known, can help narrow results.
By Phone
Call the Carter County Sheriff's Department to ask whether a specific person is currently in custody. Staff can confirm basic booking information over the phone.
In Person
You may visit the Carter County Sheriff's Department in Elizabethton during regular business hours to inquire about current inmates.
Carter County Sheriff's Department
Juvenile offenders are not listed on the public jail roster. Records involving minors are confidential under Tennessee law.
For felony conviction records beyond the county level, the Tennessee Felony Offender Information Lookup (FOIL) provides a statewide search maintained by the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Find Carter Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created each time an individual is processed into the Carter County Jail. This happens after an arrest, when jail staff record identifying details and the circumstances of the detention.
Information generated at booking typically includes:
- Booking number
- Date and time of booking
- Charges at the time of intake
- Arresting agency (Carter County Sheriff's Office, Elizabethton Police Department, or another agency)
- Bond amount, if set
The most direct way to access current booking records online is through the Carter County inmate search page. This roster shows individuals who are currently in custody along with their booking information and charges.
If you need records for someone who has already been released, the online roster may no longer display that entry. In that case, you can submit a written public records request to Carter County. The county has adopted a Public Records Policy under Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(g). Requests must be submitted in writing using the Public Records Request Form available on the Carter County website. The Public Records Request Coordinator for Carter County is Heather Yates.
For criminal case records such as felony convictions or General Sessions Court cases, contact the Carter County Circuit Court Clerk's office at (423) 542-1835.
Search the Carter Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The Carter County jail roster supports two primary ways to locate an inmate:
Search by Last Name
- Enter or look for the individual's last name on the roster page.
- If the roster displays a browsable list rather than a search field, use your browser's built-in find function to jump to the name.
- Double-check spelling — even a small error can cause a name to be missed. Try common alternate spellings if your first attempt returns nothing.
- If both a first and last name are available, use both to narrow results, especially for common surnames.
Search by Booking Number
- If you already have a booking number (from a bail bondsman, attorney, or prior search), use it to locate the exact record.
- Booking numbers are unique to each intake event, so this method avoids confusion when multiple people share the same name.
If No Results Appear
When a search returns nothing, consider these possibilities:
- The person may have already been released or transferred.
- The name may be spelled differently in the system than expected — try variations or initials.
- There may be a delay between the actual booking and when the record appears online.
- The individual may have been booked under a legal name that differs from the name you know.
If you still cannot locate someone, call the Sheriff's Department at (423) 542-1845 to verify whether the person is in custody.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Carter
The Carter County jail roster is updated as bookings and releases are processed, but there is no guarantee of real-time accuracy. Several factors affect what you see on the roster at any given moment:
- Processing delays: After an arrest, it can take time for jail staff to complete intake paperwork and enter the record into the system. An individual may be physically in custody before their name appears online.
- Release lag: When someone posts bond or is otherwise released, their record may remain on the roster briefly until staff update the system.
- Current custody only: The online roster reflects who is in the jail right now. It is not an archive of all past bookings. Once an inmate is released, their listing is typically removed.
- Data entry variations: Names, charges, and other details are entered manually. Occasional discrepancies in spelling or charge descriptions can occur.
For historical booking records or records of individuals no longer in custody, you will need to file a written request under the Tennessee Public Records Act. Carter County accepts these requests through its Public Records Request Form. Certain records — including those involving juveniles, ongoing investigations, or sealed cases — may be exempt from disclosure under statutory exceptions.
For statewide criminal background checks, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation offers official background check services for a fee.