Search Chattanooga 24 Hour Booking
Chattanooga 24 hour booking records come from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which runs the county jail and processes all arrests made in the city. The Chattanooga Police Department handles law enforcement within city limits, but booking goes through the sheriff. You can search Chattanooga booking records online through the ISOMS portal. This page explains how to find recent Chattanooga arrests, what booking data is public, and how to get copies of records you need.
Chattanooga Quick Facts
Chattanooga 24 Hour Booking Search
Hamilton County uses a system called ISOMS for booking reports and inmate searches. ISOMS stands for Inmate Security and Offender Management System. The Hamilton County corrections page links to the booking report tool. You can look up anyone currently held at the jail. Results show charges, bond amounts, booking dates, and court info.
The search is free. No account needed. Just go to the site and type a name. If the person was booked at the Hamilton County Jail, their record will come up. The system updates throughout the day, so most Chattanooga arrests show up within a few hours of intake.
For people who want to check recent arrests without searching a specific name, the site also has a daily booking report. This shows everyone brought in during the last 24 hours. It is the fastest way to see who got booked in Chattanooga on any given day.
How Chattanooga Booking Works
The Chattanooga Police Department responds to calls around the clock. CPD is based at 3410 Amnicola Highway and covers everything from patrol to criminal investigations to traffic enforcement. When officers make an arrest, they transport the person to the Hamilton County Jail at 6230 Dayton Boulevard in the West Annex area. Jail staff handle the rest of the process from there.
At the jail, staff take a photo, log the charges, and run a background check. They check for outstanding warrants in other counties too. Bond gets set based on the charges, and some offenses require a judge to review bond before the person can post bail. The whole intake can take a few hours for a basic case. More serious charges in Chattanooga take longer.
Hamilton County Jail offers free onsite video visits. Remote video visits are also an option through GettingOut.com. You need a government-issued ID to set up a visit, and your name has to match the ID exactly. The visitation office number is 423-209-7086, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You must be 18 or older and free from incarceration for at least 6 months to qualify as a visitor.
Note: The Hamilton County Jail phone number for general jail info is 423-209-7125.
Public Records Access in Chattanooga
Chattanooga booking records are public. The Tennessee Public Records Act under Tenn. Code Ann. 10-7-503 gives any Tennessee citizen the right to inspect government records during business hours. That includes arrest reports, booking logs, and charge sheets from Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
There are two main ways to get Chattanooga police reports. The City Attorney's Office runs an Open Records Center where you can browse records, submit new requests, and track their status. You can also go in person to Suite 200, 2nd Floor, City Hall Annex at 100 E. 11th Street. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Call 423-643-8250 for help.
For records from the sheriff's office side, contact the Hamilton County Sheriff's Records Office at 423-209-7111. Their office is at the West Annex on Dayton Boulevard. Accident and incident reports from deputies are available during business hours.
Juvenile records are sealed. Medical data from the jail stays private. Active investigation files may be held back. But standard adult booking records in Chattanooga remain open.
Chattanooga Booking Resources Online
The Chattanooga Police Department website has news, annual reports, and the CPD Policy Dashboard. The department holds CALEA accreditation and posts updates on crime trends in the city.
For non-emergency calls to Chattanooga police, dial 423-698-2525. The Crime Stoppers Hotline is 423-698-3333. A Drug Tip Hotline is available at 423-493-2878, and the Homicide Tip Line is 423-643-5100. All of these accept anonymous tips if you have info about a Chattanooga case.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office site links to booking reports, warrant lookups, and jail services. If you need older Chattanooga booking records that are no longer on the daily list, you can file a formal public records request. Hamilton County 911 records are available through a separate portal at hamiltoncotn911.nextrequest.com, or call 423-495-1711.
Fees for Chattanooga Records
The online booking search is free. No cost to view. Paper copies of Chattanooga booking records carry a small fee per page, set by the Tennessee Public Records Act. Certification costs extra. You can pay with cash, check, or money order.
Standard response time is 7 business days under state law. Complex requests may take longer. The City of Chattanooga's Open Records Center lets you track your request status online, which is useful if you are waiting on a large batch of records.
- Online booking search: free
- Paper copies: nominal fee per page
- Certified copies: additional certification fee
- Response time: 7 business days standard
- Payment: cash, check, or money order
A statewide criminal history check through the TBI TORIS system costs $29 per name. That covers all of Tennessee, not just Chattanooga. The FOIL lookup is free and shows people in state prison, though it does not include Hamilton County jail inmates.
Chattanooga Record Retention
Arrest records in Chattanooga are kept permanently. They do not expire. Incident reports follow Tennessee state retention standards, which vary by type. Booking reports are posted daily and archived by the sheriff's office. Body camera footage is held per departmental policy, and you can request it through the Open Records Center if it relates to a public incident.
If you need a Chattanooga arrest removed from your record, you may qualify for expungement through the Hamilton County courts. Not every charge is eligible. Talk to a lawyer or contact the circuit court clerk for details on what qualifies and how to file.
Hamilton County Booking Records
Chattanooga sits in Hamilton County. All booking and detention runs through the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. The county page covers the full court system, fee details, and record types beyond the 24 hour booking list.
Nearby Tennessee Cities
Cities near Chattanooga have their own booking records through their county jails. Pick a city below to see booking info for that area.