Tennessee Background Check Guide · 2025
Whether you're applying for a healthcare role at Vanderbilt or HCA in Nashville, a logistics job at FedEx in Memphis, an engineering position at Oak Ridge, or a teaching license through the Tennessee Department of Education, the employer is pulling your record from one source: the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's TORIS system. The TBI runs the state's official criminal history repository, and they let anyone, including you, request a name-based check for $29.
This guide explains how Tennessee's record system works, what shows up, and how the state's expungement law (TCA 40-32-101), substantially expanded since 2017, can clear eligible records from your file.
Tennessee's TORIS database is fed from 95 counties and dozens of municipal courts, which means disposition gaps are a real risk. Running a $29 self-check on yourself is the cheapest way to know exactly what shows up before an employer or licensing board sees it.
Common Tennessee record errors: cases that were dismissed in General Sessions Court but never closed at the TBI level, judicial diversion cases that completed successfully but weren't expunged, and identity matches with similar names. A $29 self-check catches these quickly and the TBI has a formal correction process.
Tennessee expungement orders from circuit, criminal, or general sessions courts need to make their way to the TBI to actually remove the record from TORIS. The process isn't automatic. Running a self-check 60–90 days after the court grants expungement confirms the record was actually cleared statewide.
Tennessee's major employers, HCA, Vanderbilt, FedEx, Nissan, Volkswagen, all run thorough background checks. The state's licensed professions (nursing, medicine, real estate, security) require fingerprint-based TBI + FBI checks. Knowing what's on your record beforehand lets you address concerns proactively.
Tennessee's growth markets, particularly Nashville, depend heavily on commercial screening reports that aggregate TBI and court data. Errors flow downstream into those reports. Fixing them at the source is the only durable solution.
Felony convictions and most misdemeanor convictions processed in Tennessee criminal, circuit, and general sessions courts appear on the TORIS record unless expunged. The report shows offense, court, conviction date, and sentence.
Arrest records, including arrests not leading to conviction, appear on the TORIS record. Under TCA 40-32-101(a)(3), nolle prosequi cases and dismissed cases are eligible for expungement.
Tennessee's judicial diversion program (TCA 40-35-313) allows certain first-time offenders to complete probation without a formal conviction. Successfully completed diversion cases are eligible for expungement, but the expungement isn't automatic.
Open and pending charges appear on the TORIS record. If a case was dismissed and the disposition wasn't transmitted to the TBI, the record may still show "pending" until corrected.
Federal court records, out-of-state convictions, juvenile records (sealed by default), most traffic offenses (excluding DUI), and civil cases fall outside the TBI system. A complete personal check usually combines the state report with federal and multi-state sources.
The fastest official route is the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's TORIS portal at tn.gov/tbi/divisions/cjis-division/background-checks.html. Pay $29 by credit card, enter the subject's name, date of birth, race, and sex, and receive results electronically. Anyone can request a TORIS check on anyone, no special authorization required.
For licensed professions and the most accurate record, schedule a fingerprint appointment through IdentoGO. The state portion runs roughly $35 plus fingerprinting fees. The combined TBI + FBI check is what most employers in regulated industries actually use.
Tennessee counties run their own court record systems. Larger jurisdictions like Davidson County (Nashville) and Shelby County (Memphis) offer free online case searches. This catches case histories that may not yet be in TORIS.
For a single report combining Tennessee TBI data with federal courts, multi-state records, and sex offender registries, a professional service is fastest. Background-Check.com consolidates all of this in one report.
For nationwide coverage based on fingerprints, request an Identity History Summary directly from the FBI.
Tennessee's expungement statute has been overhauled multiple times since 2012. Current eligibility includes:
The expungement filing fee was reduced from $180 to $100 effective July 1, 2019, and dismissed cases now have no filing fee at all. Excluded offenses include violent felonies, sex offenses, DUI, and offenses involving serious bodily injury.
Allows first-time offenders charged with eligible felonies or misdemeanors to be placed on probation without a formal conviction being entered. After successful completion, the case is dismissed and the record is eligible for expungement under TCA 40-32-101.
Enacted in 2016, SB 2440 directs state agencies to remove criminal-history questions from initial applications for state executive-branch jobs. The question can be asked later in the hiring process. Private employers in Tennessee can still ask on initial applications.
Third-party background checks in Tennessee are governed by the FCRA: written consent required, pre-adverse-action notice required, right to dispute errors, and 7-year cap on non-conviction reporting.
The THRA does not specifically protect criminal history, but the Tennessee Human Rights Commission follows EEOC individualized-assessment guidance for employer use of conviction records.
For $29 with electronic results, the answer is yes, particularly if you have any judicial diversion case, any dismissed or nolle-prosequi case you assumed was cleared, or any older conviction that may now be eligible for expungement under TCA 40-32-101. The cost is minimal compared to the value of knowing exactly what employers and licensing boards will see.
For a comprehensive personal report combining Tennessee TBI data with federal records, sex offender registries, and out-of-state convictions, run a multi-source check through Background-Check.com.
The fastest route is the TBI TORIS online portal: $29, electronic delivery, no fingerprints required. For deeper coverage, run a fingerprint-based TBI + FBI check through IdentoGO, search county court records, or use a professional multi-state service.
Tennessee has no state cap on conviction reporting. The federal FCRA caps non-conviction records (arrests not leading to conviction) at 7 years on third-party employment reports. Expunged records are removed entirely.
Records expunged under TCA 40-32-101 should be removed from the TBI database and should not appear on FCRA-compliant employer background reports. Because Tennessee expungements aren't automatic, verify yours was processed by running a TORIS check after the court order.
TBI TORIS name-based: $29. TBI fingerprint-based (state + FBI): approximately $50–$80 depending on vendor. Expungement filing fee: $100 (or $0 for dismissed cases). FBI Identity History Summary: $18. Professional comprehensive multi-state checks: $20 to $80.
Yes, when they use a third-party background check company, the federal FCRA requires written authorization. State agencies covered by SB 2440 cannot ask about criminal history on initial applications. You always have the right to see any report used in a hiring decision and dispute inaccuracies.