Tennessee Charge Code Lookup

Type a Tennessee charge code from a booking sheet, jail roster or ticket and see which law book and section it points to, with a link to the official text. It runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

Enter a code to see which law book it comes from and open the official text.

Tennessee criminal code books and abbreviations

Tennessee offenses are cited to one main law book:

  • Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA, T.C.A.). Sections are written as title-chapter-section (39-13-101), for example 39-13-101, 55-10-401, 39-17-418. Official code site

After an arrest in Tennessee: the first court appearance

Anyone arrested (other than on a capias after indictment or presentment) must be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest appropriate magistrate. (Tenn. R. Crim. P. 5(a)(1))

Any person arrested–except upon a capias pursuant to an indictment or presentment–shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest appropriate magistrate of:

Tennessee courts call this hearing the initial appearance.

What this page does not do

  • It does not look up a person, a booking or a case.
  • It does not say what a charge will lead to; the prosecutor decides what is filed.
  • Tennessee does not publish a free page for every section, so some results link the official code index.
  • It collects nothing; what you type stays in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I read a Tennessee charge code?

Find the number and the abbreviation. TCA is the Tennessee Code Annotated. A section is written as title-chapter-section (39-13-101). The lookup above links the official text.

How long can you be held in Tennessee before seeing a judge?

Anyone arrested (other than on a capias after indictment or presentment) must be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest appropriate magistrate. (Tenn. R. Crim. P. 5(a)(1)).

Sources

Checked against the sources above on October 20, 2026.

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