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Tennessee · Southeast Tennessee · #828
Bradley County, Tennessee
In the Ridge and Valley province of southeast Tennessee between Chattanooga and the Cherokee National Forest, Bradley County's Cleveland is the world headquarters of the Church of God - one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the world - and the home of Lee University, giving a county of 110,000 people a global religious institutional presence that shapes its character in visible ways.
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Office: Cleveland-Bradley County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security – Director Troy Spence | 1555 Guthrie Drive NW, Cleveland, TN 37312 | confirm current phone via clevelandbradleytnoem.gov; offers a state-of-the-art public notification signup platform.
EMS: Bradley County EMS – Director Mike Garren | (423) 728-7010 | Fax: (423) 476-0496 | [email protected]; two stations, 12 ambulances and 6 ancillary vehicles.
Fire: Bradley County Fire Rescue – 260 Inman Street E, Cleveland, TN 37311 | (423) 728-7293 | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4 PM (HQ).
911: Bradley County 911 – confirm current phone via bradley911.com.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and US-64 serve Cleveland, the county seat, in southeast Tennessee near the Georgia state line
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Bradley County, established May 2, 1836, is named for Colonel Edward Bradley of Shelby County, a Revolutionary War and War of 1812 veteran. It was carved out of the Ocoee District, formerly part of the Cherokee Nation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Cleveland Building/Permits – confirm current contact via clevelandtn.gov; for unincorporated Bradley County, contact the County Mayor’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Bradley County is home to a profoundly significant piece of American history. Red Clay State Historic Park, a 260-263-acre site on the county’s southern end along the Tennessee-Georgia line, served as the last capital of the Cherokee Nation’s eastern government from 1832 until 1837/38 – 11 general councils were held here as Cherokee leaders made repeated, ultimately unsuccessful appeals to the U.S. president, Congress, and federal courts to avoid forced removal. It was here that the Cherokee learned they would be removed west via what became the Trail of Tears. The site includes the sacred Blue Hole Spring (used by the Cherokee during council meetings), replica 19th-century Cherokee structures (council house, farmhouse, barn, sleeping huts), and the Eternal Flame memorial honoring those who suffered and died on the Trail of Tears and commemorating the 1984 reunion of the Eastern and Western Cherokee nations. It’s a National Register of Historic Places listing (1972) and certified interpretive site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Nearby Rattlesnake Springs served as the actual gathering point where Cherokee families departed on their forced journey west.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bradley County Veterans Services – Bradley County Courthouse, 1st Floor, Ste. 106, 155 Ocoee St NW, Cleveland, TN 37311 | (423) 728-7100
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Cleveland Public Library – the library’s Historical Branch maintains a real, dedicated collection of material on Cherokee history; confirm current address/phone via clevelandtn.gov.
Additional resource: Red Clay State Historic Park’s visitor center (James F. Corn Interpretive Facility) also houses a small library alongside its museum and video theater.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Red Clay State Historic Park (see above) is the county’s most significant heritage site. The Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland documents the broader Ocoee Region’s history, spanning the overlapping Hiwassee/Cleveland/Cherokee Nation territory. Charleston, on the Hiwassee River, was the real site of the Cherokee Agency (Hiwassee Agency) beginning in 1819, serving as the historic “gateway to Indian country” and home to U.S. Agents of Cherokee Affairs including Return Jonathan Meigs.
Notes: Genuinely one of the most historically significant counties in this project regarding Cherokee history and the Trail of Tears – a somber, extensively documented, and carefully preserved chapter of American history centered here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bradley County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via bradleycountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Cleveland Animal Control – Hours: Monday-Friday 12-5 PM, Saturday 10 AM-12 PM, closed Sunday; serves residents of the City of Cleveland only; contact via (423) 479-2122 for pickup requests within city limits.
Independent nonprofit: Cleveland Animal Control (nonprofit, distinct from the city department by the same name) – founded 2014, operates on the No Kill Equation model serving the broader Bradley County community with adoptions, lost-and-found assistance, and education.
Additional resource: SPCA of Bradley County, Tennessee – a no-kill animal shelter organization.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Bradley County has separate animal control coverage – the confirmed city-run service covers Cleveland proper only.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bradley County Recycling Center – confirm current contact via bradleycountytn.gov.
NOTES: Bradley County is the sixth county in this batch (Anderson, Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine, deeply significant Cherokee/Trail of Tears history centered at Red Clay is among the most historically important sites covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Bradley County
Bradley County’s Church of God, headquartered in Cleveland since 1908, has grown into one of the world’s largest Pentecostal denominations – with millions of members across 180 countries, its administrative, publishing, and educational operations make Cleveland a global religious center that the city’s modest size would not otherwise suggest. Lee University, affiliated with the Church of God and enrolling about 5,000 students, provides higher education grounded in the denomination’s evangelical tradition.
The Ocoee River corridor, north of Cleveland in the Polk County borderlands, hosted the whitewater events at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics – the river’s Class IV and V rapids had established a reputation among kayakers and rafters for decades before the Olympics brought global attention. Cleveland’s downtown has invested in revitalization. Tennova Healthcare Cleveland provides regional medical services.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value. Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Equalization. Tennessee offers a property tax relief program for qualifying elderly and disabled homeowners. Tennessee has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
CIRCUIT/CHANCERY COURT
Address: 155 North Ocoee St, Cleveland, TN 37311
Phone: (423) 728-7220
Website: tncourts.gov/courts/bradley
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
155 North Ocoee St, Cleveland, TN 37311
(423) 728-7226
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bradley County Clerk and Master, Cleveland (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bradley County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clerk and Master, Bradley County 155 North Ocoee Street, Room 203, Cleveland, TN 37364 (423) 728-7204 Bradley County is in southeastern Tennessee, seated in Cleveland.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Tennessee has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Instead, Tennessee uses its own common form and solemn form probate framework, governed by Title 30 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. In Bradley County, the Clerk and Master (part of Chancery Court) administers probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 through 30-4-103) – available when the value of the probate estate does not exceed $50,000 (personal property; real property is generally excluded). The affidavit can be filed no sooner than 45 days after death. A bond payable to the state is commonly required to protect creditors and other heirs, though it is often waived when the person filing is the estate’s sole heir/beneficiary, or when all heirs consent in writing.
Common Form Probate – the standard, uncontested path: the will (if any) is admitted to probate without formal notice to all interested parties, and the personal representative is appointed and issued Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will).
Solemn Form Probate – used when formal proof of the will’s validity is needed, typically because of an anticipated will contest; requires notice to all interested parties and a hearing.
Muniment of Title – used to transfer real estate when there is a valid will but no other assets requiring administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files the original will (if one exists) and a Petition for Probate of Will or Petition for Letters of Administration with the Bradley County Clerk and Master.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (testate) or Letters of Administration (intestate), giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors in a local newspaper; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly around 4 months from the notice) to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets (may be waived by the will or by all beneficiaries).
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes.
The estate is closed with a final accounting (unless waived) and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Bradley County directly.
Tennessee has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or executors – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval if contested.
Tennessee does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Typical timeline for a simple, uncontested estate: roughly 6-9 months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
2290 Blythe Ave, Cleveland, TN 37311
(423) 728-7300
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
1701 Keith St, Cleveland, TN 37311
(423) 728-7250
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
2650 Westside Dr, Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 728-7247
DHS Office
372 Guthrie Dr NW, Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 476-0791
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bradley County Health Department – confirm current contact via bradleycountytn.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Cleveland
Population: 108,000
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Bradley County facilities via Amazon.
