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Office: Johnson County Emergency Management Agency – Director Jason Blevins | 216 Honeysuckle Street, Mountain City, TN 37683 | (423) 727-2507 | [email protected]
911: Johnson County E-911 – 216 Honeysuckle St, Mountain City, TN 37683 | (423) 727-7669; dispatches for Johnson County and the Town of Mountain City.
Sheriff: Johnson County Sheriff’s Office – (423) 727-7761 | Fax: (423) 501-1400 | [email protected]
Rescue: Johnson County Emergency Rescue Squad – 203 Vandilla St, Mountain City, TN 37683
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. NAMING TRAP: Johnson County TN (seat: Mountain City) is a completely separate jurisdiction from the city of Johnson City, TN, which is actually in neighboring Washington County – do not confuse the two when researching emergency services.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-421 and SH-67 serve Mountain City, the county seat, in Tennessee’s northeasternmost corner near the Virginia and North Carolina borders
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Johnson County was formed in 1836, named for early settler Thomas Johnson. It is Tennessee’s easternmost county and, by average elevation, genuinely one of the highest – if not THE highest – counties in the state. Mountain City itself, at 2,418 feet, is the highest incorporated city in Tennessee. The county is home to the two highest communities in the state: Trade (3,133 feet) and Shady Valley (2,785 feet). The county’s highest point, Snake Mountain’s lower peak near the North Carolina line, reaches 5,518-5,574 feet.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Johnson County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via johnsoncountytn.gov.
Notes: Explorer Daniel Boone genuinely used the Trade Gap in southern Johnson County on an expedition to Kentucky in 1769, following the same route earlier used by the 1673 Needham and Arthur expedition – part of the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail runs through the area today. In 1949, quarry workers near Mountain City discovered a cave containing early Mississippian-era (circa 1000 AD) burials.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Johnson County Veterans Service Office – confirm current officer name/phone via johnsoncountytn.gov; assists with benefit claims, insurance issues, and supplemental policy information, including for low-income veterans and families.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Johnson County Public Library – Mountain City, TN | confirm current address/phone via johnsoncolib.org. NAMING TRAP: do not confuse with the unrelated Johnson County Public Library in Paintsville, Kentucky.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Watauga Lake, along the county’s southern edge, and the Roan Valley Golf Course are real local draws. Roan Mountain and Doe Mountain offer significant elevation and scenic hiking nearby. Mountain City’s downtown revitalization has added parks, a swimming pool, and tennis courts; the Johnson County Welcome Center is one of the largest in the state.
Notes: The genuine “highest county/highest city in Tennessee” elevation superlatives are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Johnson County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via johnsoncountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Mountain City Animal Control – located in Mountain City, TN; confirm current phone/address via johnsoncountytn.gov.
Nonprofit: Johnson County Humane Society, Inc. – PO Box 307, Mountain City, TN | (423) 768-0896; an all-volunteer, no-kill, government-funding-free 501(c)(3) serving Mountain City and Butler, funded by rummage sales and donations; has adopted animals as far as New York, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Johnson County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via johnsoncountytn.gov.
NOTES: Johnson County is the fourth county in this batch (Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Lauderdale) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine “highest county in Tennessee” elevation heritage, and the naming trap distinguishing it from the separate city of Johnson City (in Washington County), are both worth flagging. 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 Johnson County County
Johnson County is Tennessee’s far northeast Blue Ridge corner – Watauga Lake’s cold mountain waters and the Appalachian Trail’s passage through the high ridges near three state borders define one of Tennessee’s most remote and scenically dramatic counties.
Mountain City (the county seat, population ~2,500) is Johnson County’s governmental hub, a small northeast Tennessee mountain town serving the county’s communities near the Virginia and North Carolina borders.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Johnson County Assessor of Property at 222 W. Main Street, Mountain City, TN 37683, phone 423-727-7841.
Courts & Legal
Johnson County Circuit Court at 222 W. Main Street, Mountain City, TN 37683, phone 423-727-7841, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
222 West Main St, Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-9932
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Johnson County Clerk and Master, Mountain City (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Johnson 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, Johnson County PO Box 196, Mountain City, TN 37683 (423) 727-7853 Johnson County is in northeastern Tennessee, seated in Mountain City.
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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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
726 South Church St, Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-8145
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
222 West Main St, Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-9954
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1717 South Shady St, Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-9731
DHS Office
1717 South Shady St, Mountain City, TN 37683
(423) 727-8749
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Johnson County Health Department – confirm current contact via johnsoncountytn.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mountain City
Population: 18,500
Public Records
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