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Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Rhea County Emergency Management Agency – Director Brad Harrison | 7800 Rhea County Highway, Dayton, TN 37321 | (423) 618-2592 | [email protected]
911: Rhea County E-911 Communications Center – dispatches Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and Rescue countywide, 24/7/365.
Sheriff: Rhea County Sheriff’s Department – 7800 Rhea County Hwy, Dayton, TN 37321 | (423) 775-7837
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-27 serves Dayton, the county seat, in southeastern Tennessee
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Rhea County was established in 1807, named for Tennessee politician and Revolutionary War veteran John Rhea. The county seat moved from the Washington community to Dayton in 1890, driven by the completion of the Cincinnati-Chattanooga Railroad and Chattanooga’s rapid growth.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rhea County Building Inspector – (423) 775-4514
Notes: Rhea County is genuinely, world-famously the site of the 1925 Scopes Trial – one of the first cases dubbed the “trial of the century.” Schoolteacher John T. Scopes was prosecuted for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in violation of Tennessee’s Butler Act, in a case that pitted famed orator William Jennings Bryan against defense attorney Clarence Darrow. The Rhea County Courthouse, 1475 Market Street, Dayton, built in 1890-91 in the Romanesque/Italianate style, is both a National Historic Landmark (designated 1976) and on the National Register of Historic Places (1972) specifically for hosting the trial – the original second-floor courtroom survives largely intact. The Rhea County Scopes Trial Museum, located in the courthouse, documents the case and its national significance in the ongoing debate over teaching evolution in public schools.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rhea County Veterans Affairs – (423) 775-7849; confirm current officer name via rheacountytn.org.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Clyde W. Roddy Public Library – 371 First Avenue, PO Box 226, Dayton, TN 37321 | (423) 775-8406 | Director Brittany M. West. Additional branch: Spring City Public Library – 169 W. Rhea Avenue, Spring City, TN 37381 | (423) 365-9757.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rhea County Courthouse/Scopes Trial Museum (see above) is the county’s premier, nationally significant heritage attraction.
Notes: The genuine Scopes Trial heritage is one of the most historically significant, nationally-recognized facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rhea County Register of Deeds – 375 Church St, #106, Dayton, TN 37321 | (423) 775-7841 | Fax: (423) 775-7895 | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Rhea County Animal Shelter – 7800 Rhea County Hwy (also cited at 9118 Back Valley Road, Evensville), Dayton, TN 37321 | (423) 775-7837 or (423) 775-2029; a Sheriff’s Department-affiliated facility, state-certified, made possible through over $45,000 in community donations and volunteer labor. The Sheriff’s Department fields roughly 85 animal-related calls per month.
Nonprofit: Animal Shelter Alliance of Rhea (ASA of Rhea) – supports the shelter’s veterinary protocols, spay/neuter program, and works toward a no-kill standard (euthanasia currently reserved for severe untreatable medical cases or severe aggression).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rhea County Convenience Centers – confirm current locations/hours via rheacountytn.org.
NOTES: Rhea County is the second county in this batch (Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine, world-famous 1925 Scopes Trial heritage is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere 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 Rhea County County
Rhea County is Tennessee’s Scopes Trial county – the 1925 courtroom drama that put Dayton and evolution on trial before the watching world made Rhea County one of the most historically significant small communities in American intellectual and legal history, a distinction the county embraces today through the preserved courthouse museum and annual commemoration.
Dayton (the county seat, population ~7,500) is Rhea County’s governmental hub on Chickamauga Lake, a Tennessee River city whose Scopes Trial courthouse, Bryan College, and lake recreation anchor a community shaped by one of American history’s most consequential legal battles.
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Rhea County Assessor of Property at 375 Church Street, Dayton, TN 37321, phone 423-775-7808. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Rhea County Circuit Court at 375 Church Street, Dayton, TN 37321, phone 423-775-7808, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1475 Market St, Dayton, TN 37321
(423) 775-7801
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rhea County Clerk and Master, Dayton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Rhea 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, Rhea County 7824 Rhea County Highway, Suite 421, Dayton, TN 37321 (423) 775-7806 Rhea County is in southeastern Tennessee, seated in Dayton.
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 Rhea 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 Rhea 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 Rhea 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
60 South Boyd St, Dayton, TN 37321
(423) 775-7813
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
1475 Market St, Dayton, TN 37321
(423) 775-7801
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1451 Market St, Dayton, TN 37321
(423) 775-7811
DHS Office
1451 Market St, Dayton, TN 37321
(423) 775-7817
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rhea County Health Department – (423) 775-7819
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Dayton
Population: 33,500
Public Records
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Search public records for Rhea County County residents.
