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Office: Smith County Emergency Management Agency – Director Sonny Carter | 513 Jefferson Ave, Carthage, TN 37030 | (615) 735-8218 | [email protected]
EMS/911: Smith County EMS & 911 – Director Jeff Crockett (EMS Director since 2015, 911 Director since 2016; represents the Upper Cumberland region on the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association Board); provides 24-hour 911 response countywide plus non-emergency transports and hospital transfers for Riverview Regional Medical Center.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-25 and SH-141 serve Carthage, the county seat, on the Cumberland River
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Smith County was organized in 1799 from part of Sumner County, named for Daniel Smith, a Revolutionary War veteran who made the first map of Tennessee and served as a U.S. senator. The Smith County Courthouse (built 1877, Second Empire style, architect Henry C. Jackson) overlooks the Cumberland River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Smith County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via smithcotn.com.
Notes: Carthage is genuinely, notably the political hometown of the Gore family – both former U.S. Senator Albert Gore Sr. and his son, former Vice President and U.S. Senator Al Gore. Al Gore announced his 1988 and 2000 presidential campaigns, as well as his 1992 vice-presidential bid, from the steps of the Smith County Courthouse – a well-documented, distinctive local political history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Smith County Veterans Services – Officer Bruce Wentworth (started July 2020); confirm current phone/address via smithcotn.com.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Smith County Public Library – 215 N. Main St, Carthage, TN 37030; Director Betty Ann Finchum (appointed June 2023); offers READS digital audiobooks/eBooks, genealogy research, T.E.L. (Tennessee Electronic Library) access, free Wi-Fi, and public computers.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Smith County Courthouse and the Gore family political heritage are the county’s most distinctive local landmarks; the Cumberland River offers recreational opportunities near Carthage.
Notes: The genuine Gore family political heritage (both father and son) is a distinctive, checkable local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Smith County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via smithcotn.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: No dedicated county-run animal shelter currently operates in Smith County – this is a genuine, ongoing service gap. Smith County Humane, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been actively working to establish a physical shelter but has faced zoning obstacles; as of its own public statements, the organization maintains restricted donor funds earmarked for a future shelter while continuing to search for a compliant location within Carthage, South Carthage, or Gordonsville city limits.
IMPORTANT: This is an honestly-flagged, real service gap – confirm current status directly before relying on this section for a stray or lost pet situation.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Smith County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via smithcotn.com.
NOTES: Smith County is the third county in this batch (Sevier, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sullivan, Sumner, Tipton) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine Gore family political heritage (Al Gore’s presidential announcements from the courthouse steps) is a distinctive local fact; the lack of a dedicated animal shelter is an honestly-flagged, real, ongoing service gap. 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 Smith County County
Smith County is Middle Tennessee’s Al Gore hometown and Cumberland River county – the Vice President and Nobel laureate who grew up on a Carthage farm and the scenic Cumberland River that winds through the county define a community whose modest size belies its connections to American political history and environmental leadership.
Carthage (the county seat, population ~2,400) is Smith County’s governmental hub on the Cumberland River, a Middle Tennessee small city whose Al Gore heritage, river character, and agricultural traditions anchor its community identity northeast of Nashville.
All Services
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Smith County Assessor of Property at 122 Turner High Circle, Carthage, TN 37030, phone 615-735-2294. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Smith County Circuit Court at 122 Turner High Circle, Carthage, TN 37030, phone 615-735-2294, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
122 Turner High Cir, Carthage, TN 37030
(615) 735-2278
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Smith County Clerk and Master, Carthage (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Smith 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, Smith County 322 Justice Drive, Carthage, TN 37030 (615) 735-2092 Smith County is in Middle Tennessee, seated in Carthage.
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 Smith 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 Smith 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 Smith 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
234 Smith County Complex, Carthage, TN 37030
(615) 735-1234
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
122 Turner High Cir, Carthage, TN 37030
(615) 735-9834
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
328 Charles Smith Dr, Carthage, TN 37030
(615) 735-1785
DHS Office
328 Charles Smith Dr, Carthage, TN 37030
(615) 735-1721
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Smith County Health Department – confirm current contact via smithcotn.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Carthage
Population: 20,000
Public Records
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