Access Blount County Birth Records
Blount County birth records are managed through the Tennessee Department of Health and are accessible at the local health department in Maryville. The county health department issues short-form certified birth certificates for births from 1949 to the present. For births before 1949, contact the Tennessee Office of Vital Records in Nashville directly. You can also request records by mail or online through VitalChek. This page covers all your options for getting a certified birth certificate tied to a birth in Blount County.
Blount County Quick Facts
Blount County Health Department
The Blount County Health Department is at 301 McGhee Street, Maryville, TN 37801. The department handles in-person birth certificate requests for residents and issues short-form certified copies for births from 1949 to the present. For any birth that occurred before 1949, you will need to contact the Tennessee Office of Vital Records in Nashville, as those older records are not available at the local level.
The health department is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 3 PM. Walk-ins are welcome during those hours. You can reach the office at 865-983-4582 (fax: 865-983-4574). When you arrive, bring a completed application, a valid government-issued photo ID, and $15.00 per certified copy. The application is available to download from the Tennessee Vital Records applications page. Fill it out before you arrive to save time at the window.
Blount County is part of the Tennessee Vital Records Information System (VRISM), which connects all 95 county health departments. Through VRISM, the Maryville office can issue certified copies of birth certificates for births anywhere in Tennessee, not just Blount County. So even if you were born in a different county, you can often pick up your record locally.
The Blount County government website has contact information for all county departments, including health and vital records services.
The Blount County Health Department on McGhee Street in Maryville handles in-person birth certificate requests for births from 1949 to present.
For questions about what the health department can and cannot provide, check the detailed records page at blounttn.gov/278/Birth-Death-Records. The page explains which records are available locally versus through the state office in Nashville.
The Blount County Clerk serves county residents for many official needs; birth certificates are handled through the health department just down the road.
How to Get a Blount County Birth Certificate
There are three ways to request a certified birth certificate for a Blount County birth: in person at the health department in Maryville, by mail to the state office in Nashville, or online through VitalChek.
In person at the Blount County Health Department is the fastest option for births from 1949 onward. Bring your photo ID, a completed application, and $15.00. Staff can fulfill most requests the same day. Note that the office closes at 3 PM, so plan your visit for the morning or early afternoon. For births before 1949, skip the local office and go straight to the state or mail route described below.
For mail requests, send your completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order for $15.00 per copy to the Tennessee Office of Vital Records, 710 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37243. The state office handles all records, including those before 1949. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, with extended hours Tuesday and Thursday until 6 PM. The state phone number is (615) 741-1763. Mail processing can take several weeks, so plan ahead.
Online orders go through VitalChek, the only vendor authorized by the State of Tennessee for online birth certificate orders. Place your order on the VitalChek website, pay by credit or debit card, and the state mails the certificate to you. VitalChek charges the state fee plus a service fee. See the Tennessee Vital Records fees page for the full cost breakdown.
Who Can Request a Birth Certificate
Tennessee restricts who can get a certified birth certificate. The same rules apply in Blount County as anywhere else in the state.
Eligible requestors include:
- The person named on the certificate (18 or older)
- A parent listed on the birth record
- A legal guardian with court documentation
- A spouse or adult child of the person named
- An attorney representing any of the above
- A person with a court order allowing access
All requestors must provide a valid, government-issued photo ID. If you are requesting on someone else's behalf, bring your own ID plus evidence of your relationship or legal authority. For third-party requests, a signed letter from the person named on the record is helpful and may be required. Identity verification applies whether you request in person, by mail, or through VitalChek.
Genealogists and researchers can access records that are 100 or more years old. Those are publicly available. Records under 100 years old are restricted under Tenn. Code Ann. ยง 68-3-205 and require direct eligibility or a court order.
Online and Mail Options
Blount County is a larger East Tennessee county with easy access to Maryville, but online and mail options are fully available for those who prefer them or who need records for births that occurred before 1949.
VitalChek handles all online Tennessee birth certificate orders. Submit your request on their website, verify your identity, and pay by card. The state processes the order and mails the certificate. VitalChek is convenient for out-of-state requests and adds a service fee on top of the base $15.00 state fee.
Mail requests go to Tennessee Office of Vital Records, 710 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37243. Include your completed application from the applications page, a photocopy of your photo ID, and a check or money order made out to Tennessee Vital Records. Sending by certified mail gives you a tracking number and confirms delivery. For records before 1949, the state office is the only route. The Tennessee Vital Records website has answers to common questions about both methods.
Historical Blount County Birth Records
Tennessee began statewide birth registration in 1908. The first years of registration, 1908 through about 1912, had incomplete coverage in many parts of the state. Full compliance was not reached until around 1927. For births before 1908, no official state record exists. Blount County's records from the early registration era are part of the statewide system but may have gaps for very rural births and home deliveries that were not reported promptly.
For records 100 years old or older, the Tennessee Electronic Vital Archives (TEVA) provides free public access. Visit digitaltennessee.tnsos.gov/tennessee_births/ to search and view scanned original birth records. The database is searchable by name, county, and year, and new records are added as they cross the 100-year mark. This is the best starting point for genealogical research into Blount County births from the early twentieth century.
The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) at 403 Seventh Ave N in Nashville holds church records, county registers, and other documents that fill in the gaps before and around the early registration period. TSLA is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 AM to 4 PM. Reach them through sos.tn.gov/library-archives. Remote research assistance is available for those who cannot travel to Nashville. For more on Tennessee genealogy research, see the state's Genealogy Research page. The Tennessee vital records access regulations lay out the legal framework for record access in full detail.
Cities in Blount County
Maryville is the county seat and the largest city in Blount County. It has a dedicated birth records page with details on local resources.
Nearby Counties
Blount County is in East Tennessee near the Smokies and borders several other counties, all participating in the same statewide birth records system.