Search Davidson County Court Records Through the Court That Actually Holds the Case
Davidson County does not use one public database for every court. Civil Circuit, Probate and General Sessions–Civil cases use CaseSearch; criminal cases use the Criminal Court Clerk system; Chancery has a separate public-record search; and juvenile matters follow separate access rules.
Davidson County is part of Tennessee’s Twentieth Judicial District, but local record access is divided among several elected or appointed clerk offices. The correct search therefore depends on the court that heard the case rather than simply the county name.
This distinction is especially important in Nashville because General Sessions civil records and General Sessions criminal records are maintained through different clerk systems. Probate is handled through the Circuit Court Clerk structure, while Chancery records are maintained by the Clerk and Master.
Choose the Correct Davidson County Court-Record Search
How to Search Davidson County Court Records by Name
Circuit, Probate and General Sessions–Civil: Use CaseSearch
The Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk provides a free service called CaseSearch. It covers filed case information for Circuit Court, Probate Court and General Sessions–Civil Court.
The primary search field is the party’s name. You can also narrow results by office and by party type, including all parties, plaintiff/petitioner or defendant/respondent.
CaseSearch
Useful when you need basic case information and do not need online images of filed documents.
CaseLink
CaseLink is the Clerk’s subscription service for Circuit, Probate and General Sessions–Civil cases. It provides additional case details and selected document images. The current published subscription price is $25 per month.
Circuit Court Clerk contact
1 Public Square, Suite 302, Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: 615-862-5181
Current public hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:30 PM.
General Sessions Civil and Criminal Records Use Different Clerks
Davidson County General Sessions Court has both civil and criminal dockets, but the records are split between clerk offices.
| General Sessions matter | Record custodian | Best search route |
|---|---|---|
| Civil warrants, landlord-tenant, contract or tort claims | Circuit Court Clerk — General Sessions Civil | CaseSearch |
| Criminal charges and criminal dispositions | Criminal Court Clerk | Criminal Court Clerk Public Case Search |
| Metro traffic and qualifying citations | Traffic Violation Bureau | Ticket / Citation Portal |
The General Sessions–Civil Clerk is located at 408 Second Ave N, Suite 2110, Nashville, TN 37201. Current contact information lists 615-862-5195 and Monday–Friday hours of 8:00 AM–4:30 PM.
Search Davidson County Criminal Court Records Separately
The Criminal Court Clerk maintains its own public case-search system. The search accepts a first name, last name and optional date of birth, and the clerk cautions that the name should be entered as it appeared when the arresting or booking agency submitted the record.
CJIS data
The online system identifies General Sessions Court dispositions beginning January 11, 2000 and State Trial Court dispositions beginning July 11, 2000 as CJIS data.
Legacy records
The Criminal Court Clerk says legacy data includes records posted from 1980 up to the transition dates. For records before 1980, contact the office directly.
Criminal Court Clerk contact
Justice A.A. Birch Building
408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: 615-862-5601.
Requests for copies of affidavits, judgments, dispositions and other criminal court records may also be sent to crimclerkcopyrequest@jisnashville.gov.
Davidson County Chancery Court Has Its Own Record System
The Davidson County Clerk and Master maintains Chancery Court records from May 1846 to the present. Most records from 1997 forward can be searched through the Chancery public-record system.
Online case information can include party and attorney names, docket events, document titles and filing dates, court orders, dispositions, hearing dates and related-case references.
Start online
Search through the Clerk and Master’s Public Records Search when the case falls within the generally searchable modern period.
Contact the records office
Older Chancery searches and copies may require staff assistance, microfilm research or retrieval from off-site archival storage.
If you do not know the Chancery case number, provide the full names of the parties and the approximate filing year. That gives Records Division staff enough information to determine whether an older index must be checked.
Clerk and Master contact
1 Public Square, Suite 308, Nashville, TN 37201
Main phone: 615-862-5710
File room copies: 615-862-5710 ext. 71868.
Probate Records Are Part of the Circuit Court Clerk System
Davidson County Probate Court is the Seventh Circuit Court – Probate Division. It handles estate administration and probate of wills and also has jurisdiction involving guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, adult and minor name changes, legitimations and related matters.
Basic probate case information can be searched through the same free CaseSearch system used for Circuit and General Sessions–Civil matters.
Traffic Citation Records Depend on Who Issued the Citation
The Davidson County Traffic Violation Bureau is part of General Sessions Court and handles citations issued for various Metropolitan ordinances and Tennessee motor-vehicle laws.
Its Ticket / Citation Portal can be used for citation details and, when available for that ticket, payment, compliance submission, hearing requests and upcoming hearing information.
Traffic Violation Bureau
Justice A.A. Birch Building
408 Second Ave N, Suite 1160
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: 615-862-5222
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:25 PM.
Davidson County Juvenile Records Have Different Access Rules
Do not expect an ordinary public name-search tool to work the same way for juvenile matters. Tennessee law generally treats juvenile records as confidential, although access may be available to authorized people or through a court-approved disclosure process depending on the record and the requester’s legal interest.
The Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office accepts public-record requests through its own process, but submitting a request does not automatically make confidential case information public.
100 Woodland Street, Nashville
Phone: 615-862-7980
Email: juvenilecourtclerk@jisnashville.gov
Current clerk hours: 8:00 AM–4:30 PM.
Davidson County Court Copy and Certification Fees
Several Davidson County clerk offices currently use the same basic copy structure, but you should still confirm the amount with the office holding the specific case before paying.
| Office / service | Regular copy | Certified copy |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court Clerk | $0.50 per page | $5 certification + $0.50 per page |
| Criminal Court Clerk | $0.50 per page | $5 certification and seal + $0.50 per page |
| Chancery Clerk & Master | $0.50 per page | $5 seal + $0.50 per page |
| Chancery exemplified copy | Not applicable | $10 front-page authentication + $0.50 per page |
Information to prepare before requesting a document
- Complete case number, if known.
- Full party names.
- Exact court or clerk office.
- Approximate filing year.
- Document title or docket date.
- Whether certification is required.
- Preferred delivery method when the clerk offers more than one option.
Online Dockets Are Useful, but the Clerk’s Current Docket Controls
Davidson County publishes many Circuit, Probate, General Sessions and traffic schedules online. Those calendars are useful for planning, but the Circuit Court Clerk warns that additions or modifications may appear on the original docket without being reposted online.
If you expected a case to appear on a particular docket and it does not, contact the clerk’s office for the latest status rather than assuming the setting was canceled.
Older Davidson County Court Records May Be in an Archive
If an old case is not online, the answer may be archival rather than “no record.” Davidson County’s different systems have different electronic coverage periods.
| Record type | Useful historical clue | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal | Online legacy data reaches back to 1980. | Contact the Criminal Court Clerk for pre-1980 records. |
| Chancery | Office records date from May 1846; most 1997-present records are searchable online. | Ask the Clerk and Master about older files, microfilm or off-site retrieval. |
| Historic Circuit / County / Chancery material | Metro Archives preserves historical court books and case materials. | Use Nashville Public Library Metro Archives finding aids. |
Nashville Public Library’s Metro Archives identifies historical Chancery, Circuit and former Davidson County Court records, including minute books, docket books and older case files. This is useful for genealogy, property research and cases that predate modern electronic court systems.
Search Tennessee Appellate Cases Separately
If a Davidson County trial-court case was appealed, use the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts’ Public Case History. It covers Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals matters.
The appellate search supports case number, case style, party name and organization searches. The system includes appeals whose record was filed after September 1, 2006, and many post-August 26, 2013 appellate motions, orders, judgments and opinions can be opened directly as PDFs.
No Davidson County Case Appears? Use This Recovery Sequence
Check civil vs. criminal
A General Sessions civil matter belongs in CaseSearch, while a General Sessions criminal matter belongs in the Criminal Court Clerk system.
Check Chancery
A Chancery case will not necessarily appear where you searched Circuit or criminal matters.
Check archival coverage
Pre-1980 criminal records and older Chancery files may require direct clerk or archive research.
Consider confidentiality
Sealed, expunged, juvenile or otherwise protected material may not be available through ordinary public search tools.
- Verify the case type.
- Search the correct clerk’s system.
- Try the complete case number.
- Try a reliable name variation.
- Check the party role and office filters in CaseSearch.
- Check Chancery separately.
- Check Traffic or Criminal Court Clerk for citation matters.
- Use Tennessee Public Case History for appeals.
- Contact the clerk for an older or non-digitized file.
- Use Metro Archives when the record is historical.
Read a Davidson County Court Record Without Overstating It
| What appears | What it means | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Party name | A person or organization is listed in the case. | That a same-name search result belongs to the person you intended. |
| Criminal charge | A charge or citation was recorded. | A conviction. |
| Civil complaint | A claim was filed. | That the plaintiff prevailed. |
| Docket event | The court recorded a filing or event. | That the underlying filing is available as a public image. |
| Disposition | A recorded result or status exists. | That no later appeal, amendment or post-judgment action occurred. |
Use the internal Court Records Glossary when terms such as docket, disposition, judgment, sealed case or expungement are unclear.
For broader search strategy, see Court Records Search.
Davidson County TN Court Records FAQs
Where can I search Davidson County court records online?
Use CaseSearch for Circuit, Probate and General Sessions–Civil cases; the Criminal Court Clerk’s Public Case Search for criminal cases; and the Clerk and Master’s Public Records Search for Chancery cases.
Can I search Davidson County civil court records by name?
Yes. The free CaseSearch system is designed primarily for party-name searching and allows additional filtering by office and party role.
Does free CaseSearch show court documents?
No. The Circuit Court Clerk states that free CaseSearch provides basic case information without document images. CaseLink offers additional access, while official copies can also be requested from the clerk.
Where do I search Davidson County criminal records?
Use the Criminal Court Clerk’s separate Public Case Search at sci.ccc.nashville.gov. It accepts first and last name and an optional date of birth.
How far back does Davidson County criminal search go?
The Criminal Court Clerk identifies legacy online records dating from 1980. For criminal records before 1980, contact the Criminal Court Clerk directly.
How far back do Davidson County Chancery records go?
The Clerk and Master maintains Chancery records from May 1846 to the present. Most records from 1997 forward can be searched online, while older searches may require direct staff assistance.
How much is a certified Davidson County court copy?
The Circuit, Criminal and Chancery clerk information reviewed for this guide generally lists regular copies at $0.50 per page and certification at $5 plus the applicable per-page charge. Confirm the final amount with the office holding the specific case.
Are Davidson County juvenile court records public?
Juvenile records do not follow the same open-search model as ordinary civil or criminal cases. Tennessee law generally protects juvenile records, although authorized access or court-approved disclosure may be available in specific circumstances.
Where do I search an appeal from Davidson County?
Use Tennessee Public Case History for cases in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals. Keep the trial-court case number as well because the appeal receives its own appellate case number.
Why can I see a case but not the document itself?
A docket or case summary and the filed document are different things. Free search systems may expose case information without document images, and some documents may be restricted or require a copy request from the clerk.
Official Source Verification
This guide was checked against current Nashville/Davidson County and Tennessee court resources for CaseSearch, CaseLink, criminal searches, Chancery records, Probate, General Sessions, Traffic, juvenile access, copy charges, historical records and appellate case searches.
Fact-checked: September 23, 2026. Court systems, access rules, fees, office contacts and search coverage can change. Current instructions from the court or clerk maintaining the official record control when they differ from this independent guide.