Davidson County Court Record Requests
Start online with CaseSearch or CaseLink for Circuit, Probate, and General Sessions Civil; the Criminal Clerk search for criminal matters; or the Chancery public page and CIA. For an official copy, call the responsible clerk, visit the counter, mail a specific request, or use the Circuit Clerk public-record form. General Sessions Civil also publishes an email route. Tennessee Public Case History applies only to appeals.
- Identify the Davidson County court, case, and document.
- Choose online access, counter inspection, phone, mail, email where published, or the records form.
- Submit the case number, parties, record type, and date range.
- Review the estimate and prepay authorized copy or delivery costs.
- Receive plain copies or request the clerk's certification.
Davidson Chancery Image Access
Chancery CIA provides index access from 1997 and viewable filings from 2009 for $45 quarterly or $180 annually per user ID.
See the official CIA access terms.
The paid image layer does not replace a certified clerk copy. Chancery trial and motion dockets remain a separate free route.
Open the Chancery docket source.
Together, the sources distinguish scheduled events from the filed record.
Kinds of Court Records
A Davidson County file may include complaints, petitions, warrants, indictments, answers, motions, briefs, notices, affidavits, exhibits, orders, judgments, plea papers, sentencing documents, bonds, service returns, fee entries, and the docket sheet. Availability depends on court type and confidentiality rules. Audio, transcripts, and some exhibits follow special procedures. A court reporter, rather than the clerk's copy counter, may hold the transcript.
- [RECORD TYPE 1 - e.g. case files and docket sheets]
- [RECORD TYPE 2 - e.g. judgments and orders]
- [RECORD TYPE 3 - e.g. criminal case records]
- [RECORD TYPE 4 - e.g. civil and family records]
- [RECORD TYPE 5 - e.g. probate and estate records]
Davidson Records Across Court Levels
The Tennessee judiciary portal routes readers to statewide rules, clerks, appellate resources, and court information.
It does not offer one statewide Davidson trial-file search. Trial records stay with local clerks.
For an appeal, Public Case History supplies appellate events and documents through the prior business day.
Read the official appellate search explanation.
This source traces a Davidson case after it leaves the trial court.
Court Records: What They Contain
The docket is the index to a Davidson County case file. It lists acts and dates, while each filed item carries its own text and legal effect. Compare an event description with the actual order before relying on an outcome. The caption identifies public parties, the case number identifies the file, and the register links pleadings, settings, orders, judgments, and disposition entries.
| Case Number | The court-specific identifier printed on the file. |
|---|---|
| Pleadings | Petitions, complaints, motions, answers, and notices. |
| Orders & Judgments | Signed rulings and final decisions. |
| Docket Sheet | The chronological register of filed and scheduled events. |
| Exhibits | Filed evidence and attachments, subject to access limits. |
Davidson Request Form Details
The Circuit Clerk request form asks for contact details, Tennessee citizenship proof, inspection or copy choice, delivery preference, and a detailed description with record type, dates, subject, or key words. It does not require a reason for inspection. Copies and delivery charges are prepaid.
If prompt production is impracticable, the policy calls for a response within seven business days. The office can set an inspection time, attach copies, provide pickup, explain delay for retrieval or redaction, or issue a written denial. It need not create a report that does not exist.
Be specific: Name the Davidson County court, case, document, and time range so the custodian can locate an existing record.
Copy Fees and Certification
A plain copy reproduces a record. Certification adds the clerk's seal and attestation. Davidson Circuit and Chancery list $0.50 per page and $5 certification per document plus copying. Chancery exemplification adds $10 plus copies. Circuit lists a $300 record-on-appeal preparation fee. Ask the Criminal Clerk for its current case-specific charge because no separate current fee was located in its public pages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $0.50 per page |
| Circuit or Chancery certification | $5 per document plus copies |
| Chancery exemplification | $10 plus copies |
| Circuit record on appeal | $300 |
Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk
1 Public Square, Suite 302
Nashville, TN 37201
615-862-5181
Davidson Appellate Record Route
The direct Public Case History search accepts appellate criteria.
Use it for a Tennessee appeal, not as a substitute for the local trial file. The trial clerk prepares the record on appeal, while the appellate system tracks later events.
This split explains why an appellate opinion may be online even when a trial exhibit is not. The originating Davidson County clerk remains the source for certified trial documents.
Access Rules for Court Records
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 supports public access while preserving sealing, confidentiality, redaction, security, and court control. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, expunged, and protected personal information may be withheld. During supervised inspection, the Circuit Clerk policy permits photographs of open records, but those images cannot be certified. Personal flash drives cannot be inserted into Metro computers. A public-record request cannot override a court sealing order.
Key Rules:
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 sets the statewide framework for public access to judicial records.
Circuit Clerk Public Records Policy governs inspection, copies, citizenship proof, redaction, and response procedure.
Chancery Public Records Search explains historic holdings, online coverage, copy fees, and restricted files.
Davidson Rule 34 Boundaries
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 is the official court-record access rule.
The rule concerns judicial records. The Tennessee Public Records Act also informs the Circuit Clerk's administrative request policy, including specificity, citizenship proof, inspection, copying, redaction, and written responses.
Requesters may inspect open records at a supervised appointment and photograph them, but a personal photograph is not a certified copy. Ask the clerk which route governs the exact Davidson County material sought.
Three record layers answer different needs. The docket sheet gives a chronological index. A filed document supplies the text behind one entry. A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and attestation. CaseSearch can identify the file but does not display images. CaseLink and Chancery CIA provide some images within their own coverage periods, yet a downloaded image is not automatically a certified record.
Older Chancery material illustrates why the counter still matters. The Clerk and Master holds records from May 1846, far earlier than the online index and image dates. Staff may need to use microfilm or microfiche for a historic pleading, decree, or docket sheet. Supply a year range, party names, and subject so the search remains specific. The custodian may charge actual vendor cost when outside duplication is required.
A transcript is another distinct item. The clerk's docket may note a hearing without holding a word-for-word transcript. Contact the court reporter when a transcript is needed and ask about preparation and cost. Exhibits can also have special handling because of size, custody, sealing, or protected data. These limits do not make the full case secret; they mean each part of a Davidson County court record must be requested from its proper custodian.
Davidson County Clerk Routing
Send a request to the clerk who keeps the original. Joseph P. Day maintains Circuit, General Sessions Civil, Probate, and Traffic Violation Bureau records. Howard Gentry maintains Criminal Court and General Sessions Criminal files. Maria M. Salas maintains Chancery records. Juvenile Court and municipal clerks retain their own files. A request sent to the wrong office can produce a no-record response even when another Davidson County custodian holds the case.
For mail or counter service, include the case number, party names, court, document title, and filing date if known. State whether inspection, a plain copy, or certification is needed. Ask for an estimate before a large order. The policy allows pickup, mail, and electronic delivery where practicable after required prepayment. Clerk staff can locate and copy records, but they cannot select documents for a legal purpose or give legal advice.
The response form distinguishes several outcomes. Records may be ready for inspection, attached for delivery, scheduled for pickup, delayed for retrieval or redaction, or denied in writing. A denial can reflect an unclear request, a record the office does not maintain, missing citizenship proof, an unpaid estimate, or a legal access bar. That explanation helps the requester correct the channel or description.