Davidson County
Located at the center of the State of Tennessee, Davidson County is the 37th largest county in the state, covering 503.5 square miles of land area. The county is named for William Lee Davidson, a North Carolina general. With over 715,000 residents, Davidson County is North Carolina's second most populous county.
Davidson County's court structure comprises circuit courts, chancery courts, criminal courts, general sessions courts, juvenile courts, and municipal courts. The municipal courts are the lowest courts, and they have jurisdiction over violations of municipal ordinances.
The general session courts hear preliminary hearings in all criminal cases and may share jurisdiction with the municipal courts over violations of municipal ordinances. Civil cases handled by the general sessions court include certain general civil cases without financial limits, such as forcible entry and detainer and the recovery of personal property.
Juvenile courts are divisions of the general session court, and they handle certain violations of parental responsibilities by guardians or parents. Some juvenile delinquency cases are also handled by these courts. Most cases focused on equity in relationships are handled by chancery courts typically. They share jurisdiction with the circuit courts concerning adoption, divorce, arbitration, the trustees appointed, name changes, paternity, and the removal of nuisances. For cases of state agencies against corporations, the chancery courts handle things exclusively. This is true for land boundary disputes as well.
Both circuit and criminal courts share their jurisdiction over any criminal cases. The circuit courts in Davidson County have general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. They handle cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts in the county.
The Offices of the Circuit Court Clerk maintains court records for the respective courts in the county. The county defines the Offices of the Circuit Court Clerk to include the circuit court clerk's office, probate court clerk's office, and the general sessions-civil division court clerk's office. You may access public court records by visiting the addresses of the offices of the circuit court clerk.
Also, the Offices of the Circuit Court Clerk provide a case information search resource via its CaseLink Public Inquiry System. The system provides convenient 24/7 access to case information for cases filed in the circuit, probate, and general sessions of civil courts. In addition, the criminal court clerk provides a case information search resource of the records of the criminal court on its website.
