Lincoln County
Lincoln County was created from parts of Bedford County, Tennessee, in 1809. Named after war hero Benjamin Lincoln, the county spans about 570 square miles of land in south-central Tennessee and has a population of 35,365 residents. Its county's most populous city and government seat is Fayetteville.
Lincoln County has five trial courts, including the Circuit, Chancery, General Sessions, Juvenile, and Municipal Courts. The Circuit Court rules on civil cases such as land disputes, worker's compensation lawsuits, divorces, adoptions, and guardianships. It has appellate authority to modify or review judgments from other lesser trial courts in Lincoln County. Felonies and misdemeanor trials are heard at the Lincoln County Criminal Court. Meanwhile, the General Sessions Court has limited jurisdiction over misdemeanors and civil lawsuits involving up to $25,000 in financial settlements. In Lincoln County, the Chancery Court handles all probate matters, while the Juvenile Court addresses cases related to minors. The Municipal Courts are in charge of resolving traffic offenses and ordinance violations.
Lincoln County public court records are documents containing information related to legal proceedings in the trial courts. They contain details such as litigant names, attorney names, case filings, dockets, motions, evidence, pleadings, transcripts, and judgments. The Circuit Court Clerk in Lincoln County maintains and disseminates the following court records to the public:
- Criminal court records
- Civil records
- Small claims records
- Property records
- Probate records
- Family court records
These documents are publicly accessible to ensure accountability, transparency, and public trust in the county's judicial processes. However, the Tennessee Public Records Act prohibits public access to confidential court records such as juvenile and adoption records. These restricted records contain sensitive information on vulnerable persons. Only the record owners and their legal representatives can obtain confidential court records by visiting the Court Clerk at:
Lincoln County Circuit Court Clerk
112 Main Avenue South, Room 203
Fayetteville, TN 37334
Phone: (931) 433-2334
Email: info@lincolntncourts.com
They can also use the Tennessee Public Case History search to view limited court records created in the county. While inspecting public court records is free of charge, the Circuit Court Clerk may include delivery and copying fees.
