Rutherford County
Rutherford County is located in central Tennessee. It was formed in October 1803 and named after colonial legislator and military general Griffith Rutherford. According to data recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census, the county's total population was 341,486, and it covers an area of 619 square miles. Its administrative center is in Murfreesboro City.
Rutherford County's judicial system consists of a Circuit Court, Chancery Court, General Sessions Courts, Juvenile Court, and Municipal Courts. The Circuit Court is the county's highest jurisdiction court. Although this court has authority over all criminal and civil cases within the county, the bulk of the cases it addresses are cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. The Chancery Court handles divorces, adoptions, trustee petitions, and probate proceedings for the sale of property. The General Sessions Courts can only handle certain types of civil and criminal cases. For example, they only conduct preliminary hearings for felonies and hear civil cases where the disputed amount is below $25,000. The Juvenile Court presides over all juvenile cases. However, its jurisdiction over juvenile cases is shared with the Circuit Court. Lastly, municipal ordinance violations and mild traffic law offenses are heard in the Municipal Courts.
Rutherford County public court records include a variety of case-related documents such as case filings, court judgments, motions, and orders. These records are produced during proceedings related to both civil and criminal cases. They typically contain details about the involved parties, the legal claims, evidence presented during the proceedings, and the final ruling of the judge. The Rutherford County Circuit Court Clerk is the official tasked with filing, recording, managing, and providing access to these court records. In line with state judicial laws, the office provides access to the following court records:
- Adult criminal records
- Civil records
- Certain family records
- Probate records
To view these court records, interested individuals may visit the Rutherford County online court records database. Alternatively, they may obtain the court records by making an in-person visit to the Clerk's Office at:
Room 201, Judicial Building
20 Public Square North
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone: (615) 898-7820
Requesters usually incur a fee of $0.50 per page to download and make copies of the court records. If the requester desires a certified copy of the record, an additional $5 fee will be charged for certification. Also note that if a record search is performed by court staff, an additional $10 charge applies, and if the record sought is a criminal record, the search may cost up to $30.
