| Circuit Court Clerk | Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk |
|---|---|
| Clerk and Master (Chancery Court) | Shelby County Chancery Court Clerk & Master |
| Clerk address | Circuit Court Clerk: 140 Adams Ave, Room 324, Memphis, TN 38103. Chancery Court: 140 Adams Ave, Room 308, Memphis, TN 38103. Criminal Court Clerk: 201 Poplar Ave, Suite 3034, Memphis, TN 38103. General Sessions Civil: 140 Adams Ave, Room 106, Memphis, TN 38103; Criminal: 201 Poplar Ave, Suite LL-81, Memphis, TN 38103 |
| Phone | Circuit Court Clerk (901) 222-3800; Chancery Court (901) 222-3900; Criminal Court Clerk (901) 222-3200; General Sessions Civil (901) 222-3400; General Sessions Criminal (901) 222-3500 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:30pm |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Shelby County is Tennessee's largest county and, unusually for the state, splits its trial-court records across four separate elected clerks. The Circuit Court Clerk keeps civil lawsuits and divorces filed in Circuit Court. The Chancery Court Clerk & Master keeps equity cases, probate, and estate matters. A standalone Criminal Court Clerk — its own elected office, not shared with the Circuit Clerk — keeps felony criminal records. And General Sessions Court, created by a 1941 private act, has its own clerk's office entirely, split into civil and criminal divisions.
All four offices publish free online case searches, which makes Shelby one of the more transparent Tennessee counties for remote research, but it also means you may need to check three or four different websites to be sure you have found everything tied to a name.
Search Shelby County court records online
Circuit Court Clerk
Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk
- Cost
- Free online case search; fees for copies
- Coverage
- Circuit Court civil lawsuits and domestic relations cases
- Records
- Civil, Family
Online case search: https://circuitdata.shelbycountytn.gov/crweb/ck_public_qry_main.cp_main_idx
Clerk and Master (Chancery Court)
Shelby County Chancery Court Clerk & Master
- Cost
- Free online case search; fees for copies
- Coverage
- Chancery Court equity cases, probate, and estate administration
- Records
- Civil, Probate
Online case search: https://chancerydata.shelbycountytn.gov/chweb/ck_public_qry_main.cp_main_idx
Other courts
Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk
- Cost
- Free online case search; fees for copies
- Coverage
- Felony criminal cases in Criminal Court
- Records
- Criminal
Independently elected office, separate from the Circuit Court Clerk. Online case portal at cjs.shelbycountytn.gov/CJS.
Other courts
Shelby County General Sessions Court
- Cost
- Free online case search
- Coverage
- General Sessions civil claims, evictions, preliminary hearings, and misdemeanor cases
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
Civil and criminal divisions have separate offices; civil case search is at gs2.shelbycountytn.gov.
What is available online
Each of the four clerks runs its own case-search system, and none of them are linked together. The Circuit and Chancery searches cover civil, family, and probate filings; the Criminal Court Clerk's portal covers felony cases; and the General Sessions civil search is a separate lookup again. There is no single search that returns results across all four offices, so a thorough name search in Shelby County means checking each one.
Which clerk has your record
In Tennessee, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Tennessee page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts | Civil lawsuits; Divorce and other domestic relations matters; Appeals from General Sessions, Juvenile, and Municipal Courts | Circuit Court Clerk of the county |
| Chancery Courts | Contract and equity disputes; Probate and estate administration (in most counties); Name changes | Clerk and Master |
| Criminal Courts | Felony prosecutions; Some misdemeanor appeals from General Sessions | Criminal Court Clerk where a separate office exists; otherwise the Circuit Court Clerk |
| General Sessions Courts | Civil claims up to the county's statutory limit; Preliminary hearings in felony cases; Misdemeanor trials where a jury is waived | Varies by county — a dedicated General Sessions clerk, the Criminal Court Clerk, or the Circuit Court Clerk |
| Juvenile Courts | Delinquency; Dependency and neglect; Custody and parentage | Juvenile Court Clerk (often the same office as General Sessions or Circuit Court in that county) |
| Municipal Courts | City ordinance violations; Traffic tickets issued by city police | City court clerk for that municipality |
Request records in person or by mail
Shelby County clerk offices
Circuit Court Clerk: 140 Adams Ave, Room 324, Memphis, TN 38103. Chancery Court: 140 Adams Ave, Room 308, Memphis, TN 38103. Criminal Court Clerk: 201 Poplar Ave, Suite 3034, Memphis, TN 38103. General Sessions Civil: 140 Adams Ave, Room 106, Memphis, TN 38103; Criminal: 201 Poplar Ave, Suite LL-81, Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: Circuit Court Clerk (901) 222-3800; Chancery Court (901) 222-3900; Criminal Court Clerk (901) 222-3200; General Sessions Civil (901) 222-3400; General Sessions Criminal (901) 222-3500
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:30pm
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
Circuit Court records (civil, divorce, family). Search online or request copies from the Circuit Court Clerk at 140 Adams Ave, Room 324, Memphis, TN 38103, or by mail. Include the case number, the documents you need, and whether you want them certified.
Chancery Court records (probate, estates, equity). Request from the Clerk & Master at 140 Adams Ave, Room 308. Probate requests commonly need the estate file number or the decedent's name and date of death.
Criminal Court records. Contact the Criminal Court Clerk's office at 201 Poplar Ave, Suite 3034, which is a separate elected office from the Circuit Court Clerk.
General Sessions records. Civil claims and evictions go through the General Sessions Civil office (140 Adams Ave, Room 106); criminal General Sessions matters, including preliminary hearings, go through the Criminal Division at 201 Poplar Ave, Suite LL-81.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Clerk fees are set by Tenn. Code Ann. Title 8, Chapter 21, Part 4 (the general schedule, including a per-page copy fee and a certification fee) and Part 5 for appellate clerk fees. Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-409 sets a separate, often higher, fee schedule for clerks in Tennessee's charter-government counties, which is why offices in Shelby and Davidson can charge different amounts than smaller counties. Confirm the current per-page and certification fee with the specific clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Tennessee court records are presumed open under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 (Public Access to Court Records), which sets the general presumption of access and lists the categories courts must treat as confidential.
The Tennessee guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Shelby County have four different court clerks?
Shelby County created a standalone Criminal Court Clerk and a standalone General Sessions Court by private act, in addition to the Circuit Court Clerk and the Chancery Court Clerk & Master that most Tennessee counties have. Each keeps its own separate case records and website.
Where do I look up a Memphis criminal case?
Felony cases are with the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk, a separate elected office from the Circuit Court Clerk. Misdemeanor and preliminary-hearing matters are with General Sessions Criminal instead.
How do I find a Shelby County probate or estate record?
Probate is handled in Chancery Court, so search or request records from the Chancery Court Clerk & Master, not the Circuit Court Clerk.
Are Shelby County court records searchable online for free?
Yes. The Circuit Court Clerk, Chancery Court Clerk & Master, Criminal Court Clerk, and General Sessions Civil office all offer free online case searches, though each is a separate website with its own search.
Sources
- Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk — https://www.shelbycountytn.gov/338/Circuit-Court-Clerk
- Shelby County Chancery Court — https://www.shelbycountytn.gov/222/Chancery-Court
- Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk — https://www.criminalcourtclerkkuhn.com/
- Shelby County General Sessions Court — https://www.shelbycountytn.gov/225/General-Sessions-Court
- Tennessee Courts — Circuit, Criminal, and Chancery Courts — https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/circuit-criminal-chancery-courts
- Tennessee Courts — General Sessions Courts — https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/general-sessions-courts
- Tennessee Courts — Court Clerks — https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-clerks
- Tennessee Courts — Find a Court Clerk — https://www.tncourts.gov/programs/self-help-center/find-court-clerk
- TBI TORIS — Background Checks — https://tbibackgrounds.tbi.tn.gov/Toris/
- Tennessee Courts — Opinions Search — https://www.tncourts.gov/opinionsview/all
- Tennessee Courts — Public Case History (appellate docket search) — https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/public-case-history
- Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 — Public Access to Court Records — https://www.tncourts.gov/rules/supreme-court/34
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-32-101 — Expunction of records (via Justia) — https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-40/chapter-32/section-40-32-101/
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-401 — Clerk fee schedule (via Justia) — https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-8/chapter-21/part-4/section-8-21-401/
See also: all Tennessee counties.