Tennessee Filing and E-Filing

FamilyCourtHelp is an independent educational platform. It is not a court, law firm, government agency, or government partner. We organize and link to publicly available resources published by courts and government agencies. Official requirements may change. Always confirm current requirements with the applicable court or clerk.

Tennessee has no statewide e-filing yet. Some counties such as Davidson, Shelby, and Rutherford run their own systems, so check with your county clerk; a single statewide system is being built but is not live as of mid-2026.

In most Tennessee counties, people without lawyers file divorce and custody papers on paper with the Circuit or Chancery Court clerk.

In Tennessee, online filing is only partly open to a parent without a lawyer, so check what applies to your court before you count on it.

Official Tennessee filing resources

Official links below open in a new tab. You are leaving FamilyCourtHelp and opening an external government or court website.

Tennessee official filing information (Tennessee judicial branch): The court's own page explaining how documents are filed in Tennessee and what a parent without a lawyer is allowed to do. https://www.tncourts.gov/

Find a Tennessee courthouse (Tennessee judicial branch): Find the courthouse or clerk that serves your area, with locations and contact details. https://www.tncourts.gov/courthouse

Tennessee family law forms (official index) (Tennessee judicial branch): The official statewide collection of Tennessee family law forms. When a direct document link stops working, this index is where the current version lives. https://www.tncourts.gov/programs/self-represented-litigants/forms

Tennessee court self-help resources (Tennessee courts self-help): Official self-help information for people handling their own Tennessee family case, including instructions and plain-language guides. https://www.tncourts.gov/programs/self-help-center

Tennessee rules of procedure (Tennessee judicial branch): The court rules that control deadlines, service, and how family cases move in Tennessee. https://www.tncourts.gov/rules

Official link data for Tennessee was last verified June 2026. Report anything outdated through our contact page and we will re-check the official source.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file my own family papers online in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, online filing is only partly open to a parent without a lawyer, so check what applies to your court before you count on it. In most Tennessee counties, people without lawyers file divorce and custody papers on paper with the Circuit or Chancery Court clerk.

How much does it cost to file a family case in Tennessee?

Divorce filing fee: ~$184-$300. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk about a fee waiver or indigency application; every state has a process for requesting one.

Which court hears family cases in Tennessee?

Family cases in Tennessee are heard in the Chancery or Circuit Court. A Tennessee divorce can be filed in either Chancery Court or Circuit Court; some counties also have a juvenile court for custody. Tennessee's 95 counties are grouped into judicial districts.