Davidson County Courthouse Guide: Which Building, Parking, Security, and Dress Code

Davidson County does not hold all of its courts in one building, and that is the first thing to get right before a court date in Nashville. Circuit Court and Chancery Court, the 20th Judicial District's two civil courts, sit in the Historic Metro Courthouse on Public Square. General Sessions civil cases, including landlord-tenant detainer warrants, are heard in the Justice A. A. Birch Building, a short walk away across James Robertson Parkway.

Below is what to expect for a civil court date or jury service in Davidson County: which building, clerk offices and phone numbers, parking, security, the posted dress codes, and where to find your case online.

Which building is my case in?

• Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Nashville, TN 37201: Circuit Court (the 1st through 8th Circuits) and Chancery Court (Parts I through IV). The 7th Circuit Court is designated to hear probate matters.
• Justice A. A. Birch Building, 408 Second Avenue North: General Sessions civil cases, including detainer warrants. Criminal Court and the Traffic Violations Bureau are also in this building.
• Juvenile Court: 100 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37213, (615) 862-8000.

Clerk offices, hours, and phone numbers

• Circuit Court Clerk: Historic Metro Courthouse, Suite 302, (615) 862-5181.
• Probate Clerk: Historic Metro Courthouse, Suite 302, (615) 862-5980.
• Clerk and Master (Chancery Court): Historic Metro Courthouse, Suite 308, (615) 862-5710.
• TTY relay: 1-800-848-0299.
• General Sessions civil clerk: Birch Building, Suite 2110, (615) 862-5195.

The Circuit Court Clerk, Probate Clerk, and General Sessions civil clerk's offices are open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the General Sessions civil clerk notes that it is closed on holidays. Call the Clerk and Master's office to confirm its hours before you go.

Where to park

The Public Square Garage at 101 James Robertson Parkway is the underground garage beneath the Historic Metro Courthouse (which also houses City Hall), with entrances off James Robertson Parkway and Gay Street. The General Sessions Court's parking page also lists the Court Square Garage at 300 James Robertson Parkway. Metro's directions note two accessible entrances to the courthouse, one from Public Square Park and one from the sidewalk on James Robertson Parkway.

If you take the bus, the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central, 400 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is about one block from Public Square Park.

Security screening: what you can and cannot bring

Security screening is mandatory. The General Sessions Court describes walk-through metal detectors, bag scanners, and pat-downs, and lists these items as not allowed:

• weapons of any kind, including firearms, knives, and pepper spray;
• sharp objects, such as nail files, scissors, and tools;
• illegal substances; and
• food and drink.

The jury office adds forks and knitting needles to the list of items screening will stop. Phones and laptops are allowed but must be silenced in the courtroom, and the judge has the final say. In Circuit and Chancery Court, the local rules require phones to be silenced or turned off, and they do not allow cameras or audio or video recording in the courtroom without the court's prior approval.

Dress code

The Davidson County trial courts' dress code, which applies to Circuit, Chancery, and Criminal Court, requires everyone entering a courtroom to be dressed appropriately, clean and neat. It does not allow shorts, flip-flops, or house shoes, sunglasses must be removed in court, and a person who does not follow it may be refused entry. General Sessions Court asks visitors not to enter the courtroom wearing halter tops, shorts, hats, torn clothing, or sagging pants, and its civil local rules require parties, counsel, and witnesses to dress appropriately for court.

Business casual clears every item on both lists: slacks or a skirt, a shirt with a collar or a blouse, and ordinary shoes rather than flip-flops.

General Sessions vs. Circuit and Chancery

• General Sessions Court, civil division: claims for money or property up to its $25,000 jurisdictional limit, and detainer warrants, which are possession and rent disputes between landlords and tenants. Civil dockets are heard in the Birch Building at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1A and at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1B, both on the first floor, under the court's civil local rules.
• Circuit Court and Chancery Court: the 20th Judicial District's two civil courts. Appeals from General Sessions go to Circuit Court.

General Sessions civil dockets start at 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. with many cases called at once, so expect to wait and plan your day around it. Clerks can explain filing procedures but cannot advise you on your case.

Jury duty in Davidson County

Jurors report to the Justice A. A. Birch Building, 408 Second Avenue North, Suite 1120, on the first floor, by 8:30 a.m. The jury office's parking directions point jurors to the Public Square parking facility at 101 James Robertson Parkway, and parking there is validated (one voucher per day). The jury office also warns jurors not to use a different garage at Fourth Avenue North and Deaderick Street, which it also calls the Public Square Garage. Only the 101 James Robertson Parkway garage is validated.

Service lasts one week or the length of the trial. Jurors are paid $20 per day. The jury office offers a free WeGo bus pass with five business days' notice. There is no specific dress code for jurors, but hats and non-prescription sunglasses are prohibited. The juror qualification form is online at ejuror.nashville.gov, and the jury office can be reached at (615) 862-5294, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Accessibility and accommodations

If you or a witness needs an accommodation to take part in a court proceeding, the Tennessee Judicial Branch's ADA policy page explains how to request one, and its ADA contacts page lists the coordinator for Davidson County's courts. Ask early, since some accommodations take time to arrange.

Case search, filing, and local rules

Circuit, Probate, and General Sessions cases can be looked up through CaseLink, a free basic case search, and the Circuit Court Clerk offers electronic filing. The Clerk and Master has its own public records search for Chancery Court and uses Odyssey eFileTN for electronic filing. The 20th Judicial District's local rules for Circuit, Chancery, Criminal, and Probate took effect June 1, 2026, and the General Sessions civil division has its own local rules. Links to all of these are below.

A Middle Tennessee civil practice

My office is in Gallatin, and I handle civil matters in Davidson County's courts, including landlord-tenant cases in General Sessions and business and real estate disputes in Circuit and Chancery Court. If you have a Davidson County case coming up and want to talk it through, contact the office.

This guide was last reviewed on October 11, 2026.

Educational disclaimer: This article provides general information about visiting the Davidson County courts and is not legal advice about any specific case or matter. Building assignments, hours, and rules can change; confirm the details for your case with the clerk's office before your court date.