Sumner County Courthouse Guide: Parking, Dress Code, and What to Expect on Your Court Date

The Sumner County Courthouse is at 155 East Main Street in downtown Gallatin, at the corner of East Main Street and South Boyers Avenue, next to the Gallatin Public Library. The building opened on June 3, 2024, and houses the county's Circuit, Chancery, Criminal, General Sessions, and Juvenile courts. If you have an older notice or directions that point to the historic courthouse on the public square, go to 155 East Main Street instead.

Below is what to expect on your court date, from parking and security to the dress code, which floor to go to, and where to find your case information online.

Sumner County Courthouse address, hours, and phone numbers

• Address: 155 East Main Street, Gallatin, TN 37066.
• Hours: Clerk's offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays.
• Circuit Court Clerk (Circuit, Criminal, General Sessions, and Juvenile Court): (615) 452-4367. Press extension 2 for General Sessions criminal and traffic, extension 3 for General Sessions civil (including collections and orders of protection), and extension 6 for Juvenile Court.
• Clerk and Master (Chancery Court and probate): Room 3600, (615) 452-4282 for civil and domestic matters, (615) 451-6036 for delinquent taxes and probate.
• Jury information: (615) 934-5120.

Where to park for the Sumner County Courthouse

The county built a public parking garage on East Franklin Street, behind the Gallatin Church of Christ and across from Christian Towers, one block north of the courthouse. The District Attorney's visitor directions point court visitors to this garage. From the garage, it is a short walk to the main entrance on East Main Street.

Allow extra time on busy docket mornings, when many people arrive at once for the same starting time.

Security screening: what you can and cannot bring

Everyone entering the building is subject to search by Sumner County Sheriff's Office security personnel. The posted Building Rules for the Sumner County Courthouse include the following:

• No firearms, under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1359.
• No weapons of any kind, including knives of any size, chemical spray, brass knuckles, tasers, or any other item perceived to be a weapon.
• No bags, purses, pocketbooks, backpacks, briefcases, or duffle bags. Exceptions: small single-compartment clutches no larger than 5 by 8 inches (straps or handles allowed); diaper bags for guests with infants or toddlers; medical bags no larger than needed for necessary medical equipment; and breast pumps and other bags required for guests with ADA needs.
• No food, drink, gum, or candy of any kind in the courtroom.
• Cell phones are permitted but must be kept on silent.

Sumner County Courthouse dress code

The courthouse's posted dress code prohibits the following:

• Shorts above the knee, sagging pants, short skirts, or short dresses.
• Tank tops, tube tops, halter tops, or midriff tops.
• Clothing with obscene, profane, or inappropriate images or messages.
• Hats or headwear of any kind, except religious coverings.

What to expect when you arrive

Sheriff's deputies and court officers may use reasonable discretion in applying the building rules. Attorneys and approved agency personnel with proper ID, and court staff, are exempt from them. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, leave it in the car.

A safe choice is to dress as you would for a job interview or a place of worship: clean, conservative clothing such as slacks or a knee-length skirt with a collared shirt or blouse.

After you clear security, the public elevators are to your right. Check the posted docket or ask a court officer if you are unsure which courtroom to go to.

Many hearings are set on a docket, meaning many cases are called for the same starting time. Expect to wait for your case to be called, and plan your day accordingly. When your case is called, stand, answer clearly, and address the judge as "Your Honor."

Bring your summons, notice, or warrant and copies of any documents you want the court to see. Court clerks and staff can help with procedures and paperwork, but they cannot give legal advice. Under the district's local rules, parties to a pending case may not contact the judge about it outside of court.

Which floor is my court on?

When the courthouse opened in June 2024, it was laid out as follows. Courtroom assignments can change, so always confirm your courtroom before your hearing date.

• First floor: Circuit Court Clerk's office, Jury Assembly room, Adult Probation, and the Special Grand Jury room.
• Second floor: General Sessions courtrooms (including Courtrooms A and D) and a Resolution Center with conference and meeting rooms.
• Third floor: Juvenile Court, Juvenile Administration, and the Clerk and Master's office for Chancery Court (Room 3600).
• Fourth floor: Reserved for future expansion.
• Fifth floor: Chancery, Circuit, and Criminal courtrooms, including Courtroom 5D, where most trials are held.

Which court hears your case?

General Sessions Court handles many of the everyday matters that bring Sumner County residents and businesses to court. The General Sessions Court's published schedule of case types by day is:

• Monday: probation violations, private prosecutions, and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
• Tuesday: driving offenses and orders of protection.
• Wednesday: drug offenses, domestic assault, and orders of protection.
• Thursday: civil cases, including landlord-tenant disputes (evictions) and collections. Non-collection civil matters begin at 9:00 a.m.; collection matters begin at 1:00 p.m.
• Friday: TWRA (wildlife) violations and state trooper tickets.
• Circuit Court hears larger civil lawsuits, divorces and other domestic cases, and appeals from General Sessions.
• Chancery Court hears equity matters such as disputes over title to real property, partition, contract and business disputes, and probate.
• Criminal Court hears felony cases and criminal jury trials.
• Juvenile Court hears delinquency, dependency and neglect, truancy, termination of parental rights, and related domestic matters involving children.

Jury duty at the Sumner County Courthouse

Jurors report to the Jury Assembly room on the first floor. The same parking, security, and dress code rules apply to jurors. The Circuit Court Clerk offers jury text alerts: text SUMNERJURY to (866) 426-9531. For questions, call the jury line at (615) 934-5120.

The clerk's office warns that it does not call people about a failure to appear for jury service. If you receive a call like that, especially one demanding payment, treat it as a scam.

Accessibility and accommodations

The courthouse was completed in 2024 to modern accessibility standards, and the public elevators are just to the right after security. If you or a witness needs an accommodation to take part in a court proceeding, the Tennessee Judicial Branch provides a Request for Modification form and a local ADA coordinator for each county. Submit the request as far ahead of your court date as you can. Examples of assistance include a sign language interpreter, Braille documents, or moving a proceeding to an accessible location. The policy, form, and coordinator list are linked below.

About the new Sumner County Courthouse

Ground was broken on August 24, 2021. The total cost of the courthouse and its companion parking garage was reported at approximately $83 million. At the opening, Chancellor Louis W. Oliver III noted that for the first time, all of the county's courts were located in one building.

The building was designed by SSOE in collaboration with ESa Architects and built by Turner Construction. It is five stories tall, plus a basement, and contains more than 200,000 square feet. The brick, cast stone, and glass exterior was designed to fit the historic character of downtown Gallatin, and a large Palladian window over the center entrance brings natural light into the upper floors. Inside, a ten-foot stained-glass Lady Justice window was created by Nashville artist Dennis Harmon, a judge's bench from the courthouse that served the county from 1838 to 1938 has been preserved, and the building displays a painting by local artist David Wright.

The courthouse also reflects how quickly Sumner County is growing. The county's population rose from 130,449 in 2000 to 160,645 in 2010 and 196,281 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census, and 2025 estimates put it above 215,000. The building was planned for that growth: when it opened, the entire fourth floor was left unfinished for future expansion.

Current Sumner County judges

According to the Sumner County Election Commission's list of court officials, the county's trial judges are:

• Circuit Court: Judge Joe Thompson.
• Circuit Court: Judge Jennifer Nichols, appointed to a newly created seat effective September 1, 2024, and elected to it in August 2026.
• Chancery Court: Chancellor Louis W. Oliver III.
• Criminal Court: Judge Dee David Gay.
• General Sessions, Division I: Judge Ron Blanton.
• General Sessions, Division II: Judge David Howard, who also presides over Juvenile Court.
• General Sessions, Division III: Judge Kee Bryant-McCormick.
• Circuit Court Clerk: Kathryn Strong. District Attorney General, 18th Judicial District: Thomas Dean.

A local law office four blocks from the courthouse

The Law Office of Stephen Nault is at 121 South Hickory Avenue in Gallatin, just off West Main Street. The courthouse is four blocks east along Main Street: past Locust Avenue and Foster Street, through the public square, and on the next block at South Boyers Avenue.

Stephen Nault regularly handles matters in the Sumner County courts, including landlord-tenant cases in General Sessions and real estate and business disputes in Chancery and Circuit Court, so clients have a local office close to where their case will be heard.

This guide was last reviewed on September 28, 2026. Courtroom assignments, building rules, phone numbers, and officeholders can change, so confirm current details with the appropriate clerk's office before your court date.

Educational disclaimer: This article provides general information about visiting the Sumner County Courthouse and is not legal advice about any specific case or matter.

A practical next step, if you have a real estate, landlord-tenant, or business matter in Sumner County, is a focused review of your documents and deadlines with Tennessee counsel before your first court date.