Start with the Criminal Court Clerk, not the general County Clerk
Davidson County criminal court records are handled by the Criminal Court Clerk of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Its online case system provides free public record summaries for many criminal matters, while the clerk’s office provides in-person inspection, copies and certified records. Jail records, statewide Tennessee criminal history and felony-offender records are maintained by different agencies, so the correct search depends on the information you actually need.
Choose the right Davidson County record source first
A court case, jail booking and statewide Tennessee criminal-history report are different records. Searching the wrong agency is one of the main reasons people think a record is unavailable.
Local court case
Davidson County charges, docket entries, General Sessions dispositions, State Trial Court dispositions and other public criminal case information.
Jail / offender record
Local custody and general offender jail records maintained by the Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
Statewide Tennessee history
Tennessee adult criminal-history information through the state’s central criminal-history repository.
Felony offender record
Information on people currently or formerly in TDOC custody or under Tennessee correctional supervision.
Police report
Incident reports, accident reports and police-created records should generally be requested from Metro Nashville Police.
Criminal appeal
Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Supreme Court case information is searched separately.
Search Davidson County criminal cases online for free
The Criminal Court Clerk of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County provides a public Search Case Information system.
The clerk states that free online record summaries are available to the public. These records reflect public filed documents and docket entries maintained by the office.
Open Davidson County case searchOpen Search Case Information
Start at the Criminal Court Clerk website rather than a private background-check site.
Search the defendant
Enter the person’s name as accurately as possible. The clerk specifically warns that name searches should use the name as it was entered at the time of arrest.
Compare date of birth when shown
Do not rely only on a common first and last name. Some results may not include DOB, so additional verification may be necessary.
Open the case detail
Review charges, court events and dispositions rather than stopping at the defendant-name result.
Get a certified copy if needed
When the result will be used for an official purpose, obtain records directly from the clerk.
How to search a Davidson County defendant name more accurately
The Criminal Court Clerk’s search has an important local quirk: the name needs to match the way it was entered when the person was arrested.
- try the full legal name first
- include the middle name or initial if known
- check previous or maiden names when relevant
- compare date of birth whenever available
- use the case number once you find the correct file
- re-run an important search before relying on older results
How far back does Davidson County’s online criminal history go?
Davidson County’s system separates newer CJIS data from older Legacy Data.
| Record group | Online coverage described by clerk | What to do for older records |
|---|---|---|
| General Sessions dispositions | Beginning January 11, 2000 | Older entries may appear as Legacy Data or require clerk assistance. |
| State Trial Court dispositions | Beginning July 11, 2000 | Older entries may appear as Legacy Data. |
| Legacy Data | Records posted from 1980 until the CJIS start dates | Review the available online legacy record carefully. |
| Before 1980 | Not part of the ordinary online coverage | Contact the Criminal Court Clerk directly. |
Read the charge and disposition separately
Davidson County’s public search can show offenses with which a person was charged or cited and, when the case has concluded, the disposition.
| Record item | What it means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | An allegation filed or cited in the criminal process. | Do not treat the charge itself as a conviction. |
| Disposition | The result entered for the charge or case. | Look for dismissal, conviction, acquittal or other outcome. |
| Case number | Identifier for the specific Davidson County case. | Save this for copy requests and appeal searches. |
| Docket entry | An event or filing recorded in the case. | A single docket entry may not represent the final outcome. |
| Legacy record | An older case record posted before the current CJIS period. | Request clerk verification if needed for an official purpose. |
Davidson County local criminal background checks
The Criminal Court Clerk provides public viewing access to Davidson County criminal records at no charge during normal business hours.
The office publishes regular public hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Official criminal background-check instructionsFree record summaries
Use the Clerk’s Search Case Information system for public online summaries.
Free viewing
Public Davidson County criminal records can be viewed at the Clerk’s office without a viewing fee.
Official copies
Request certification when you need an authenticated record rather than an online summary.
Davidson County criminal record copy and certification fees
The Criminal Court Clerk currently lists the following basic copy charges:
| Record service | Current clerk charge | Useful for |
|---|---|---|
| Non-certified copy | $0.50 per page | Ordinary copy when formal certification is not required. |
| Certification and seal | $5 per certification/seal plus page charges | Formal authenticated court record. |
| In-person viewing | No charge | Reviewing public Davidson County criminal records during office hours. |
| Online summary | Free | Initial case research. |
Request records by mail
The Clerk instructs mail requesters to first contact the office to determine the total charge. Then send:
- clear description of the record requested
- defendant name
- date of birth when known
- case number when known
- payment in full
- cashier’s check or money order
- self-addressed stamped envelope
Mail criminal record requests to
Criminal Court Clerk’s Office408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: (615) 862-5601
The clerk also states that requesters may call the office to pay by credit or debit card. A copy request is not processed until payment has been received in full.
Need a Davidson County criminal record from before 1980?
Do not assume that the lack of an online result means the record never existed. The Clerk specifically instructs users seeking records before 1980 to contact the office directly.
Criminal Court Clerk office in downtown Nashville
Justice A.A. Birch Building
408 2nd Avenue NorthSuite 2120
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: (615) 862-5601
Regular public hours:
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Bring the case number if possible
A case number makes it much easier for staff to locate the correct record, especially when the defendant has a common name.
If an online result lacks a DOB, the Clerk advises in-person verification before using the result for official purposes.
Justice A.A. Birch Building map
The Criminal Court Clerk is located in the Justice A.A. Birch Building in downtown Nashville.
Davidson County jail and offender records
Jail records are maintained separately by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Offender Records Office provides general offender jail records to the public. Current published public-record hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m..
Police reports are different from Criminal Court Clerk records
A police report documents law-enforcement activity. A court record documents the case after charges enter the court system. They are not interchangeable.
If you need a Nashville police incident report, accident report or police-created record, use the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s official records process rather than requesting it from the Criminal Court Clerk or Sheriff’s jail records office.
For statewide Tennessee criminal history, use TBI TORIS
A Davidson County Clerk search only covers Davidson County court records. If you need a broader Tennessee criminal-history check, use the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation TORIS system.
TBI is the central repository for Tennessee criminal-history information. Its public Tennessee-only criminal-history check currently costs $29 per request.
Open TBI TORISTennessee statewide
TBI’s public background check is broader than a Davidson County-only record search.
Name-based
The ordinary Tennessee-only public TORIS search does not require fingerprints.
$29
The fee is non-refundable even when the search does not produce the record expected.
TBI says Tennessee criminal history is built from misdemeanor and felony arrests based on fingerprint submissions from arresting agencies.
Search Tennessee felony-offender records with TDOC FOIL
If the real question is whether someone has been in Tennessee state correctional custody or supervision, use the Tennessee Felony Offender Information Lookup (FOIL).
TDOC says its offender database includes information concerning felony offenders currently or formerly in custody or under supervision of the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Open TDOC FOILInformation can include:
- offender photograph
- custody or supervision status
- incarceration location
- offense information
- sentence information
- parole-hearing status
- release information
- probation or parole status
Check Tennessee criminal appeals separately
Davidson County criminal cases can later be appealed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and, in some cases, the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Tennessee’s Appellate Case Search allows searches by:
- appellate case number
- case style
- party name
- business or organization
Why an old Davidson County case may disappear from the public search
Expunged records are treated differently from ordinary public criminal records. Davidson County’s online system specifically states that it does not include charges or citations that have been expunged under Tennessee law.
The Clerk also warns that Tennessee law prohibits making expunged criminal-history information public after it has been lawfully removed.
The Clerk publishes Davidson County expungement forms and instructions through its Forms page.
Available forms include several expungement petitions and an Expungement of Criminal Record form.
Public-record requests to the Criminal Court Clerk
Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk maintains a formal public-records policy for records in its custody.
The policy explains that requests must be sufficiently specific for staff to identify the records and that records subject to legal exemptions may be withheld.
For ordinary criminal case research, the free case-search system or direct clerk copy process will usually be easier than submitting a broad public-record request.
How to avoid confusing two people with the same name
Name-based court searches can produce false matches, especially when a result is missing a date of birth.
Before relying on a Davidson County record, compare:
- full middle name
- date of birth
- known arrest or court date
- case number
- offense details
- known Nashville or Davidson County connection
- aliases or previous names
- court disposition
Questions people commonly ask about Davidson County criminal records
1. Are Davidson County criminal records available online for free?
Yes. The Criminal Court Clerk of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County provides free online record summaries through its Search Case Information service.
2. Which Davidson County office handles criminal court records?
Criminal court records are handled by the Criminal Court Clerk of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, not the general Davidson County Clerk.
3. How far back does the Davidson County online criminal search go?
The clerk describes CJIS General Sessions dispositions beginning January 11, 2000 and State Trial Court dispositions beginning July 11, 2000. Legacy Data includes records posted from 1980 through those transition dates. For records before 1980, contact the clerk directly.
4. How much does a certified Davidson County criminal record cost?
The clerk currently lists certification and seal at $5 plus $0.50 per page. Non-certified copies are currently $0.50 per page.
5. Can I view Davidson County criminal records in person for free?
Yes. The Criminal Court Clerk says public Davidson County criminal records may be viewed at no charge during normal office hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
6. Where can I search Davidson County jail records?
Use the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Offender Records service. The office can be reached at 615-862-8123 and provides general offender jail records.