Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County, has about 191,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Hamilton County Circuit and Chancery Courts and the General Sessions Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk and the Clerk and Master, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Chattanooga public records, Hamilton County court records, Chattanooga arrest records, Chattanooga warrants, Chattanooga inmate search, Chattanooga criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Chattanooga
Court cases from Chattanooga are filed in the Hamilton County Circuit and Chancery Courts, which hear felonies in the Circuit or Criminal Court, civil cases in either court, and divorces in either.
The General Sessions Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and preliminary hearings.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court, and the file stays with the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master.
The Circuit Court Clerk and the Clerk and Master keep the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Tennessee Public Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Chattanooga
For Hamilton County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at hamiltontn.gov/CircuitCourt_TNCaseFinder.aspx (page title: Circuit Court TN Case Finder, Hamilton County Government), phone 423-209-6700, 500 Courthouse 625 Georgia Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37402, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Tennessee has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The appellate courts' case search is at tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/public-case-history.
What Reaches the Court from Chattanooga
Together, the seven agencies in Hamilton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,513 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney General decides which of those arrests become cases in the Hamilton County Circuit and Chancery Courts or the General Sessions Court.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Chattanooga guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Chattanooga criminal records, Chattanooga divorce records, Chattanooga traffic tickets, Chattanooga DUI and Chattanooga property records.
More Official Court Pages for Hamilton County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Hamilton County and Tennessee. These court pages from its Hamilton County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Court System, Hamilton County Government (hamiltontn.gov)
- Criminal Court Dockets (hamiltontn.gov)
- Sessions Civil Court Dockets (hamiltontn.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Chattanooga?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hamiltontn.gov/CircuitCourt_TNCaseFinder.aspx, phone 423-209-6700.
Which court hears felonies in Chattanooga?
The Hamilton County Circuit and Chancery Courts, which hear felonies in the Circuit or Criminal Court, civil cases in either court, and divorces in either. The General Sessions Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and preliminary hearings.
Who keeps the court records in Chattanooga?
The Circuit Court Clerk and the Clerk and Master. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Tennessee?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Chattanooga website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.