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 October 2, 2026.
Lakeland, Tennessee, in Shelby County, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Shelby 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: Lakeland public records, Shelby County court records, Lakeland arrest records, Lakeland warrants, Lakeland criminal records, Lakeland traffic tickets, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Lakeland
Court cases from Lakeland are filed in the Shelby 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 Lakeland
For Shelby County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at shelbycountytn.gov/2463/Case-Search (page title: CourtConnect), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
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 Lakeland
Together, the six agencies in Shelby County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 26,802 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney General decides which of those arrests become cases in the Shelby County Circuit and Chancery Courts or the General Sessions Court.
The District Attorney General's page SearchSystems verified is at shelbycountytn.gov/m/directory/department?did=508 (page title: Staff Directory, District Attorney General’s Office), phone (901) 222-1300, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
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 Lakeland guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Lakeland criminal records, Lakeland divorce records, Lakeland traffic tickets, Lakeland DUI and Lakeland property records.
More Official Court Pages for Shelby County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Shelby County and Tennessee. These court pages from its Shelby County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Circuit, Criminal, Chancery & Business Courts (tncourts.gov)
- Probate Court (shelbycountytn.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court hears felonies in Lakeland?
The Shelby 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 Lakeland?
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 Lakeland 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.