Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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). The divorce record of a couple from Lakeland is a file of the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master, not a vital record. This guide says where the file is, how a certified copy of the decree is had and what the state issues.
This guide covers the court, copies, related records, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Lakeland public records, Shelby County divorce records, Lakeland arrest records, Lakeland warrants, Lakeland criminal records, Lakeland court records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Lakeland Is Filed and Kept
A divorce in Tennessee is a court case, so the file and the final judgment of a divorce from Lakeland stay with the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court. The Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master keep it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
Most of a divorce file is open to the public; the papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court has sealed are not.
Tennessee has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Copies of a Divorce Decree from Lakeland
A certified copy of the decree comes from the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master, the office that keeps the file.
The Tennessee Office of Vital Records also issues divorce certificates for divorces granted in the last 50 years.
The Tennessee vital records page SearchSystems verified is at vitalrecords.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/36329848421651-Fees.
The Register of Deeds, whose page SearchSystems verified is at register.shelby.tn.us, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
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
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Lakeland?
From the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court, through the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records also issues divorce certificates for divorces granted in the last 50 years.
Are divorce records public in Tennessee?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything the court seals.
Which court hears divorces from Lakeland?
The Circuit Court or the Chancery Court. The file is kept by the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master.
Does Tennessee issue divorce certificates?
The Tennessee Office of Vital Records also issues divorce certificates for divorces granted in the last 50 years.
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.