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.
Sullivan County, Tennessee, has about 163,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Sullivan 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Sullivan County public records, Sullivan County arrest records, Sullivan County warrants, Sullivan County inmate search, Sullivan County criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Sullivan County
In Sullivan County, the Sullivan County Circuit and Chancery Courts 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 Sullivan County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=136 (page title: Clerks | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 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 Sullivan County
Together, the four agencies in Sullivan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,889 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney General decides which of those arrests become cases in the Sullivan County Circuit and Chancery Courts or the General Sessions Court.
The District Attorney General's page SearchSystems verified is at sullivancountytn.gov/district-attorney (page title: DA | Sullivan County TN), phone (423) 279-3278, 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 Sullivan County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Sullivan County criminal records, Sullivan County divorce records, Sullivan County traffic tickets, Sullivan County DUI and Sullivan County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Sullivan County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Sullivan County and Tennessee. These court pages from its Sullivan County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Chancery Court (sullivancountytn.gov)
Cities in Sullivan County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Sullivan County Circuit and Chancery Courts or the General Sessions Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Sullivan County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Sullivan County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=136.
Which court hears felonies in Sullivan County?
The Sullivan 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 Sullivan County?
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 Sullivan County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.