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 4, 2026.
Washington County, Tennessee, has about 140,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Washington County 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: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County warrants, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Washington County Is Filed and Kept
Divorce records are not vital records in Tennessee. The decree and the file of a divorce from Washington County are court records of the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court, and certified copies come from the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master.
For Washington County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at washingtoncountytn.org/263/Courts (page title: Courts | Washington County, TN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026. 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 Washington County
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by 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.
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 washingtoncountytn.org/230/Register-of-Deeds, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
More Official Court Pages for Washington County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Washington County and Tennessee. These court pages from its Washington County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Brenda Downes (tncourts.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Washington County?
From the Circuit Court or the Chancery Court, through the Circuit Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master (washingtoncountytn.org/263/Courts). 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 Washington County?
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 Washington 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.