How to Find Davidson County Court Dockets
Dockets are practical, not archival. They tell you what is happening today and this week, not the full history of a case. Davidson County publishes them through two main offices. General Sessions posts daily civil and criminal dockets. The Criminal Court Clerk posts trial court criminal dockets and a reporting menu at sci.ccc.nashville.gov. For civil and probate case detail, you switch to CaseSearch instead.
Start by naming the case type and the court. Then match it to the docket source. The steps below cover the common path.
- Decide whether the case is civil, criminal, or traffic.
- For General Sessions, open the civil or criminal docket page.
- For the Criminal Court, use the Dockets and Reporting menu.
- Note the courtroom, floor, and start time.
- Check the lobby display system at the Birch Building on the day of court.
General Sessions Civil Dockets in Davidson County
The General Sessions Civil Division runs the daily civil dockets out of the Justice A.A. Birch Building. These cover limited civil claims, landlord-tenant cases, and orders of protection. The civil docket page lists set times and courtrooms. Forcible entry and detainer eviction cases fall under this division's original jurisdiction.
The civil docket schedule page shows the daily settings and the courthouse location.
Settings vary by docket, so do not assume every case is at 9:00 a.m. Read the page for your specific docket.
General Sessions Criminal Dockets
The General Sessions Criminal Division posts daily dockets for bond hearings, jail dockets, and specialty courts. Misdemeanor trials and preliminary hearings for felonies run here. The criminal docket page lists the bond, misdemeanor jail, felony jail, domestic violence, and traffic dockets, each on its own floor and time.
This screenshot shows the General Sessions criminal docket schedule and courtroom assignments.
Criminal dockets sit on different floors. Bond dockets are on the upper floors, while jail dockets sit lower in the building.
Criminal Court Reporting and Dockets
The Criminal Court Clerk runs a separate Dockets and Reporting menu for trial court criminal cases. It is more than a single list. The menu links several tools that attorneys and the public use to track settings and bonds. The items below come straight from the reporting menu.
- General Sessions Scheduled Appearance List.
- Trial Court Criminal Dockets.
- Review Docket List.
- Defendant Bond Mailing Addresses.
- Bond Company Appearance Report.
- Attorney Client Calendar.
Daily Courtroom Schedule
The General Sessions docket pages assign each docket type a courtroom and a start time. The schedule below reflects the settings listed on the official civil and criminal docket pages. Times and rooms can change, so confirm on the day of court.
| Docket | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Civil docket | Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. | Courtrooms 1A and 1B |
| Orders of protection | Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. | Courtroom 4D |
| Environmental and Metro docket | Tue 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. | Courtroom 3B |
| State Traffic | Wed 8:30 a.m. | Courtroom 5D |
| Metro Traffic | Mon-Thu 8:30 a.m. | Courtroom 1B |
| Domestic Violence | Mon-Fri | Courtrooms 4B and 4C |
Dockets vs Case Records in Davidson County
People often want the wrong document. A docket schedule tells you when a case is set. A case record is the full file of filings and orders. They serve different needs. If you want a court date, use the docket. If you want the complaint, the judgment, or a certified copy, use the case record and the clerk.
| Point | Docket Schedule | Case Record |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Shows upcoming hearings | Shows the full case history |
| Source | Clerk docket pages | CaseSearch or clerk file |
| Best for | Finding a court date | Getting filings and outcomes |
For full case detail, see Davidson County court records.
Common Davidson County Docket Terms
Docket pages use legal shorthand. A few terms come up on nearly every setting. The list below explains the ones that confuse people most.
- Docket
- The court's chronological list of filings or the daily hearing schedule.
- Arraignment
- A criminal appearance where charges and a plea are addressed.
- Preliminary hearing
- A probable-cause hearing in a criminal case.
- Continuance
- A postponement of a hearing to a later date.
- Disposition
- The outcome of a charge or the case.
What a Davidson County Docket Entry Shows
Each line on a docket is an event in the case. A docket entry is dated and tied to a filing or a hearing. Read together, the entries trace the case from start to finish. The fields below are the ones a Davidson County docket entry usually carries.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Entry Date | The date the filing or event was recorded. |
| Event Type | The filing, motion, hearing, or order logged that day. |
| Hearing Date and Time | When the next setting is scheduled. |
| Courtroom | The room and floor for the hearing. |
| Result | Any ruling or continuance noted for the event. |
Note: A docket entry is a summary, not the full document; request the filing itself from the clerk when you need the detail.
Arrival, Security, and the Lobby Display
General Sessions pages tell visitors to arrive early. Parking downtown is tight, and every visitor clears a security checkpoint. The Birch Building posts daily criminal dockets on a display system in the main lobby, so check it when you arrive to confirm your courtroom.
Bring a photo ID and your case number. Court staff can point you to the right room, but they cannot give legal advice.
Missed Court and Warrants
Missing a court date carries real risk. A judge can issue a bench warrant or capias for a failure to appear. A missed traffic date can trigger a warrant or license problem. Do not assume that paying online clears a missed setting. Call the clerk's office first to confirm the status.
If a warrant may already exist, see Davidson County warrant records and contact the Criminal Court Clerk before you appear.
Traffic Dockets in Davidson County
Traffic cases sit on their own dockets and split into two tracks. State Traffic runs Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 5D. Metro Traffic runs Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 1B. The Traffic Violation Bureau handles payments and related clerk functions from the Birch Building. A serious charge like DUI does not stay on a simple traffic docket; it moves to the criminal side.
If your citation is a DUI or another serious offense, treat it as criminal and check the traffic court records page for the full path.
Specialty Court Dockets
Davidson County runs several problem-solving courts with their own dockets. The General Sessions Recovery Court works with substance use cases. The Mental Health Court and the Veterans Treatment Court both meet in the General Sessions criminal rotation, with settings tied to Courtroom 3B. These dockets do not always follow the standard daily schedule.
Each program directs the public to its own office for the current docket. Check with the program before you assume a setting time.