Tennessee Small Claims Online Filing: Which Counties Offer E-Filing

Tennessee does not have a statewide online filing system for General Sessions civil cases. Whether you can file electronically depends entirely on which county your case belongs in — and most counties still require you to file on paper at the clerk's counter.

Here is the current e-filing landscape across Tennessee's major jurisdictions.

Counties With E-Filing

Davidson County (Nashville) offers electronic filing through a portal linked to the Circuit Court Clerk system. You create an eFile account, upload a PDF of your completed Civil Warrant, pay the filing fee by credit card, and receive a digital confirmation with your assigned hearing date.

The system is available to both attorneys and registered pro se (self-represented) users. Expect a credit card processing surcharge of 2.5% to 3.5% on top of the filing fee.

Shelby County (Memphis) uses the eFlex e-filing platform, operated by Tybera. The process is similar: create an account, upload documents, pay electronically. Shelby County's General Sessions Clerk at 201 Poplar Avenue also operates a 24-hour filing desk for paper filings.

One critical Shelby County detail: the clerk does not send written hearing notifications to plaintiffs. After filing, you are responsible for checking the court docket to find your hearing date. Miss it and your case gets dismissed.

Knox County (Knoxville) has limited e-filing options for civil cases, though the system is more attorney-oriented than the Davidson or Shelby portals.

Most Counties Are Paper Only

Outside the major metropolitan areas, the vast majority of Tennessee's 95 counties do not maintain e-filing portals for General Sessions civil cases. In these counties, paper filing is the norm, in person or by mail where the clerk accepts mail filings:

In-person filing. Go to the General Sessions Court Clerk's office, submit a completed Civil Warrant and attachments, pay the filing fee, and receive your hearing date at the counter. This is the universal method — it works everywhere.

Mail filing. Some counties accept filings by mail. Send the completed Civil Warrant, a check or money order for the filing fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Call the clerk's office first to confirm they accept mail filings and to verify the exact fee amount.

What You Need for E-Filing

If your county supports electronic filing, you will typically need:

• A PDF of the completed Civil Warrant (some portals provide a fillable form; others require you to upload a pre-completed document)
• A copy of any supporting contract, invoice, or account statement to attach
• A credit or debit card for the filing fee and processing surcharge
• An email address for the confirmation and case updates

E-filing does not change the substance of your case. You still need to name the defendant correctly, state a clear cause of action, specify the dollar amount, and provide a valid service address. The clerk will reject electronically filed warrants with the same errors they would catch at the counter.

Service of Process After E-Filing

Filing electronically does not change how the defendant gets served. The clerk issues process to the server designated for the case, usually the sheriff, after the filing is accepted. Provide a physical service address and confirm the available service methods with the clerk.

If you need service outside the county, the same rules apply regardless of filing method — you can arrange for the sheriff in the defendant's county to serve or hire a private process server.

Is E-Filing Faster?

Not meaningfully. The hearing date is still set 30 to 60 days after filing, and service of process takes the same amount of time whether you filed on paper or electronically. The main advantage of e-filing is convenience — you avoid a trip to the courthouse during business hours.

For a complete walkthrough of the Tennessee filing process — whether you file online or in person — our Tennessee Small Claims Filing Guide covers every step from the demand letter through the hearing.

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