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Find your charges, court date, bond, and disposition without leaving this site. Live data from the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk.
If you have a Nashville criminal case — or a family member does — you can look up the case file, charges, court dates, and bond information directly through the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk’s public records system. This page tells you which portal to use depending on your situation, how to search effectively, and how to read what you find.
I’m Nathan Cate. I’m a Nashville criminal defense attorney with 53 jury trials, a court-qualified criminal defense expert witness, and I practice at the Birch Building two blocks from my office every week. This guide reflects what I tell people who call me confused about what they’re looking at on the Clerk’s site.
Need help interpreting what you found? Call or text (615) 664-8083. Available 24/7. Free case review.
Quick Start: Which Portal Do You Need?
Davidson County publishes case records through several distinct portals depending on the type of case. The most common mistake is searching the wrong portal and assuming the case “doesn’t exist.”
For Criminal Cases (felonies, misdemeanors, DUIs, drug charges, etc.)
sci.ccc.nashville.gov — Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk’s public case search. Run by the office of Howard Gentry, Criminal Court Clerk. This is the primary source for:
- Active Davidson County criminal cases (felony and misdemeanor)
- Closed criminal cases (not yet expunged)
- General Sessions criminal docket entries
- Criminal Court (felony) docket entries
- Bond information
- Hearing dates
- Charges, dispositions, and sentencing data
You can search by Person (name + optional date of birth), Case Number, or Complaint/Incident Number. No login is required for basic search. The site shows results in real time.
For Civil Cases (lawsuits, debt collection, evictions, family law)
caselink.nashville.gov — Davidson County civil case public inquiry. This is a separate system from criminal. Don’t search here if your case is criminal.
For Court Schedules and General Sessions Docket Calendar
gscourt.nashville.gov — General Sessions Court of Metropolitan Nashville. Useful for upcoming docket calendars, court contact information, and general court procedure. Less useful for searching specific individual cases (the Criminal Court Clerk’s site at sci.ccc.nashville.gov is better for that).
For Cases in Other Tennessee Counties
tncourts.gov — Tennessee state court system. If the case is in Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, or any other Tennessee county, this is the starting point. The Davidson County portals above only cover Davidson County cases.
How to Search the Criminal Court Clerk Portal
When you go to sci.ccc.nashville.gov, the search box lets you pick one of three modes. Each works differently.
Search by Person (Name + Date of Birth)
This is the most common search for family members who don’t have a case number. Enter:
- First Name — exactly as it was entered at the time of arrest. Misspellings or middle name confusion can hide a case
- Last Name — same caveat. If the person uses a hyphenated last name or a married/maiden name, try both
- Date of Birth — optional, but if you know it, use it. Common names return many results without DOB; with DOB, the search narrows to one person
The Clerk’s system warns: “When searching by name you must spell the name as it was entered at the time of arrest.” If the booking officer mistyped a name (and they sometimes do), the case may be filed under the misspelling. If your first search returns nothing, try common misspellings.
Search by Case Number
If you have the case number (sometimes called a docket number or warrant number), use this mode. Tennessee case numbers from Davidson County typically look like a year-letter-number sequence (for example, GS123456 for a General Sessions case or 2023-A-1234 for a Criminal Court case, though formats vary). Just paste the full number — the system handles the format.
Search by Complaint or Incident Number
This is the number assigned by the arresting agency at the scene — typically MNPD (Metro Nashville Police Department). If you have the original police report or the citation, the complaint number is usually printed on it. Useful when there’s no case number yet (cases just initiated may not have a court case number for several days).
What You’ll See in the Results
When the search returns a match, you’ll see a results table. Each row represents one person. If you searched by name and your search returned multiple people sharing that name, look at the Date of Birth column to pick the right one. Then click that row to open the Defendant Details page.
The Defendant Details page is where the actual case information lives. The page contains, per case:
- Case Number — the Clerk’s docket number for this case
- Complaint/Incident Number — the agency-side number
- Case Status — OPEN (active) or CLOSED (concluded)
- Defendant Status — PENDING (case still moving), CONCLUDED (case finished), or other status flags
- Charged/Cited Offense — the original charge filed against the defendant
- Amended — if the charge was later modified (for example, reduced from felony to misdemeanor by plea agreement), the amended charge appears here
- Convicted — what the defendant was actually convicted of, if anything. May differ from the original charge or the amended charge
- Disposition — the final resolution if the case is closed (Dismissed, Guilty Plea, Trial Verdict, Nolle Prosequi, etc.) with the date
- Bond — whether bond was set, the amount, and the type
- Attorney Of Record — the defense attorney representing this defendant
- Appearance Details — past and upcoming court settings, with dates, times, judge, and court room
If the case has multiple charges, each charge typically appears as a separate entry with its own Disposition.
Decoding Your Tennessee Case Number
Tennessee criminal case numbers aren’t random — the format encodes information about where and when the case was filed.
A typical Davidson County General Sessions criminal case number looks like GS followed by a long numeric string. A Davidson County Criminal Court (felony) case number typically includes the year of indictment and a sequential number, such as 2024-A-123 or 2024-B-456. The letter denotes the Criminal Court division — Davidson County has multiple divisions (Division I through Division VI plus specialty courts).
If you see a case number that doesn’t fit either format, it may be from:
- A municipal court (Belle Meade, Goodlettsville, etc.) — separate jurisdiction
- A federal court — different system entirely (PACER, not the County Clerk)
- Another Tennessee county — search tncourts.gov instead
- A civil matter — search caselink.nashville.gov instead
If you’re unsure which court your case is in, call the Criminal Court Clerk’s office at 615-862-5601 or call my office at (615) 664-8083 and we’ll help you locate it.
Decoding the Charges — Felony vs. Misdemeanor Classes
The Clerk’s site displays the charge as a plain-English description (for example, “Aggravated Assault” or “Driving Under the Influence”). It does not display the Tennessee Code Annotated statute number or the felony/misdemeanor class. You usually have to look those up separately, and your potential punishment depends on the class.
Here is the Tennessee criminal classification system at a glance. All ranges are statutory maximums for a first-time offender — actual sentences depend on prior record, sentencing range (I, II, III), and many discretionary factors.
Tennessee Felony Classes
| Class | Statutory Range (Range I, no priors) | Common Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Class A felony | 15 to 60 years | First-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated robbery |
| Class B felony | 8 to 30 years | Second-degree murder, aggravated robbery, large quantity drug trafficking |
| Class C felony | 3 to 15 years | Aggravated assault with deadly weapon, aggravated burglary, felony drug possession with intent |
| Class D felony | 2 to 12 years | Theft $2,500-$10,000, possession of certain drug quantities, vehicular assault |
| Class E felony | 1 to 6 years | Theft $1,000-$2,500, simple possession of certain Schedule II drugs, evading arrest with risk |
Tennessee Misdemeanor Classes
| Class | Maximum | Common Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Class A misdemeanor | 11 months 29 days, fine up to $2,500 | DUI first offense, simple assault, theft under $1,000, simple possession Schedule VI marijuana |
| Class B misdemeanor | 6 months, fine up to $500 | Disorderly conduct, public intoxication, certain traffic offenses |
| Class C misdemeanor | 30 days, fine up to $50 | Minor traffic violations, certain regulatory offenses |
If you don’t see a class listed on the Clerk’s site, you typically have to cross-reference the charge against Tennessee Code Annotated. Most felonies are in T.C.A. Title 39; DUI and traffic offenses are in T.C.A. Title 55.
Important caveat: A statutory range is what the legislature has set as the maximum. Actual exposure on a specific case depends on prior convictions (Range I, II, III sentencing), enhancement factors, mitigating factors, plea bargains, and whether the State pursues consecutive sentencing on multiple charges. The number you see on a chart is rarely what someone actually serves. Call to discuss your specific exposure.
Decoding Common Docket Entries
The Davidson County docket uses abbreviations that aren’t intuitive. Here are common ones and what they mean.
- ARR — Arraignment
- PH or PRELIM — Preliminary Hearing
- STATUS — Status hearing
- PLEA — Plea hearing
- TRIAL or JT — Jury trial setting
- SENT — Sentencing hearing
- MTH — Motion hearing
- REV or VOPP — Violation of Probation hearing
- BNDD — Bond docket / bond hearing
- AOTC — Attorney of the Court (court-appointed counsel)
- NBND — No bond
- BUR — Bond Under Review
- RSET — Reset (case continued to a new date)
- CONT — Continuance granted
If the docket entry is for a date that has not yet occurred, that is your next court date. Add it to your calendar and arrive at least 15 minutes early at the Birch Building at 408 2nd Avenue North.
What Happens at Each Hearing Type
Arraignment
The judge reads the charge and asks for a plea. Almost always you should plead “not guilty” at arraignment — this preserves your right to challenge the case and negotiate. The arraignment is also where bond is sometimes set or modified.
Preliminary Hearing
In General Sessions felony cases, the State must put on enough proof to establish probable cause for the felony charge to advance. A skilled defense lawyer cross-examines the State’s witnesses, locks in their testimony, and sometimes obtains a dismissal or reduction at this stage. This is one of the most strategically important hearings in a felony case.
Status, Plea, Trial, and Sentencing Hearings
Status hearings are routine check-ins. Plea hearings are where guilty/no-contest pleas are entered under Tenn. R. Crim. P. 11. Jury trials run from selection through verdict. Sentencing follows conviction under the Tennessee Sentencing Reform Act framework. See Tennessee Post-Conviction Relief and Tennessee Criminal Appeals for what happens after conviction.
What to Do Once You’ve Found Your Case
- Write down the case number, next court date, and judge
- Note the original charge and any amended charges
- Note the bond amount and type — if there’s a bond and you haven’t posted, that’s an immediate priority
- Note who is listed as Attorney of Record — if blank or AOTC, retain counsel quickly
- Look at the disposition or status
- Look at past appearances — if you missed a court date and see FTA or BNDD-FTA, there may be a capias warrant. Address this immediately.
Once you have these facts in hand, call (615) 664-8083 and we can evaluate the case in 15 minutes on the phone.
What If You Searched and Got Nothing?
- The name was spelled differently at booking. Try common misspellings.
- The case is too new. Davidson County typically takes 24-72 hours from arrest to first court appearance.
- The case is in a different jurisdiction. Belle Meade, Williamson County, etc. won’t show up in Davidson’s portal.
- The case is sealed or expunged. Sealed or expunged cases do not appear in public search per T.C.A. § 40-32-101.
- You searched the wrong portal. Civil cases are at caselink.nashville.gov; criminal cases are at sci.ccc.nashville.gov.
When in doubt, call. We can locate the case across jurisdictions if you have the basic facts.
A Note on Expunged Records
Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-32-101 makes it a criminal offense to publicly disclose records that have been expunged. The Criminal Court Clerk’s public search does not display expunged records — that is intentional and required by law. The Cate Law expungement eligibility checker walks you through whether your record might qualify under current Tennessee law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk’s online search free?
Yes. Basic search by Person, Case Number, or Complaint/Incident Number through sci.ccc.nashville.gov is free and does not require an account.
Can someone else look up my case on my behalf?
Yes. The Criminal Court Clerk’s public search is public — anyone can use it.
What does it mean if the case status says CLOSED?
Closed means the case has reached a final disposition — dismissal, guilty plea, conviction at trial, or nolle prosequi. The Disposition field tells you specifically how it was closed.
What’s the difference between General Sessions and Criminal Court?
Both are in the Birch Building at 408 2nd Avenue North. General Sessions handles misdemeanors and felony preliminary stages. Criminal Court handles felony cases after bind-over, jury trials, and post-conviction matters. Both publish records through sci.ccc.nashville.gov.
Can I look up my federal case here?
No. Federal cases (US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee) are searchable through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. I do not handle federal cases — my practice is Tennessee state court only.
Does dismissal automatically erase the public record?
No. Dismissal makes the case CLOSED but the record remains public. To remove the record from public view, file a separate expungement petition under T.C.A. § 40-32-101.
How current is the information?
Most updates appear within 24 to 48 hours of a court event. Same-day docket entries may take a few hours.
Talk to Me
Looking up your case is the first step. Understanding what you found — and figuring out what to do about it — is what I do every day.
Call or text Nathan Cate: (615) 664-8083. Available 24/7. Free case review.
N. Cate Law, 222 2nd Avenue North, Suite 220, Nashville, Tennessee 37201. Tennessee state courts only.
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