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Tennessee court costs guide
Filing for divorce in Tennessee costs County-set in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Tennessee — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.
| Tennessee at a glance | Figure |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit / Chancery Court |
| Divorce filing fee | County-set — Tennessee totals are built from T.C.A. §8-21-401 components plus county add-ons. Example (Davidson County, eff. January 1, 2026): $309.50 with minor children / $234.50 without, plus $52 sheriff service. |
| Name change filing fee | County-set. Example (Davidson County): $159.50 (Category Three). |
| Name-change publication | Not required — Not required — T.C.A. §§29-8-101 to 29-8-104 require a verified petition and a hearing, with no publication step (corroborated by the Nashville Chancery information sheet). |
| General civil filing fee | County-set. Examples (Davidson County): Category One $334.50; Category Two $259.50. |
Filing fee + service + publication + certified copies is the real number. Stack all four for your state and procedure in the calculator.
Open the cost calculatorDivorce filing fees
County-set — Tennessee totals are built from T.C.A. §8-21-401 components plus county add-ons. Example (Davidson County, eff. January 1, 2026): $309.50 with minor children / $234.50 without, plus $52 sheriff service.
See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.
Name change: fee and publication
County-set. Example (Davidson County): $159.50 (Category Three).
Publication: Not required — T.C.A. §§29-8-101 to 29-8-104 require a verified petition and a hearing, with no publication step (corroborated by the Nashville Chancery information sheet).
Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.
General civil filing fees
County-set. Examples (Davidson County): Category One $334.50; Category Two $259.50.
Probate court costs
No probate filing figure for Tennessee appears on the official schedules we read — in many states probate fees are set at county level (a register of wills or probate court fee schedule) rather than statewide. Confirm the current fee with the probate court where the estate will be filed. Our probate cost guide explains the cost layers every estate pays.
How filing works in Tennessee
- Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit / Chancery Court — most Tennessee courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
- File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
- Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
- Complete any publication the rules require — for a Tennessee name change: not required.
- Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.
Worked total: what a divorce filing costs
Because the filing fee itself is not a single statewide figure in Tennessee, a worked total would be a made-up number — we don't publish those. Budget the county filing fee from the note above, plus $50–$100 for service of process if the other party must be served, and confirm the filing fee with the clerk before you file.
Sources: Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk — Filing Fees (eff. 1/1/2026) · Davidson County Chancery Clerk & Master — Fees. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.
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