How Tennessee DUI courts are organised
A DUI charge in Tennessee is prosecuted in the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court that serves the county or municipality where the stop happened, not where you live. The clerk's office in that courthouse controls your hearing dates, accepts motions and continuances, and takes payment of fines and court costs. Calendars, filing hours and remote-appearance rules differ from courthouse to courthouse, so confirm them with the clerk before your first date.
Tennessee misdemeanor DUI is tried in General Sessions Court or, once bound over or indicted, in Circuit or Criminal Court depending on the county; felony DUI — a fourth or later offense, or vehicular assault or homicide — is tried in Circuit or Criminal Court. Appeals go to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, with discretionary review by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
The state judiciary publishes the authoritative directory of courthouses, judges and calendars at tncourts.gov. Use it to confirm the address and division for your case number; local listings age quickly.
Courthouse locations, hearing calendars, clerk contacts and self-help forms.
The separate licence action, which the criminal court does not decide.
What happens at each stage in Tennessee
A DUI case in Tennessee is heard in the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court, and a separate licence action runs alongside the criminal case.
- 1Arrest, booking and the chemical test — Officers arrest for DUI under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401 and request a breath, blood or urine test under Tennessee's implied-consent section, Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-406. Refusing carries its own licence penalty, separate from the criminal charge.
- 2Licence action by the state agency — A restricted licence may be available for certain DUI revocations, subject to the eligibility limits in T.C.A. § 55-10-409. That action runs on its own timetable, independent of the criminal case.
- 3Arraignment in the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court — The charge is read, a plea is entered and conditions of release are set in the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court. Tennessee misdemeanor DUI is tried in General Sessions Court or, once bound over or indicted, in Circuit or Criminal Court depending on the county; felony DUI — a fourth or later offense, or vehicular assault or homicide — is tried in Circuit or Criminal Court.
- 4Pretrial motions and discovery — Defence counsel obtains the police report, test records and calibration or maintenance logs, and may move to suppress the stop or the test result. Circuit and criminal courts increasingly file through the eFiling system managed by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
- 5Diversion or treatment disposition — DUI is statutorily excluded from pretrial and judicial diversion under T.C.A. § 40-15-105 and § 40-35-313.
- 6Plea or trial, then sentencing — A first DUI conviction carries a fine of $350–$1,500, jail exposure up to 11 days, a licence suspension of 1 year, an ignition interlock requirement. Prior offenses within 10 years push the case into the enhanced-penalty range. A first offense carries a mandatory minimum 48 hours in jail and interlock.
- 7Appeal — General Sessions Courts are typically not courts of record, so a DUI conviction there may be appealed for a trial de novo in Circuit Court.
- 8Reinstatement — Requirements and fees are handled through the department's reinstatements portal. Tennessee requires a SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility for 3 years before the licence is restored.
Filing and case handling in Tennessee
- Circuit and criminal courts increasingly file through the eFiling system managed by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
- General Sessions Courts are typically not courts of record, so a DUI conviction there may be appealed for a trial de novo in Circuit Court.
- DUI is statutorily excluded from pretrial and judicial diversion under T.C.A. § 40-15-105 and § 40-35-313.
- Arraignment in General Sessions Court usually follows shortly after arrest, on the local court's schedule.
Whatever the local practice, take your citation or case number to every call — clerks index by case, not by name — and get the payable amount for fines and court costs in writing before you pay.
Tennessee ZIP codes covered
These Tennessee ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.
Counties and cities using these Tennessee resources
Counties
Other Tennessee official resources
Frequently asked questions
- Which court handles a first DUI charge in Tennessee?
- First-offense DUI cases in Tennessee are heard in the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court for the county where the stop happened. The court clerk's office there sets the arraignment date and accepts filings.