Davidson County Bench Warrants
Davidson County bench warrants are issued by judges in Nashville when someone fails to appear for court or does not follow a court order. The Davidson County Sheriff's Office at One Jerry Newson Way handles warrant service and maintains records of all active bench warrants. Nashville is the county seat and state capital, home to over 700,000 residents. You can search for Davidson County bench warrants through the sheriff's online inmate search portal, by calling the 24/7 offender information line at 615-862-8123, or in person at the Criminal Warrants Office at 440 3rd Avenue North. The Circuit Court, Criminal Court, and General Sessions Court all issue bench warrants in Davidson County.
Davidson County Quick Facts
Davidson County Sheriff Bench Warrant Search
The Davidson County Sheriff's Office runs a free online search tool for inmates booked into county jails. You can search by first name, last name, date of birth, OCA number, warrant number, or CIS number. The database shows name, age, sex, date of birth, control number, and facility. Click "View Details" to see full charge info, warrant data, bond amounts, and case status. A Recent Bookings report shows all arrests from the past 48 hours.
The offender information line at 615-862-8123 runs around the clock, seven days a week. You can call at any time to ask about someone in custody. The Records Center at 610 W Due West Avenue in Madison is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for in-person requests. No advance appointment is needed. An online record request form is also available for inmate records.
The Davidson County Sheriff's Records Division processes public records requests per Tennessee law. Copy fees are $0.50 per page for standard copies and $5.00 plus $0.50 per page for certified copies under the Tennessee Public Records Act, TCA § 10-7-503.
The sheriff's inmate lookup above shows how to search for active bench warrants and current inmates in Davidson County.
Nashville Criminal Bench Warrants Office
The Nashville Police Department's Criminal Warrants Office is at 440 3rd Avenue North. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is one of the few warrant offices in Tennessee that never closes. But there is a catch. Criminal warrant info is NOT released over the phone. You must go in person to ask about active bench warrants.
Anyone who shows up to check for bench warrants should be aware of the risk. If a bench warrant is active, officers at the warrants office can arrest the person on the spot. The Fugitive Unit can be reached at 615-862-7348 for tips about wanted persons. Public records requests go to MNPDPublicRecordsRequestCoordinator@nashville.gov. Tennessee residency is needed for all records requests under TCA § 10-7-504.
The records request page above shows how to get copies of bench warrant and inmate records from the Davidson County Sheriff.
Note: Individuals with active bench warrants who appear in person at the warrants office may face arrest right away.
Davidson County Circuit Court Bench Warrants
The Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk is Joseph P. Day. The office sits at the Davidson County Historic Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Suite 302, Nashville, TN 37201. Phone is (615) 862-5181. The clerk maintains records for Circuit, Probate, General Sessions-Civil Division, and Traffic Courts. Bench warrant lookups are processed through the court system for warrants issued after a failure to appear.
A CaseLink Online Database provides subscription-based records search for Circuit Court, Probate Court, and civil cases. You can access it by case number, party name, or case type. A public record request form is available online as a PDF download. Payment options include cash, credit or debit card, personal check, cashier's check, and money order.
The Circuit Court Clerk page above gives access to court records and public record request forms for Davidson County.
Davidson County Criminal Court Records
The Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk is Howard Gentry. The office is at 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120, in the Justice A. A. Birch Building. Phone is 615-862-5601. This office handles all felony and misdemeanor criminal court records in Davidson County.
As of February 2025, the public courthouse computers for case file searches were removed due to confidentiality concerns. You can no longer do self-service searches at the courthouse. Instead, records now require targeted requests to the clerk's office staff. Have your case numbers or defendant names ready before you visit. Tennessee residency is required for records requests.
The Criminal Court Clerk site above shows how to contact the office for bench warrant and criminal case information in Davidson County.
General Sessions Court Bench Warrants
The Metropolitan General Sessions Court of Nashville-Davidson County handles a wide range of cases. These include civil, misdemeanor, felony, traffic, environmental, and city ordinance violations. Eleven judges serve the court on eight-year terms. Fifteen law-trained judicial magistrates handle probable cause hearings for criminal warrants.
Bench warrants are issued when a person fails to show up for a General Sessions Court date in Davidson County. The court schedule runs Tuesday through Friday each week. Traffic court meets Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Violation of probation hearings happen Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Civil court meets Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Criminal municipal cases go Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Criminal county cases go Friday at 9:00 a.m. Missing any of these dates can trigger a bench warrant under TCA § 39-16-609, which makes failure to appear a Class A misdemeanor.
Felony bench warrants in Davidson County do not expire. They stay active until served or recalled under TCA § 40-6-206. Misdemeanor warrants expire after five years if not served.
Other Davidson County Warrant Resources
The Tennessee Public Court Records Portal gives free online access to Davidson County court records. You can search by name or case number. The system covers Circuit Court, General Sessions, and Clerk and Master records. No login is needed for basic searches.
For statewide searches, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation provides criminal history checks through TORIS for $29. The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference coordinates prosecution of failure to appear cases and handles extradition requests for bench warrants. The Tennessee State Library and Archives holds historical Davidson County court records on microfilm for research purposes.
You can also search the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts website for appellate records and court forms. The Tennessee Sheriff's Association keeps a full directory of all 95 county sheriffs if you need to check bench warrants in another county.
Note: Davidson County bench warrant records are public under the Tennessee Public Records Act, but juvenile warrants and sealed records are not available to the public.
Cities in Davidson County
Davidson County includes Nashville, the state capital and largest city in Tennessee. All bench warrant cases for Davidson County residents go through the courts in Nashville.
Nearby Counties
Davidson County borders several other Tennessee counties. Check that you are looking in the right county for your bench warrant search.