Henry County Court Records Search

Henry County, Tennessee, with Paris as its county seat, operates a multi-tiered court system that produces a broad range of legal records each year. These documents arise from criminal prosecutions, civil disputes, domestic cases, probate proceedings, and juvenile matters handled by courts at both the state trial court and local city court levels. Court records in Henry County may take many forms — typed or handwritten pleadings, electronic case filings, hearing transcripts, audiovisual recordings of proceedings, exhibits introduced into evidence, sentencing orders, and judgment entries. Under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34, “court records” broadly encompasses any record related to a judicial proceeding, divided into case records, administrative records, and judicial records. These materials serve essential functions for attorneys, litigants, researchers, and the public in understanding how the county’s courts operate and what outcomes were reached in specific cases.

Locating court records in Tennessee involves a combination of official clerk offices, online case search tools, and written public records requests. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts maintains resources for appellate-level case searches and links to trial court information statewide. TennesseeCourts.us may also help identify courts, clerk contacts, and publicly available case data across Tennessee’s court system.

How to Look Up a Court Case in Henry County?

The pathway for locating a court record in Henry County depends on which court heard the case. For circuit and general sessions-level cases, Tennessee Case Finder is a public inquiry system maintained by the offices of Tennessee Circuit Court Clerks that provides 24/7 online access to civil and general sessions cases by party name or case number. For appellate-level matters — including decisions from the Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals — the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Public Case History tool allows online searches by case number or party name.

For records that are not accessible online, in-person visits or written requests to the appropriate clerk’s office are required. When making a request, it is helpful to have as much identifying information as possible:

• Full name of each party to the case
• Approximate filing date or year
• Case number, if known
• Type of case (criminal, civil, domestic, probate)

Primary Record-Keeping Offices in Henry County:

Henry County Circuit Court Clerk
Address: 101 West Washington Street, #100, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-0461
Fax: (731) 642-1244

Henry County Chancery Court (Clerk & Master)
Address: Henry County Courthouse, P.O. Box 313, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-4234
Fax: (731) 644-2527

Henry County Clerk (Marriage Licenses & County Records)
Address: 101 West Washington Street, Suite 100, P.O. Box 24, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-2412
Email: donna.craig@tn.gov
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Historical and genealogical records are also available through the Henry County Archive & Genealogy Library, which houses older public records and may assist researchers with court documents predating current digital systems.

Henry County Archive & Genealogy Library
Address: 215 Grove Blvd, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-3638
Email: archive@henrycountyarchive.org

Are Court Records Public in Henry County?

The foundation for public access to court records in Henry County is the Tennessee Public Records Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(2)(A), which presumes that records maintained by government entities — including courts — are open to public inspection unless a specific exemption applies. Requests to view public records may be submitted in person, by telephone, fax, mail, or email, depending on how the relevant office communicates. Henry County’s Public Records Request Policy requires that requests be directed to the Public Records Request Coordinator or their designee to ensure proper routing to the correct department.

Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 adds a layer of specificity for court records, affirming the public’s right to inspect case records while carving out categories of records that are not public. Records treated as confidential under Rule 34 include:

• Documents sealed by court order or subject to a protective order
• Unpublished drafts of judicial orders and opinions
• Copies of motions, petitions, or briefs furnished to a judge for personal use but not filed as part of the official case record
• Conference notes, memoranda, and internal deliberative documents prepared by judges or judicial staff
• Internal case management information (with limited exceptions for appellate panel composition)
• Information regarding threats to judicial personnel or court security audits
• Records whose disclosure would frustrate or interfere with the courts’ judicial functions

Additionally, specific case types carry heightened confidentiality protections. Juvenile court records are confidential under Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-153, meaning that dockets and case files in juvenile proceedings are generally not open for public inspection. Adoption records are also sealed. When a record is partly public and partly exempt, the custodian must redact the confidential portions and release the remainder.

Henry County Criminal Court Records

Criminal matters in Henry County are handled at several court levels. Felony prosecutions and higher-level misdemeanors are heard by the Henry County Circuit Court, while lower-level criminal offenses, traffic violations, and preliminary hearings proceed through the Henry County General Sessions Court. Both courts operate out of the Henry County Courthouse in Paris.

Henry County Circuit Court
Address: 101 West Washington Street, P.O. Box 429, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-0461
Fax: (731) 642-1244

Henry County General Sessions Court
Address: 101 West Washington Street, P.O. Box 429, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-0461
Fax: (731) 644-7312

Criminal case records maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk include indictments, charging documents, plea records, trial transcripts, judgment entries, and sentencing information. These can be searched online through Tennessee Case Finder for cases filed in the Circuit and General Sessions courts, or by contacting the clerk’s office directly.

For arrest records and incident reports, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office is the primary source of law enforcement documentation.

Henry County Sheriff’s Office
Address: 210 Forrest Heights Road, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-1672

The Sheriff’s Office can provide information on arrests, incident reports, and related law enforcement records. Fees may apply for copies of certain records, and some documentation may be withheld if disclosure would interfere with an active investigation.

For a broader statewide criminal history search, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) offers name-based criminal background checks to the general public for a fee of $29.00 per search. This Tennessee-only search does not require fingerprints and returns records of adult criminal history including arrests, misdemeanor charges, and felony charges across the state. Requests can be submitted through the TBI’s online platform.

City courts in Henry County handle municipal offenses and local ordinance violations:

Court	Address	Phone
Henry City Court	1232 Pioneer Road, Henry, TN 38231	(731) 243-4091
Paris City Court	100 North Caldwell, Paris, TN 38242	(731) 641-1413
Puryear City Court	110 North Sycamore, P.O. Box 278, Puryear, TN 38251	(731) 247-5362

Henry County Civil Court Records

Civil litigation in Henry County is distributed between the Circuit Court and the Chancery Court depending on the nature of the claim. The Circuit Court handles tort claims, contract disputes, appeals from lower courts, and certain civil matters assigned to it by statute. The Chancery Court exercises original jurisdiction over matters traditionally equitable in nature, including contract and debt actions, partition suits, specific performance claims, trusts, foreign judgments, contempt proceedings, minor settlements, and delinquent property tax collections for the county and the cities of Paris, Henry, Puryear, and Cottage Grove.

Henry County Circuit Court Clerk
Address: 101 West Washington Street, P.O. Box 429, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-0461
Fax: (731) 642-1244

Henry County Chancery Court
Address: 101 West Washington Street, Suite 101, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-4234
Fax: (731) 644-2527

Civil case records from the Circuit Court — including complaints, answers, motions, judgments, and orders — are accessible online through Tennessee Case Finder, which provides 24/7 public access. For Chancery Court records and documents not available through the online system, requests must be made in person or in writing to the Clerk & Master’s office. Copy fees and certification costs vary; requesters should confirm current fees directly with the relevant office before submitting a request.

The Henry County Chancery Court’s official website provides downloadable forms for common filings, including divorce forms and probate forms organized by case type. Copies of applicable court fee schedules are also posted there.

Henry County Family Court Records

Family law matters in Henry County span several courts. Divorce proceedings — including contested and uncontested divorces, divisions of marital property, and spousal support — are filed in the Circuit Court or Chancery Court, depending on case-specific circumstances. Child custody, child support, and parenting plan modifications arising from divorce proceedings are handled by the same courts. The Juvenile Court separately addresses matters affecting minors, including dependency, neglect, abuse, delinquency, and paternity actions.

Henry County Juvenile Court
Address: 213 West Washington Street, P.O. Box 633, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-5271
Fax: (731) 644-7308
Judge: Chad A. Cox

As noted above, juvenile court records are confidential under Tennessee law and are generally not open for public inspection. Parties directly involved in a juvenile case may access their own records through the court.

Divorce records are maintained by the clerk of the court where the divorce was granted — either the Circuit Court Clerk or the Chancery Court Clerk & Master. For historical or certified copies, parties may also contact the Tennessee Office of Vital Records for divorces occurring after 1945. The Vital Records Office requires a completed application, valid identification, and payment of the required fee.

Marriage records in Henry County are maintained by the Henry County Clerk’s office. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded at:

Henry County Clerk
Address: 101 West Washington Street, Suite 100, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-2412
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Certified copies of marriage records can also be obtained from the Tennessee Office of Vital Records for records from 1945 forward. Requestors must submit a completed application, valid ID, and the applicable fee.

Birth and death records are restricted under Tennessee law to eligible individuals — the subject of the record, immediate family members, or authorized legal representatives. The primary repository for certified birth and death certificates is the Tennessee Department of Health Office of Vital Records:

Tennessee Office of Vital Records
Address: Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, 1st Floor, Nashville, TN 37243

Requests require a completed application, valid photo identification, and payment of applicable fees. Notarized requests may substitute for certain identification requirements. The Henry County Archive & Genealogy Library may have older birth and death records useful for genealogical research.

Henry County Probate Court Records

Probate matters in Henry County fall under the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court, which exercises probate jurisdiction through two separate offices within the courthouse. The Probate office (Suite 104) handles conservatorships, guardianships, and probate estate filings. The Chancery Court office (Suite 101) handles adoptions, paternity and legitimation, name changes, surrenders, and related equitable proceedings.

Henry County Chancery Court — Probate Division
Address: Henry County Courthouse, Suite 104, 101 West Washington Street, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: (731) 642-4234

To obtain probate records, parties may visit the Clerk & Master’s office in person during regular business hours, or submit a written request by mail to P.O. Box 313, Paris, TN 38242. The request should include the decedent’s full name, approximate date of death, and the case number if available. Fees apply for copies and certified documents.

The Henry County Chancery Court website provides downloadable probate forms organized by proceeding type, including forms for estates with a will, estates without a will, and small estate affidavits (for estates under $50,000). The site also lists applicable court fees. Common probate matters handled by the court include:

• Probate of wills (testate estates)
• Intestate estate administration (without a will)
• Small estate affidavits for qualifying estates
• Conservatorships for incapacitated adults
• Guardianships for minors
• Testamentary and inter vivos trusts
• Will contests

Older probate records, particularly those predating the court’s current filing systems, may be available through the Henry County Archive & Genealogy Library, which preserves historical public records for the county. Researchers should contact the library at (731) 642-3638 before visiting to confirm what records are available and any applicable research fees.