Every county, the office that takes the filing, and the number that reaches it. Eighty-four counties use the Clerk and Master. Eleven do not, and walking into the wrong office costs you a morning.
No published list of this exists. Tennessee's default rule sends probate to Chancery Court and the Clerk and Master, but individual counties have private acts that move it, and a 2003 statute barring county clerks from serving probate courts carved out exemptions by population bracket. The result is a patchwork that statewide guides flatten and get wrong. This was built by reading the two controlling statutes and every county's currently effective private acts.
If the estate is in one of these counties, the Clerk and Master is the wrong office.
Two more, Scott and Lauderdale, are unsettled in state law. The reasons are under their entries below.
Several more counties hear probate somewhere other than Chancery while the Clerk and Master still takes the filing: Wilson, Cumberland, Dyer, Monroe, Roane, White, Henry, Blount and Madison. Right office, unusual court. Knox and Hamilton are not in that group; both keep probate inside Chancery as a named division, which is why their own pages say there is no separate probate court.
Type to filter. Two counties are marked Unsettled in state law. In those, a county private act and the general statute point at different offices and no public record resolves it, or a court is mid-transition under an act that has not finished taking effect. The reason is stated under each one, and the number listed reaches someone who can answer it today.
| County | File with | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Clerk and MasterHal Cousins | 865-457-6205 |
| Bedford | Clerk and MasterAngela HayesThe published fee schedule dates from 2017. Ask for the current cost. | 931-684-1672 |
| Benton | Clerk and MasterCarly Bayless | 731-584-4435 |
| Bledsoe | Clerk and MasterTyler DeBord | 423-447-2484 |
| Blount | Clerk and MasterStephen OgleA General Sessions judge sits in probate, and the Clerk and Master clerks that docket. Fees from 01/01/2026: $345.00 for a small estate, a full administration, or muniment of title; $431.40 with creditor notice. Cash, money order, cashier's check or a law firm check only, no cards. | 865-273-5500 |
| Bradley | Clerk and MasterHolly Thompson | 423-728-7204 |
| Campbell | Clerk and MasterDennis Potter | 423-562-3496 |
| Cannon | County ClerkLana S. Jones, County ClerkCounty Clerk, under a population exemption at T.C.A. 18-6-106. The office's own page does not list probate, so confirm by phone. Closed Wednesday and Sunday; open Saturday morning. | 615-563-4278 |
| Carroll | Clerk and MasterKenneth Todd | 731-986-1920 |
| Carter | Clerk and MasterAndrew LaPorteClerk and Master also serves as Clerk of the Probate Court. The county publishes 423-542-1801; an older 423-542-1812 appears nowhere on its page. | 423-542-1801 |
| Cheatham | Clerk and MasterRhonda Vaughn | 615-792-4620 |
| Chester | Clerk and MasterKeith Frye | 731-989-7171 |
| Claiborne | Clerk and MasterPatricia Simmons | 423-626-3284 |
| Clay | Clerk and MasterRene Davis | 931-243-3145 |
| Cocke | Clerk and MasterCraig Wild | 423-623-3321 |
| Coffee | Clerk and MasterSheila ProffittE-filing through Tybera, but the original will must be physically delivered. | 931-723-5132 |
| Crockett | Clerk and MasterJames Stephenson | 731-696-5458 |
| Cumberland | Clerk and MasterBenjamin TollettProbate and Family Court; Clerk and Master is the clerk. | 931-484-4731 |
| Davidson | Circuit Court ClerkJoseph P. DaySeventh Circuit Court, Probate Division. The Clerk and Master here does not take probate. | 615-862-5980 |
| DeKalb | Clerk and MasterNicole Wright | 615-597-4360 |
| Decatur | Clerk and MasterElizabeth Carpenter | 731-852-3422 |
| Dickson | Clerk and MasterLynn CollinsThe county's Probate and Juvenile Court was never given jurisdiction over decedents' estates, only over juveniles, so estate filings go to the Clerk and Master. Do not call 615-789-5414, which is the General Sessions clerk. | 615-789-7011 |
| Dyer | Clerk and MasterCindy RoseProbate Court under General Sessions; Clerk and Master is the clerk. | 731-286-7818 |
| Fayette | Clerk and MasterAmy AndersonChancery Court lists open estates among its services, and the County Clerk lists no probate function at all. Fees are not published; call. | 901-465-5219 |
| Fentress | Clerk and MasterLinda Smith | 931-879-8615 |
| Franklin | Clerk and MasterKatelyn IsbellMoved from General Sessions to Chancery effective July 1, 2014. | 931-967-2843 |
| Gibson | Clerk and MasterKatelyn OrgainTwo offices. Trenton is the county seat; Humboldt is 731-784-9551. | 731-855-7639 |
| Giles | Clerk and MasterCrystal Gibson Greene | 931-363-2620 |
| Grainger | Clerk and MasterVickie Greenlee | 865-828-4436 |
| Greene | Clerk and MasterBland Justis | 423-798-1742 |
| Grundy | Clerk and MasterMegan Rollins | 931-692-3455 |
| Hamblen | Clerk and MasterTeresa Carey | 423-586-9112 |
| Hamilton | Clerk and MasterRachael J. KappermanChancery Part 2. Probate hearings are by appointment only, Tuesday to Friday mornings. | 423-209-6600 |
| Hancock | Clerk and MasterThomas Harrison | 423-733-4524 |
| Hardeman | Clerk and MasterKim Paras | 731-658-3142 |
| Hardin | Clerk and MasterJennifer Fielder | 731-925-8166 |
| Hawkins | Clerk and MasterBrent Price | 423-272-8150 |
| Haywood | Clerk and MasterFelicia Bond | 731-772-0122 |
| Henderson | Clerk and MasterLeigh Milam | 731-968-2801 |
| Henry | Clerk and MasterAlbert WadeGeneral Sessions; Clerk and Master since 2010. | 731-642-4234 |
| Hickman | Clerk and MasterLoren Roberts | 931-729-2522 |
| Houston | Clerk and MasterPatsy Brooks | 931-289-3870 |
| Humphreys | Clerk and MasterMike BullionThe Probate and Juvenile Court was repealed effective 2022 and probate returned to chancery. Court offices sit in the Rawlings Building, 102 Thompson Street, though mail goes to the Court Square address. | 931-296-2558 |
| Jackson | Clerk and MasterSherrie Pippin-Loftis | 931-268-9516 |
| Jefferson | County ClerkFrank Herndon, County ClerkThe County Clerk runs the probate section here, with its own intake form and fee schedule. Small estate $354.50, opening an estate $523.50, or $354.50 with no creditor notice. Open Saturday 8 to 11. Do not call 865-397-2404, which is the Clerk and Master. | 865-397-2935 |
| Johnson | Clerk and MasterSherrie Fenner | 423-727-7853 |
| Knox | Clerk and MasterHouston S. HavasyChancery Probate Division, Suite 352, a different counter from Chancery in Suite 125. | 865-215-2389 |
| Lake | Clerk and MasterAmber Mooring | 731-253-8926 |
| Lauderdale | Unsettled in state lawMinnie StoweThis county is mid-transition. Private Acts of 2025 ch. 16 dissolves the Probate and Juvenile Court, but only when the sitting judge's full term expires, and separately permits the county commission to move the probate clerking at any time before that. No published record says whether it has. The 1982 act naming the County Clerk as probate clerk was left unamended and still stands on its face. Call the Clerk and Master at 731-635-1941 and ask whether estate petitions are being received there; if not, the County Clerk is 731-635-2561. Ask which building too, because the 2025 act ordered the court moved to the Justice Complex and three addresses are in circulation. | 731-635-1941 |
| Lawrence | Clerk and MasterKristy Gang | 931-766-4182 |
| Lewis | Clerk and MasterKaitlin Bates | 931-796-3734 |
| Lincoln | Clerk and MasterRebecca Bartlett Carpenter | 931-433-1482 |
| Loudon | Probate Court ClerkSteve HarrelsonOne officeholder is the Circuit, Criminal, Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court Clerk. Probate is heard in General Sessions at the Justice Center in Lenoir City, 12680 Highway 11 West, Suite 3. Not the County Clerk and not the Clerk and Master. | 865-986-3505 |
| Macon | Clerk and MasterKristin Reid | 615-666-2000 |
| Madison | Unsettled in state lawSharon Perry-BrownSources conflict and the county publishes nothing that settles it. One set of records puts probate in General Sessions Division II at the Juvenile Court Complex on Irby Street, with its own line at 731-988-3025. Call the Clerk and Master at 731-423-6030 and ask which office takes estate filings and in which building. | 731-423-6030 |
| Marion | Clerk and MasterPaige Mashburn | 423-942-2601 |
| Marshall | Clerk and MasterCecilia SpivyThe separate Probate Court ceased to exist in 1997. | 931-359-2181 |
| Maury | Clerk and MasterLarry Roe Sr.Probate sits in Chancery. Fees from the schedule effective January 1, 2026: $456.50 to open with publication, $379.50 without, and $379.50 or $384.50 for a small estate. Go between 8:00 and 4:00; the 7:30 to 4:30 figure the county also publishes is staff hours. No e-filing, and a new estate cannot be opened by email or fax. | 931-375-1307 |
| McMinn | Clerk and MasterPatty Gaines | 423-745-1281 |
| McNairy | Clerk and MasterKimberly Boals | 731-645-5446 |
| Meigs | Clerk and MasterDonna Moore | 423-334-5243 |
| Monroe | Clerk and MasterTeresa ChoateProbate Court under a General Sessions judge; Clerk and Master since 1990. | 423-442-2644 |
| Montgomery | Clerk and MasterHeather L. Moore, JDA full administration requires an attorney here. The small estate exemption is the carve-out. | 931-648-5703 |
| Moore | Clerk and MasterTammy Roberts | 931-759-7028 |
| Morgan | Clerk and MasterAngela Anderson | 423-346-3881 |
| Obion | Clerk and MasterEmily Hall | 731-507-0999 |
| Overton | Clerk and MasterDorothy StantonThe office's own mailing line reads Probate and Juvenile Clerk. 100 E. Court Square, Suite 100, Livingston. | 931-823-2536 |
| Perry | Clerk and MasterCharlene Duplessis | 931-589-2217 |
| Pickett | Clerk and MasterLeana Neal | 931-864-3359 |
| Polk | Clerk and MasterKimberly Ingram | 423-338-4522 |
| Putnam | Circuit Court ClerkJennifer WilkersonProbate Court under a General Sessions judge; the Circuit Court Clerk is the clerk. | 931-528-1508 |
| Rhea | County ClerkLinda Shaver, County ClerkA 1982 act vests probate in General Sessions with the County Clerk as its clerk, and expressly divested the Clerk and Master. The county website is offline and two addresses circulate, so confirm the street address when you call. | 423-775-7808 |
| Roane | Clerk and MasterPam MayGeneral Sessions; the Clerk and Master clerks probate specifically. | 865-376-2487 |
| Robertson | Clerk and MasterJon GravesChancery Court, 422 West Court Square, Room 102, Springfield. Open 8:00 to 4:30, Monday to Friday. | 615-384-5650 |
| Rutherford | County ClerkLisa Duke CrowellGeneral Sessions judges sit as Probate Judge, so filings go to the County Clerk rather than the Clerk and Master. This office runs four locations; probate is a Murfreesboro matter, at 319 N Maple Street. Careful with the county's own filing-fees page: that is the 2016 Chancery schedule and it does not govern probate here, which uses the County Clerk's schedule revised July 1 2018. 615-898-7800 is the number the county publishes. A direct probate line may exist but the county does not publish one, so ask for estates when you call. | 615-898-7800 |
| Scott | Unsettled in state lawMichael PotterPrivate Acts of 1982 ch. 383 vests all probate jurisdiction in General Sessions and names no clerk for it. Private Acts of 1951 ch. 657 makes the Circuit Court Clerk the clerk of General Sessions, which points one way. T.C.A. 18-6-106 points instead at the Clerk and Master. The county publishes nothing either way and the state's own compilation declines to name a current probate clerk, so both offices are legally defensible. Call the Clerk and Master at 423-663-2627 and the Circuit Court Clerk at 423-663-2440 and ask which one takes estate filings. | 423-663-2627 |
| Sequatchie | Clerk and MasterSherry Brock | 423-949-3670 |
| Sevier | County ClerkAdra Rowland, County ClerkProbate is handled in-house by the County Clerk; ask for option 5. IMPORTANT: this county's published probate instructions state that filings must be prepared by a Tennessee-licensed attorney. No Tennessee statute requires counsel, so whether that is a local rule or a strong preference is the first thing to ask on the phone. Fees from 01/01/2026: $433.50 for a small estate, muniment, or probate without publication; $503.50 with publication. | 865-453-5502 opt. 5 |
| Shelby | Probate Court ClerkEddie S. Jones, Jr.A standing Probate Court with its own elected clerk. Room 124, not the Clerk and Master in Room 308. | 901-222-3750 |
| Smith | Clerk and MasterJessie Goad | 615-735-2092 |
| Stewart | Clerk and MasterApril Turner | 931-232-5665 |
| Sullivan | Clerk and MasterKatharine JennellChancery at Blountville specifically, not Kingsport. | 423-323-6483 |
| Sumner | Clerk and MasterMark T. SmithNo bags or purses clear security. The office moved to the new courthouse on East Main. | 615-451-6036 |
| Tipton | Clerk and MasterGina Smith | 901-476-0210 |
| Trousdale | Clerk and MasterShelly Brawner | 615-374-2996 |
| Unicoi | Clerk and MasterTeresa SimerlyAn Attorney General opinion issued about this county moved probate clerking off the County Clerk, and the Clerk and Master is where it lands. The County Clerk lists no probate function. Mail goes to PO Box 46, not the general county box. Confirm before filing. | 423-743-9541 |
| Union | Clerk and MasterSandra Edmondson | 865-992-5942 |
| Van Buren | Clerk and MasterTina ShockleyA 1986 act that would have moved probate to the General Sessions clerk was rejected by local voters and never took effect, so probate stayed in chancery. Confirm the street address when you call. | 931-946-7175 |
| Warren | Clerk and MasterMyra Mara | 931-473-2364 |
| Washington | Clerk and MasterSarah LawsonThe Clerk and Master's Jonesborough office. | 423-788-1450 |
| Wayne | Clerk and MasterJamie Ann White | 931-722-5517 |
| Weakley | Clerk and MasterRegina VanCleave | 731-364-3454 |
| White | Clerk and MasterGena BrockGeneral Sessions; Clerk and Master performs the probate clerk duties. | 931-836-3787 |
| Williamson | Clerk and MasterJakob L. SchwendimannElectronic filing through Tybera is required. Estates line is 615-591-8538. | 615-790-5428 |
| Wilson | Clerk and MasterMillie SloanGeneral Sessions Division III. Probate is Room 201 on its own line, separate from Chancery. | 615-466-5311 |
Because the official ones disagree. Checking a single county turned up three different addresses for the same office across three state and county sources, all of them current-looking. Another county's office had moved to a new courthouse while the state directory still listed the old building.
Phone numbers held up where addresses did not. So this page gives you the number, and the person who answers it will tell you which door, what it costs today, and whether you need an appointment. That is a better answer than a street address that was right last year.
Office, fee schedule, local rules, and what to carry in.
Whichever office you end up at, the filing asks for the same two things: everything the person owned, valued at the date of death, and everything they owed, with addresses and amounts. Building those from a shoebox of statements is the part that takes a week of evenings.
$249 flat. Nothing owed until you have seen it.
Send me the county and roughly what the estate holds, and I will tell you exactly what to scan and what to leave alone.