Tennessee small claims
How to fill out Tennessee's General Sessions Civil Summons (civil warrant)
Official form: Civil Summons (General Sessions — functions as the civil warrant/claim) · Walkthrough written against Rev. 8/10 (as printed on the form)
In Tennessee, this form is issued per county or court
There is no single statewide version — each county's (or court's) clerk issues its own, and courts generally expect their own version. The walkthrough below uses the statewide-approved General Sessions Civil Summons because the forms ask for largely the same information, but your court's layout and requirements can differ. Look up your courthouse to find the operative version — the clerk's office has it.
Download the official form — free, from the court
The only authoritative copy of this form is the court's own. Courts re-issue forms, so downloading a fresh copy right before filing beats reusing a saved one. We link the official source and never host court forms ourselves.
Get the official form from the court's site →Link verified 2026-07-01. If it has moved, the court's forms index and clerk's office will have the current version — verify with the court before filing.
What this form is
Tennessee does not have a separate small claims court — small money claims are civil cases in the General Sessions Court of each county, and the case starts with a Civil Summons (traditionally called a civil warrant). Tennessee publishes a statewide-approved Civil Summons that every General Sessions court must accept, but practice still varies by county: clerks in many counties issue their own local versions, and several large counties require electronic filing through their own systems, which generate the summons inside the e-filing process rather than from a downloaded PDF.
Whichever version applies, the document does the same work: it names the county and court, directs an officer to summon the defendant to appear at a stated courtroom, date, and time, and states who is suing whom, for what, and for how much ("Under $___"). Much of the printed form — the judgment, order, and service blocks — belongs to the judge, clerk, and serving officer, not the filer.
The walkthrough below uses the statewide-approved form posted at tncourts.gov (Rev. 8/10) as the representative example. The clerk of the General Sessions Court in the filing county can confirm whether that version, a local version, or an e-filing system applies there.
The form, field by field
What each part of the form asks for, in the form's own order. These are descriptions of the questions — what to answer depends on facts only you know, and the court clerk or the form's own instructions are the authoritative sources.
The summons block (left column, top)
"STATE OF TENNESSEE, COUNTY OF ___"
The county where the case is filed.
"To Any Lawful Officer To Execute and Return: Summon ___"
The defendant's name — the person the officer is commanded to summon.
"To appear before the General Sessions Court of ___ County … (Court Room) … (Address) on the ___ day of ___, 20___ at ___"
The court, courtroom, address, and appearance date and time. In practice the clerk controls the court date; the clerk's office confirms how these lines are completed in the filing county.
"to answer in a civil action brought by ___ for ___ Under $___"
The plaintiff's name, a plain-language statement of what the claim is for, and the amount sued for, entered after "Under $". General Sessions courts hear civil money claims up to $25,000 in most case types.
The caption (right column)
Plaintiff — name, address, phone
The filer's identifying and contact information.
Defendant(s) — names and addresses
Each defendant with an address for service. The form provides blocks for two defendants; the Case No. line is the clerk's.
Clerk's blocks — issued date, set for, served upon
The issuance date, court setting, and service tracking are completed by the clerk and the serving officer (sheriff, constable, or process server), not the filer.
The military-service affidavit
"I hereby make affidavit that the Defendant is/is not a member of a military service" — signed before a notary
A sworn statement, made after investigation of the defendant's employment, about whether the defendant is in military service — the screening that federal law (the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) requires before default judgments. The block includes the plaintiff's (or attorney's) signature and a notary's signature with commission expiration.
Court-side sections (not completed by the filer)
Judgment and Order blocks
The left column's judgment section (judgment for, amount, interest rate, costs, default/agreement/trial checkboxes, dismissal options) and the order section are completed by the judge when the case is decided.
Notice to the Defendant(s)
Pre-printed text warning that failure to appear and answer may result in default judgment, and explaining Tennessee's $10,000 personal property exemption and homestead exemption (TCA §26-2-301) — including that a defendant claiming exempt property files a sworn list with the clerk. The form cites TCA §20-2-101 and Rule 3 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure as its legal authority.
Common reasons clerks reject this form
Clerks bounce filings for mechanical, fixable reasons. These are the patterns that come up with this particular form:
- ⚠Bypassing a county's required e-filing system — several large Tennessee counties require General Sessions civil cases to be filed electronically, with the summons generated inside their system; a paper form printed at home may be turned away there.
- ⚠Completing the court-side blocks — the judgment, order, issuance, and service sections belong to the judge, clerk, and serving officer.
- ⚠Skipping the military-service affidavit or leaving it un-notarized — the sworn statement is part of the form, and a blank one stalls default judgments later.
- ⚠A vague claim description — the "for ___" line is what tells the defendant and the court what the suit is about, and clerks look for it to be filled in.
- ⚠An incomplete defendant address — the officer serves the summons at the address given, and the case cannot proceed until service is made.
- ⚠Filing in the wrong county — venue generally follows where the defendant lives or where the events occurred, and the county in the caption controls.
What filing costs, and where it happens
General Sessions civil filing costs are collected by each county's General Sessions Court Clerk and vary by county and by how the summons is served (sheriff, constable, or private process server); state law sets some components and counties add local costs. There is no single statewide number.
The summons is filed with (and issued by) the General Sessions Court Clerk in the proper county — over the counter in most counties, or through the county's e-filing system where one is required. The clerk issues the summons, the officer serves the defendant, and both parties appear on the court date. The clerk's office quotes the exact filing and service costs for a specific case — verifying with the clerk before filing is the reliable way to get current numbers.
Published fees and court locations for your county are in our Tennessee small claims guide and the court directory. Fees change — verify the current amount with the clerk before filing.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the form for my county?
The version walked through here is the statewide-approved Civil Summons posted at tncourts.gov, which every General Sessions court must accept. Many county clerks issue their own local versions, and some large counties require e-filing through systems that generate the summons themselves — the filing county's General Sessions clerk confirms which applies.
How much can I sue for in Tennessee General Sessions court?
General Sessions courts hear civil money claims up to $25,000 in most case types (some categories, like certain possession actions, have no dollar cap). The clerk can confirm the limit for a specific claim type.
Does anything on the form need to be notarized?
The military-service affidavit is sworn before a notary public. The rest of the form is completed and signed without a jurat; the clerk's office can confirm local signing practice.
What does it cost to file?
Costs vary by county and service method — the General Sessions Court Clerk in the filing county quotes the exact total, and fee waivers (pauper's oath) are available for filers who qualify. Verify with the clerk before filing.
What happens after I file?
The clerk issues the summons and it is served on the defendant by a sheriff, constable, or process server. Both parties appear on the court date shown on the summons; if the defendant does not appear, the form's own notice warns that default judgment may be entered.
Related guides
Form link verified: 2026-07-01. Reviewed against our Editorial Standards.
This is general information to help you understand the form — not legal advice, and not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Courts revise forms, fees, and procedures; the court's own instructions and your court clerk are the authoritative sources. Always verify with the court before filing.