How to Obtain and Use Information in Tennessee Divorce Records

Did you ever wonder whether your divorced partner is still married or not? Did you ever think of running a background check on your partner’s marriage records before you tie the knot?

You can now look up public Tennessee divorce records by keying in the name, city, and state of the person you need to obtain information for. All you need to do is just conduct a divorce court records search. You can now search all the available Tennessee divorce records and this will instantly let you know if there is a match.

It is almost impossible to ask someone you have started to date whether he or she is divorced or is still married? You would never do that, right? But unfortunately, the world is not a perfect place. People claim to be divorced so they can have the best of both worlds, as many instances prove.

Do you have a feeling gnawing at your belly that someone’s story isn’t just adding up? If you do, it is better to be safe than to invest your time and heart into someone who just might be lying to you. It is natural that you might feel squeamish to check on someone's divorce records. Now, it can very easily be done online with the divorce records database, and best of all is that you can do it discreetly.

The proceedings of a divorce start with the official filing for divorce by both parties involved in a divorce case. The divorce runs its legal course, and the final step of a divorce is the final divorce decree. The proceeding is documented and filed at every step, and the central state repository has records of these divorces in storage.

Maintenance of the records at the repository are meant for both public and government reference, and for purposes of information. The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966. This ensured that since 1967, this process has been officially followed.

Almost all American states have a central office of statistics or records. They do not issue certified copies of divorce documents to outside parties, but verify whether a divorce was granted in the state or not. The records are actually maintained at the county level, but since the database is networked, you can access it from anywhere.

Since it is the county office that will actually maintain the records and release the record to you, ideally you should approach them. If you are unsure about the exact county where the divorce happened or might have happened (this is often the case with a vast number of people), then you can approach the state office. The authorities will then direct your request to the appropriate county.

To access Tennessee divorce records, please write to:

Tennessee Vital Records
Central Services Building, 1st Floor
421 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37247
(615) 741-1763
Fax: (615) 741-9860

When you place a request, you will get the information you want, but there is a fee involved. Divorce record fees are $15.00 for the past 50 years.

To inquire about records of events from early years that are not maintained by the Office of Vital Records, you can also contact the Tennessee Library and Archives.

How to Find and Obtain Your Tennessee Divorce Records

Do remember that you will need a little information before you get started. Having the information ready before you commit to searching for the divorce records of anyone is sure to greatly facilitate your search efforts.

Please do not forget that like many other records searches, divorce records are in the public domain. Getting your hands on a copy of the divorce decree might not be possible for you. However, you can search to confirm whether the divorce has indeed been granted or not. You can also find out the date of the divorce (if it has been granted) and the county from where it was granted.

The Information Included in Tennessee Divorce Records

At the outset, even before you start the search for divorce records, there are some minimum but mandatory pieces of information that you should have with you. At the very least, you should have full knowledge of the name of one of the people who got divorced. Please do include their middle name if you know it and also the nickname if the person had one. Do also make sure that the spelling of the name is correct.

Do you know for sure that the state in which the person was granted their divorce is Tennessee? Remember that if you are accessing a government website, you may need to know the county, but this information can still be skipped.

Of course, if you are approaching the government for the divorce records you can also do so offline. For example, you can write a letter, walk in with your request or even call up the office and send a fax message.

Are you wondering whether it is better to approach a private website, a state or government official website or write that letter? Please be aware that your fees will prove to be substantially less if you choose to approach the government as opposed to a private search site. On the other hand, a private website offers you hassle-free service and the service is quite often a lot quicker too.

A large amount of personal particulars of the people involved in a divorce are the standard information contained in these free divorce records. These are not shared with the public. The only details which are divulged to the public are whether the divorce actually happened, the date it happened, and the county in which the divorce took place. The information that you cannot access involves issues such as settlement, child custody and others like this.

Also remember that while your interest is protected under Right to Information, the interest of the divorced individual is also protected under  their Right to Privacy. You can find out the most important fact - whether the person is divorced or not, and often this is all you need to know.