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Shelby County, Tennessee public records

In Shelby County, deeds are recorded by the Shelby County Register of Deeds; property values come from the Shelby County Assessor of Property; court files are divided among the Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk, the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk and the Shelby County Probate Court and Clerk.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Where to get each record
  2. Deeds and land records
  3. Property values, owners and tax bills
  4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
  5. Marriage records
  6. Divorce records
  7. Birth certificates
  8. Death certificates
  9. Probate records and wills
  10. Business names (DBA)
  11. Voter records
  12. Historical records
  13. Good to know about Shelby County records
  14. Office addresses, phones and hours
  15. Records that are not online: public records requests
  16. Questions people ask
  17. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  18. Sources

Where to get each record

RecordOfficeSearch onlineFee
Deeds and land recordsShelby County Register of Deeds4Search deeds23Free search$0.50 per page at the office; plats $1.50 per page3
Property values and ownersShelby County Assessor of Property5Property search5—
Property tax billsShelby County Trustee4Tax bill search6—
Court casesShelby County Circuit Court Clerk4
Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk7
Shelby County Probate Court and Clerk's Office4		Circuit Court8
Chancery Court8
Criminal Court9
General Sessions Court8
Probate Court8		Circuit and Chancery: certified copies $5.00 plus $0.50 per page; non-certified $0.50 per page; credit cards accepted; no online payment for copies10
Marriage recordsCounty Clerk: both parties appear11——
Divorce recordsDecree copies from the Circuit Court Clerk or Clerk and Master file room, 140 Adams, Room B4810——
Birth certificatesShelby County Health Department Office of Vital Records12——
Death certificatesShelby County Health Department12——
Probate and willsProbate Court Clerk: copies $0.50 per page by email to [email protected]13——
Business names (DBA)County Clerk sells business licenses14——

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Shelby County are recorded by the Shelby County Register of Deeds.4

Online search
search.register.shelby.tn.us/…2Free search
Cost
Free3
Copy fee
$0.50 per page at the office; plats $1.50 per page3
Certified copy fee
$1.00 per page15
How to order
View/print free online; otherwise in person, by email to [email protected], or by written mail request giving names of buyers/sellers, date and/or property address3
Recording fee
Most documents $12.00 up to 2 pages, $5.00 each additional page; plats $17; mortgage tax $.115 per $100 (first $2,000 exempt)15
Turnaround
About one business day to record and return by mail3
Electronic recording
E-filing for account holders only; no individual e-filing3
GIS
gis.register.shelby.tn.us (Register GIS, includes historical aerials from 1938)2

How deeds work in Tennessee

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Shelby County Assessor of Property sets property values5; the Shelby County Trustee bills and collects the tax4.

Tax bill search
shelbycountytrustee.com/103/Tax-Look-Up (Trustee tax look-up); payments payments.shelbycountytrustee.com6

How property tax works in Tennessee

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

CourtCasesRecords kept byCase search
Circuit Court (30th Judicial District)Civil cases including divorce, personal injury, contract, name changeShelby County Circuit Court Clerk (Circuit Court: civil, divorce)circuitdata.shelbycountytn.gov/…8
Chancery CourtEquity, divorce, quiet title, tax salesShelby County Circuit Court Clerk (Circuit Court: civil, divorce)chancerydata.shelbycountytn.gov/…8
Criminal CourtFelony criminal casesShelby County Criminal Court Clerkcjs.shelbycountytn.gov/CJS Shelby County Criminal Justice System Portal; registration and approved access needed for case history9
General Sessions Court (Civil and Criminal Divisions)Limited civil claims, misdemeanors, preliminary criminal matters—gs2.shelbycountytn.gov 'Case Information' on the county Courts page, which redirects on Nov. 4, 2026 to (ACS CourtConnect); civil division link now redirects to8
Probate CourtWills and estates, conservatorships, guardianships, birth certificate corrections, judicial hospitalizationShelby County Probate Court and Clerk's Officeprobatedata.shelbycountytn.gov/… Before October 2013; October 2013 to present; documents8
Juvenile CourtJuvenile, child support——
Fees
Circuit and Chancery: certified copies $5.00 plus $0.50 per page; non-certified $0.50 per page; credit cards accepted; no online payment for copies10

Criminal records and background checks

Summary
Criminal Court Clerk, 201 Poplar Avenue, Suite 3034, Memphis; case information on the county Criminal Justice System Portal (registration required); public records requests by the clerk's online form7

How Tennessee courts keep their files

Marriage records

County Clerk: both parties appear; license $37.50 with 4 hours premarital preparation, $97.50 without; valid 30 days. Certified copy $10 in person or by mail to Shelby County Clerk, Att: Marriage Department, Suite 201, 150 Washington Ave., Memphis, TN 3810311

Tennessee marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Decree copies from the Circuit Court Clerk or Clerk and Master file room, 140 Adams, Room B48; case IDs searchable online for divorces after 1999; pre-1999 divorces retrieved from Archives first; Archives cannot certify10

Tennessee divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Shelby County Health Department Office of Vital Records: $15.00 per certified long-form copy; restricted to the registrant, certain family members or legal representative; government ID required12

Ordering a Tennessee birth certificate

Death certificates

Shelby County Health Department: $15.00 per certified copy for deaths in Shelby County; death certificates issued in Shelby County before 1955 from the County Clerk (150 Washington Avenue)12

Ordering a Tennessee death certificate

Probate records and wills

Probate Court Clerk: copies $0.50 per page by email to [email protected]; case search online (two systems split at October 2013); historic will books 1830-2000 at the Register Archives13

Business names (DBA)

County Clerk sells business licenses14

Voter records

Kept by: Shelby County Election Commission, (901) 222-120016

Historical records

Register of Deeds Archives online: birth records 1874-1917, death records 1848-1967, marriage records 1820-2015, Circuit Court indexes 1893-2000, Chancery divorce index 1945-1997, probate will books 1830-2000, naturalization 1856-1906, city directories 1849-1943, 1865 Memphis census17

Good to know about Shelby County records

  • The Register of Deeds runs a large free online archive including Memphis police blotters 1858-1860, Provost Marshal records 1863-1865, the Dr. Martin Luther King assassination investigation files and Elmwood Cemetery burial records 1853-1919.17
  • Shelby has a separate Probate Court with its own clerk (most Tennessee counties use the Clerk and Master), and separate Criminal, General Sessions and Juvenile court clerks.4
  • Older Shelby County death certificates (before 1955) come from the County Clerk, not the Health Department.12
  • Recorded deeds can be viewed and printed from the Register website at no charge.3
  • Shelby County assessment data is kept by the county Assessor, not the state TPAD system.5

Office addresses, phones and hours

Shelby County Register of Deeds

Address
Main office: 1075 Mullins Station, Building W3 Suite W165, Memphis, TN 38134; Downtown: 157 Poplar Avenue, Room 124, Memphis, TN 38103; Whitehaven: 1254 East Shelby Drive, Suite 1267, Memphis, TN 38116; Archives: 980A Nixon Drive, Memphis, TN 3813418
Mail
Shelby County Register of Deeds, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Suite W165, Memphis, TN 381343
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.3

Shelby County Assessor of Property

Address
1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 3813419
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.19

Shelby County Trustee

Mail
Shelby County Trustee, P.O. Box 2751, Memphis, TN 381016

Shelby County Clerk (marriage licenses, business licenses, notary commissions, vehicle registration)

Address
150 Washington Avenue (main location), Memphis, TN 3810314

Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk (Circuit Court: civil, divorce)

Address
140 Adams Avenue, Room 324, Memphis, TN 38103; file room Room B48 (basement)19
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.19

Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk

Address
201 Poplar Avenue, Suite 3034, Memphis, TN 381037
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.7

Shelby County Clerk and Master (Chancery Court)

Address
140 Adams Avenue, Room 308, Memphis, TN 3810319
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.19

Shelby County Probate Court and Clerk's Office

Address
140 Adams Avenue, Room 124, Memphis, TN 3810313
Phone
(901) 222-3750; fax (901) 222-375613
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.13

Shelby County Health Department - Office of Vital Records

Address
814 Jefferson Ave, Memphis, TN 38105; East Office 1826 Sycamore View Road, Memphis, TN 3813412
Phone
901-222-9693 (814 Jefferson); 901-222-9692 (East)12
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. except official Shelby County holidays12

Shelby County Election Commission

Address
Downtown Office: 157 Poplar Ave., Suite 137, Memphis, TN 38103; Operations Center 980 Nixon Drive16

Shelby County Register of Deeds - Archives

Address
980A Nixon Drive, Memphis, TN 3813418
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.19

Shelby County Sheriff's Office

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page
shelbycountytn.gov/… (Clerk and Master public records policy and request forms)20
Where to send it
Tennessee Public Records Act rights belong to Tennessee citizens; offices may serve others at their discretion23

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Shelby County?

The Shelby County Register of Deeds keeps deed records. To order copies: View/print free online; otherwise in person, by email to [email protected], or by written mail request giving names of buyers/sellers, date and/or property address. Plain copies: $0.50 per page at the office; plats $1.50 per page. Certified copies: $1.00 per page.4315

Can I search Shelby County land records online for free?

Yes. The official search: search.register.shelby.tn.us/…32

Where do I get a divorce decree in Shelby County?

Decree copies from the Circuit Court Clerk or Clerk and Master file room, 140 Adams, Room B48; case IDs searchable online for divorces after 1999; pre-1999 divorces retrieved from Archives first; Archives cannot certify.10

How do I look up who owns a property in Shelby County?

Use the property search of the Shelby County Assessor of Property: assessor.shelbycountytn.gov/welcome5

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Shelby County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Tennessee with a full guide: Blount County, Bradley County, Davidson County, Hamilton County, Knox County, Madison County, Maury County, Montgomery County, Putnam County, Rutherford County, Sevier County, Sullivan County, Sumner County, Washington County, Williamson County, Wilson County. Every county in the state: Tennessee county list. Looking for another Shelby County? Shelby County, Alabama.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 24 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  2. Shelby County Register of Deeds (home)Shelby County Register of Deeds
  3. F.A.Q.Shelby County Register of Deeds
  4. Elected OfficialsShelby County Government
  5. Parcel DataTennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Geographic Services
  6. Shelby County Trustee (home)Shelby County Trustee
  7. Criminal Court Clerk (office site, county-linked via redirect)Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk
  8. CourtsShelby County Government
  9. Shelby County Criminal Justice System PortalShelby County Government (Tyler Technologies portal)
  10. Divorce CopiesShelby County Circuit Court Clerk
  11. Marriage LicensesShelby County Clerk
  12. Birth/Death CertificatesShelby County Health Department
  13. Probate CourtShelby County Probate Court
  14. County ClerkShelby County Government
  15. Fee ScheduleShelby County Register of Deeds
  16. Shelby County Election Commission (home)Shelby County Election Commission
  17. ArchivesShelby County Register of Deeds
  18. Contact UsShelby County Register of Deeds
  19. Records with No ImagesShelby County Register of Deeds
  20. Copies of Public RecordsShelby County Chancery Court Clerk and Master
  21. Probate CourtShelby County Probate Court
  22. Shelby County Government homeShelby County Government
  23. Tennessee Public Records Act FAQsTennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Office of Open Records Counsel
  24. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau