---
name: tn-hamilton
description: >
  This skill should be used when drafting or filing documents in the
  Hamilton County (Chattanooga) trial courts — the 11th Judicial
  District. Triggers include "Hamilton County Circuit Court",
  "Hamilton County Chancery Court", "Chattanooga Circuit Court",
  "Chattanooga Chancery", "Clerk and Master Chattanooga", "Hamilton
  County General Sessions", "11th Judicial District", "sued in
  Chattanooga", and "Hamilton County Juvenile Court". Covers the
  Hamilton County Circuit Court, Chancery Court (Clerk & Master),
  General Sessions Court (Civil), and Juvenile Court; and the local
  rules of practice published by the Hamilton County courts. Layer on
  top of `tn-statewide-format`.
version: 0.1.0
---

# Hamilton County Trial Courts (Chattanooga — 11th Judicial District)

> **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Drafting and filing guidance only. Verify
> every step against the current Hamilton County local rules and the
> assigned judge's or chancellor's practice preferences before filing.

Use this skill in addition to `tn-statewide-format` when the case is
in a **Hamilton County** trial court. Hamilton County (Chattanooga) is
the **11th Judicial District**.

## The Hamilton County trial courts

| Court | Jurisdiction | Clerk |
|-------|--------------|-------|
| **Circuit Court** | Actions at law; civil damages, tort, contract; divorce; jury trials | Circuit Court Clerk |
| **Chancery Court** | Equity; injunctions, declaratory judgments, business/real-property matters; divorce | **Clerk & Master** |
| **General Sessions Court (Civil)** | Limited jurisdiction; civil warrants; detainer (eviction) warrants — see `tn-general-sessions` | General Sessions Court Clerk |
| **Juvenile Court** | Title 37 matters — parentage/custody/support of children of unmarried parents, dependency & neglect, delinquency — see `tn-juvenile-court` | Juvenile Court Clerk |

Both **Circuit and Chancery** have subject-matter jurisdiction over
divorce. See `tn-family-law`.

## Caption — Hamilton County variants

```
        IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

[PLAINTIFF],                           )
       Plaintiff,                      )
v.                                     )   Docket No. ____________
[DEFENDANT],                           )
       Defendant.                      )

                  [DOCUMENT TITLE IN ALL CAPS]
```

For **Chancery Court**, the court identifier line reads
`IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE` (some clerks add
"AT CHATTANOOGA") and the matter is heard by a **Chancellor** with the
**Clerk & Master** as clerk. Confirm the exact "for/of" preposition
and any city tag against current Hamilton County caption forms. For
**General Sessions**, see `tn-general-sessions`.

## Local rules — pull the current set every time

There is **no statewide page/margin/font rule** in Tennessee (see
`tn-statewide-format`). The Hamilton County courts publish **local
rules of practice** controlling page limits, chambers copies,
motion-docket scheduling, and filing mechanics, indexed on the
Administrative Office of the Courts "Local Rules of Practice" page at
**tncourts.gov**.

**Agent behavior:** before drafting a notice, scheduling a hearing, or
setting a page-limited brief, fetch the current Hamilton County local
rules for the controlling court and division. Confirm the
motion-docket day, chambers-copy requirement, e-filing platform, and
proposed-order format.

## Motion practice and summary judgment

- **Answer**: 30 days after service of the summons and complaint
  (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01).
- **Summary judgment**: served at least **30 days before the hearing**
  (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04); response due no later than 5 days before
  the hearing; the *Celotex*-style standard of
  *Rye v. Women's Care Center of Memphis, MPLLC*, 477 S.W.3d 235
  (Tenn. 2015) governs. See `tn-first-30-days`.

## Composition

- For statewide format: `tn-statewide-format`
- For limited-jurisdiction civil warrants / eviction:
  `tn-general-sessions`
- For Title 37 matters: `tn-juvenile-court`
- For divorce / custody / support: `tn-family-law`, `tn-family-court`
- For the first responsive pleading: `tn-first-30-days`
- For drafting motions / declarations / orders: `tn-draft-motion`,
  `tn-draft-declaration`, `tn-draft-order`
- For scheduling: `tn-schedule-hearing`
- For filing mechanics: `tn-file-packet`
- For other counties: `tn-county-courts`

## References

- `tn-law-references` — Tenn. R. Civ. P., Tenn. R. Evid., T.C.A.,
  and local-rules corpus
- Hamilton County courts' local rules of practice (via tncourts.gov)