Shelby County General Sessions Court -- Civil Court FAQ

How to File a Garnishment

Obtain a copy of the Garnishment Form from our website at
Civil Division / Court Forms
Complete the garnishment form. We recommend you obtain case information from our website to complete the form.
Now lets look at the form.
On the left side of the garnishment form the first box looks like:

This block will be completed by the garnishee and will provide the "answer" to the garnishement.
The next block on the left side looks like:

You need to fill in the Judgement Date after: "Came to hand, in order to satisfy a judgment in General Sessions Court on"

You need to fill in the total due after: "balance in the sum of "

--> Remember you cannot garnish for costs that are not authorized by state statutes and you cannot garnish for costs that are greater than the amount authorized by state statutes. Also, you cannot garnish for a judgement amount greater than the judgement amount determined by the judge.

--> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs.
The next box on the left side looks like:

You don't need to fill in anything in this box. It may be filled in later, by the judge, if the garnishee does not answer the garnishment.
Now to the right side of the form. It looks like:

You need to fill in everything,
Case Id Number
Plaintiff Name
Plaintiff Address
Defendant Name
Defendant Address
Defendant Social Security Number: Optional
Garnishee Name
Garnishee Address
Attorney
Attorney phone number
Judgment Amount or Balance due
(use the original judgement amount iif no payments have been made. Deduct any payment|s| that has been made to either the Clerk's Office or the Attorney's Office)
Interest Amount
Total General Sessions Court accessed court costs
(as set forth in TCA 8-21-401)
--> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs.
Agent/ Plaintiff's signature of affidavit

To make this easier, you can download the last 100 judgements from our web page
Attorney Garnishment Report
or you can download one case at a time from web page
Case Id Garnishment Report
--> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs.
Determine the method of service and provide the necessary information on the GARNISHMENT form as well as on the cost bill form to the Clerk's Office upon filing.
Bring the original Garnishment Form plus five copies to the Clerk's Office (Downtown or East Office). Only bring four copies if you do not want a stamped copy for your records.
Pay the garnishment filing fee, which can be found at
Civil Division / Court Costs
Note: The Sheriff's fee is not due when a garnishment is to be served by an approved private process server. The private process server will advise you about how to pay them.
If you have legal questions about the process or the laws regarding garnishments, you may wish to consult with an attorney. Law prohibits the clerk from giving any legal advice.

General Sessions Court Clerk How to Get Someone Out of Jail Phone Numbers General Sessions Home Criminal Division Case Information Traffic Ticket Info Credit Card Payment Rules of Court Criminal Court FAQ Judges Office Information Court Forms Criminal Div. Home Civil Division Case Information Calendar Balance Due Rules of Court Civil Court FAQ Judges Office Information Court Forms Court Costs TN Sheriff Office and Cost Info TN Secretary of State TN Comm of Insurance Civil Div. Home		How to File a Garnishment Obtain a copy of the Garnishment Form from our website at Civil Division / Court Forms Complete the garnishment form. We recommend you obtain case information from our website to complete the form. Now lets look at the form. On the left side of the garnishment form the first box looks like: This block will be completed by the garnishee and will provide the "answer" to the garnishement. The next block on the left side looks like: You need to fill in the Judgement Date after: "Came to hand, in order to satisfy a judgment in General Sessions Court on" You need to fill in the total due after: "balance in the sum of " --> Remember you cannot garnish for costs that are not authorized by state statutes and you cannot garnish for costs that are greater than the amount authorized by state statutes. Also, you cannot garnish for a judgement amount greater than the judgement amount determined by the judge. --> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs. The next box on the left side looks like: You don't need to fill in anything in this box. It may be filled in later, by the judge, if the garnishee does not answer the garnishment. Now to the right side of the form. It looks like: You need to fill in everything, Case Id Number Plaintiff Name Plaintiff Address Defendant Name Defendant Address Defendant Social Security Number: Optional Garnishee Name Garnishee Address Attorney Attorney phone number Judgment Amount or Balance due (use the original judgement amount iif no payments have been made. Deduct any payment\|s\| that has been made to either the Clerk's Office or the Attorney's Office) Interest Amount Total General Sessions Court accessed court costs (as set forth in TCA 8-21-401) --> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs. Agent/ Plaintiff's signature of affidavit To make this easier, you can download the last 100 judgements from our web page Attorney Garnishment Report or you can download one case at a time from web page Case Id Garnishment Report --> Remember to add the garnishment filing fee to the costs. Determine the method of service and provide the necessary information on the GARNISHMENT form as well as on the cost bill form to the Clerk's Office upon filing. Bring the original Garnishment Form plus five copies to the Clerk's Office (Downtown or East Office). Only bring four copies if you do not want a stamped copy for your records. Pay the garnishment filing fee, which can be found at Civil Division / Court Costs Note: The Sheriff's fee is not due when a garnishment is to be served by an approved private process server. The private process server will advise you about how to pay them. If you have legal questions about the process or the laws regarding garnishments, you may wish to consult with an attorney. Law prohibits the clerk from giving any legal advice.
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