Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Tennessee

At a glance

Requirements one by one

File a verified petition in the resident county

Under § 29-8-101 and § 29-8-102, the applicant must live in the county where the petition is filed. The statute names circuit, probate, and county courts as concurrent forums and states no six-month or other minimum residence period. Local structure matters: Knox, Rutherford, and Davidson Counties currently process ordinary adult petitions through chancery court.

The statewide petition rule is short. The petition must be written, signed, verified by affidavit, state county residence, and give the reasons for the requested change. County forms add the operational details. Rutherford's packet, for example, requests the present and proposed names, address, birth information, reason, fraud and conviction statements, and sworn verification. Knox requires a certified birth certificate, Social Security card, local-address photo ID, and specified marriage or divorce records when applicable.

State law does not prescribe publication or fingerprints

The complete five-section Chapter 8 contains no newspaper-publication, ordinary third-party-notice, fingerprint, FBI-check, or state-record-report requirement. Current Knox, Rutherford, and Davidson instructions instead center on the verified petition, identity records, fee, and court date. A filing court may have local procedures, so confirm its current packet before filing.

Chapter 8 also creates no special sealed-name, address-confidentiality, or gender-identity petition track. Because local forms request sensitive identity information, ask the clerk about the court's current record-protection process before filing when disclosure could create a safety risk.

Expect a locally scheduled court date

Section 29-8-104 says the court may order the change through a recorded judgment that recites the petition and its reasons. It does not set a statewide waiting period or hearing deadline. Current Knox instructions say the clerk will send a court date approximately ten days after filing; Rutherford directs the petitioner to set the date after filing, and Davidson schedules a hearing after assignment to a chancellor.

Criminal history can bar or heighten the case

Under § 29-8-101(b)(1), a conviction for first- or second-degree murder, or for an offense requiring registration under Tennessee's sexual-offender act, bars the stand-alone legal change. The statutory exception is a change resulting from lawful marriage, marital dissolution, or adoption, which is outside this survey's petition route.

Another felony does not create the same categorical bar. It creates a presumption that the petition is in bad faith or would defraud, mislead, injure, or compromise public safety. The petitioner must rebut every listed concern by clear and convincing evidence. Even without that felony presumption, the court must deny a petition it has reason to believe presents any of those concerns.

Fees and hearing workflow vary by county

Section 29-8-103 ties the clerk's charge to like local proceedings rather than setting one statewide amount. Current official examples differ: Davidson County lists $159.50, while Knox County lists $237. Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 29 allows a qualifying resident to file a civil action without prepaying costs and litigation taxes after submitting the Uniform Civil Affidavit of Indigency and receiving approval.

Once entered, § 29-8-105 allows the person to be known, designated, sue, and be sued under the new name. That order does not itself complete every agency update. Driver Services, for example, requires an in-person visit with the current license and an original or certified court order.

What trips people up

• The six-month rule shown in some form products is not in Chapter 8. The statute requires county residence but states no minimum duration.
• The statutory court list and local filing office can look different. Call the clerk serving your county rather than assuming every petition goes to the same court label.
• A non-disqualifying felony still changes the proof burden. The petitioner must overcome the statutory presumption by clear and convincing evidence.
• Incarceration has a separate funding rule. Section 29-8-101(c) bars use of public funds for a Department of Correction inmate's name change.

Common questions

Is there one statewide adult petition form?

No statewide adult packet appears in the Tennessee Courts form library. Current county courts use their own forms or document-generating systems, so obtain the packet from the court that will accept the filing.

Should I obtain certified copies of the order?

Yes. Agencies may demand an original or certified order. Tennessee Driver Services expressly rejects ordinary photocopies when changing a license name.

Statutes and sources

• Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 29-8-101 to -105 — county residence and court jurisdiction, conviction restrictions and denial grounds, verified petition, local-equivalent fees, judgment, and legal effect. Public-domain Tennessee Code release 76 (accessed 2026-07-26).
• Knox and Rutherford County Chancery Courts — current local documents, court-date workflow, and Knox's $237 fee. Knox filing instructions; Rutherford adult packet (accessed 2026-07-26).
• Davidson County Chancery Clerk — current $159.50 name-change fee. Official fee schedule (accessed 2026-07-26).
• Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 29 — statewide civil indigency affidavit and filing without prepayment for an approved applicant. Official rule (accessed 2026-07-26).
• Tennessee Driver Services — separate post-order license update and original-or-certified-order requirement. Official name-change guidance (accessed 2026-07-26).