Franklin Criminal Defense Attorney
Franklin runs its own municipal court inside police headquarters, and it is not the court that hears a state criminal charge. Knowing which of the two has your case is the first thing a Franklin criminal defense attorney has to settle.
Where a Franklin Case Is Actually Heard
Franklin is the seat of Williamson County, so the county courts are in town. A city citation — traffic, parking, fire code, a city ordinance — goes to Franklin Municipal Court at 900 Columbia Avenue, inside police headquarters. A state criminal charge, misdemeanor or felony, goes to the Williamson County Judicial Center at 135 Fourth Avenue South. Same city, different courts, different consequences.
The city publishes its own scope plainly: Franklin Municipal Court gives a hearing to anyone “charged with a city ordinance violation, code violation, or traffic violation within the boundaries of the City of Franklin.” That is the whole of it. There is no concurrent General Sessions authority in that sentence, which means a Franklin officer writing a state charge is sending it to the county, not keeping it in the building. The appeal route says the same thing from the other direction: an appeal from municipal court is a brand new trial in Circuit Court at the Judicial Center.
Which Court Has Your Case
A city court and a county court are not two doors into the same building. They answer to different law, carry different consequences and produce different records. Start by working out which one is holding your case, because almost everything else follows from it.
| What you are charged with | Where it is heard |
|---|---|
| Traffic citation, parking, fire code or city ordinance | Franklin Municipal Court, 900 Columbia Avenue, inside police headquarters. Uncontested docket the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m.; contested docket the second Thursday at 7:30 a.m. |
| State misdemeanor | Williamson County General Sessions at the Judicial Center, 135 Fourth Avenue South. Two judges |
| Felony, before indictment | Williamson County General Sessions for the preliminary hearing, same building |
| Felony, after indictment | Circuit Criminal Court, Part I or Part II, same building. Criminal cases are assigned to a Part rather than a division, and either of two judges may take it |
| Appeal from municipal court | Circuit Court at the Judicial Center, as a completely new trial rather than a review of the first one |
A city court cannot do what a county court does. The statute that governs this is § 16-18-302, and it is short about it: a municipal court hears cases for violation of the laws and ordinances of the municipality, and “may exercise no jurisdiction other than the jurisdiction authorized by this section.” There are two narrow openings. A city ordinance that mirrors a state statute can be enforced there only where the mirrored offense is a Class C misdemeanor and the penalty is a civil fine of no more than $50. And a municipal court can hold concurrent General Sessions jurisdiction over state criminal law, but only where the statute preserves or confers it — the main route being a court that possessed and exercised it continuously on and before May 11, 2003. Those courts are the exception rather than the rule. Further up, § 40-3-101 allows a criminal charge to be answered only by presentment, indictment or impeachment, with one exception in the same sentence: an accused represented by an attorney may waive indictment and consent to prosecution by information. And § 40-1-109 lets General Sessions enter final judgment only in a misdemeanor, and only where the defendant waives indictment, presentment, grand jury investigation and a jury trial in writing and either pleads guilty in writing or asks for a trial on the merits.
One more thing worth knowing: paying a citation is not a neutral administrative step. Some Tennessee cities print it on the citation in terms, that a violator who chooses to pay thereby pleads guilty. In others it operates as a forfeited cash appearance bond that lets you skip the court date. Either way the case ends against you rather than in your favor, and on a moving violation it reaches your driving record. Read what your own citation says before you pay it.
The Buildings Involved
Confirm your setting with the clerk before you travel. Court locations and docket days change, and the addresses below are current as of the date on this page rather than guaranteed forever.
| Where | What happens there |
|---|---|
| Franklin Police Department and Municipal Court 900 Columbia Avenue, Franklin 37064 |
One building. The police department and the municipal court clerk share it, and the court sits there |
| Williamson County Judicial Center 135 Fourth Avenue South, Franklin 37064 |
General Sessions and Circuit. Every state criminal charge in the county is heard here |
| John I. Easley Jr. Criminal Justice Center 408 Century Court, Franklin 37064 |
The jail, and the Magistrate's Office, which is staffed 24 hours |
Three Franklin Details Worth Knowing
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The bond has to be exact
Williamson County publishes that a cash bond must be in the exact amount, and that no change is given. It also publishes that intake has to finish before anyone can bond out, fingerprints and photograph included, which can take several hours. And deputies are not permitted to recommend a bonding company, so that choice is the family's to make with no guidance from the building.
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Do not treat the month to pay as a grace period
The city gives roughly a month from the court date to pay the amount due. That reads like breathing room and functions as a deadline attached to a disposition. If the citation is one you would contest, the contested docket is the second Thursday at 7:30 in the morning, and paying beforehand ends the matter against you.
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A no-insurance citation is dismissed at no cost if you were covered
Franklin publishes that one directly: a no-insurance citation is dismissed at no cost if valid insurance was active on the date of the violation. It is worth checking the policy dates before paying anything, because the same fact pattern in county court on a state charge is handled very differently.
What a Franklin Criminal Defense Attorney Handles Here
This page is about where your case is heard. The charge pages below are about what you are facing, statute by statute, including the Tennessee changes that took effect on July 1, 2026.
The county
Franklin cases are heard in the Williamson County court system. That page goes through the court structure, the specialty courts and the local rules in detail.
Williamson County criminal defense · All practice areas · Veterans defense
Franklin Questions
Is my Franklin case in city court or county court?
It depends on what you were charged with, not on where you were. A city citation — traffic, parking, fire code, a city ordinance — is Franklin Municipal Court at 900 Columbia Avenue. A state criminal charge is the Williamson County Judicial Center at 135 Fourth Avenue South. The citation or the charging document will say. If it is a state offense with a Tennessee Code section number on it, you are going to the Judicial Center.
Does Franklin Municipal Court handle DUI?
No. The city's own published scope is city ordinance, code and traffic violations inside the city limits, and DUI is a state offense under Title 55. A DUI written by a Franklin officer goes to Williamson County General Sessions at the Judicial Center. The DUI page covers what that charge actually involves.
What happens if I just pay the ticket?
The case ends against you. Depending on the city, paying either operates as a plea of guilty or forfeits a cash appearance bond in place of appearing, and neither is something you can undo afterwards by explaining you did not mean it that way. For a minor parking matter that may be exactly what you want. For a moving violation that goes on your driving record, or anything that could affect a commercial license or an insurance rate, it is worth a call first.
Where is the jail in Williamson County?
The John I. Easley Jr. Criminal Justice Center at 408 Century Court in Franklin. The Magistrate's Office there is staffed around the clock, so a bond can be set at any hour. The Williamson County page goes through the court structure in more detail.
One Lawyer, Start to Finish
Austin Tomlinson served in the Army before practicing law, and he handles every case himself. Hiring a Franklin criminal defense attorney here means the person who appears at your first setting is the person who knows the file at the end of it.
The first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. It is usually enough to tell you what the realistic outcomes are and what has to happen first.
Call (615) 669-8312Read the Court Name First
The name of the court on your paperwork settles more than people expect, including what the worst outcome actually is.
Do Not Pay It Yet
Paying a citation ends the case against you, and in many cities it is a guilty plea outright. If there is any chance you would contest it, that call comes first.
Veteran-Owned
Austin served, and Patriot Law was built around defending people who did.