Davidson County, Tennessee
Two court websites. Two different jobs.
Nashville's courts run two separate online systems. One of them files documents. The other lets you look up and follow a case. Knowing which is which saves money and a trip downtown. Here is how they compare, and how TenantGuard fits in if you ever need to file a motion in your eviction case.
eFlex vs. CaseLink
They have similar-looking addresses and both belong to the Davidson County courts, but only one of them can actually file a motion.
Filing
eFlex (E-Filing)
The system that files documents
Davidson County's electronic filing portal. It covers General Sessions Civil, where eviction (detainer) cases are heard. This is where a tenant files a motion in their own case.
- File motions and documents in your own case
- Covers General Sessions Civil (eviction cases)
- Open to self-represented (pro se) tenants
- Pay any court filing fee online by card or eCheck
- Browse or print the court file
- Cost
- No sign-up or usage fee. Court filing fees still apply when a filing has one.
- Signing up
- You request an account on the court’s site. The court reviews the request and approval arrives by email, so it is not instant.
Case lookup
CaseLink
The system that lets you watch a case
A paid lookup service for Davidson County court records. You can search for cases, follow what has been filed, and view or print documents. It cannot file anything.
- Look up cases by name or case number
- Follow new filings and court dates in a case
- View and print documents in the court file
- File motions or any other document
- Needed in order to file
- Cost
- Prepaid subscription. Sign-up is automated and instant.
- Signing up
- Automated sign-up with a card. The subscription expires on its own at the end of the period.
Good to know
We'll check your case on CaseLink for you
If you are working with TenantGuard, you can ask us to look up your case on CaseLink from your workspace. We check the court's record and show you what we find: your next court date, recent filings, and the case status. You do not need to pay $25 a month for your own CaseLink subscription to keep up with your case, though your own account is always an option if you would rather follow it directly on the court's site.
CaseLink is for looking, not filing. Filing a motion still happens from your own eFlex account or on paper at the clerk's office.
At a glance
The same comparison, row by row.
eFlex Files documents | CaseLink Looks up cases | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free account, no usage fee | $25 per month |
| Main job | Filing motions and documents | Looking up and following cases |
| Can it file? | Yes | No |
| Courts covered | General Sessions Civil (evictions), Circuit, Probate, and more | Davidson County court records |
| Sign-up | Account request reviewed by the court; approval by email | Automated and instant |
| Court filing fees | Apply when a filing has one, plus about 2.25% if paid by card or eCheck; fee waiver possible for low income | Not applicable (nothing is filed) |
| Who needs it | A tenant who wants to file a motion online | Optional, for anyone who wants to follow a case |
If a motion comes up
How TenantGuard fits in
Most tenants never need to file anything. If your case reaches the point where a motion is one of your options, here is what working with TenantGuard looks like.
Your own free eFlex account
If a motion is part of your plan, we walk you through requesting your own eFlex account, step by step, with your intake details ready to copy. The account is in your name. We never log in as you, and we never ask for your password.
A motion draft built from your answers
Using your intake answers, our tools help you draft the motion. You read it, fix anything inaccurate, and decide whether to use it. Then you upload it from your own account and press Submit yourself.
We tell you when a motion is worth a look
If the information you give us points to a motion as an option worth considering, we say so plainly and explain what it does and does not do. Whether to file is always your decision.
Your account, your signature.The court's e-filing rules treat logging in as the filer's electronic signature, and they hold the account holder responsible for anything filed under that login. That is why the account is yours and you press Submit. TenantGuard does not file court documents for you.
Online or on paper: both work
A motion can be filed through eFlex or on paper at the General Sessions Civil clerk's office downtown. The court treats them the same. Here are the practical differences so you can pick what fits your situation.
Skip the drive downtown
Setting up eFlex online takes about ten minutes from your phone or computer. Filing on paper means getting in the car, finding parking, and reaching the clerk's window during business hours, sometimes within a few hours of a deadline. You pay the same court filing fee either way, so the online route mostly saves time and stress. Paper is still there if you prefer it or if the e-filing system is down.
A few days before court helps
Filing a few days before your court date gives the judge time to read the motion before the hearing. eFlex account approval comes by email and the court does not publish how long it takes, so starting the account early leaves room for that wait.
What it costs
- The eFlex account itself is free.
- Court filing fees apply when a filing has one, online or on paper. Paying by card or eCheck adds a vendor fee of about 2.25%.
- If money is tight, the court has a fee-waiver route (an Affidavit of Indigency) you can ask about.
- CaseLink's $25 a month is optional and only for following the case. If you are working with us, we can check CaseLink for you (see above).
The court's own pages
Stuck on the court's site?
The clerk's e-filing help desk for Circuit and General Sessions Civil is (615) 862-4444. For free legal help in Middle Tennessee, the Legal Aid Society is at 1-800-238-1443.
TenantGuard is a Tennessee tenant-help technology company. In our lawyer packages, a licensed Tennessee lawyer advises you at the posted price, and in the court package represents you in court. Our reports and membership tools give you general Tennessee information and help you prepare your own case. Every case turns on its own facts. See our Terms.
The facts on this page about eFlex, CaseLink, fees, and sign-up are general information current as of October 2026. Court systems, fees, and rules change. Check the court's own websites, linked above, before relying on any of it.