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The small-claims court in Johnson County handles money disputes up to $25,000, with simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
What follows covers the maximum you can claim in Johnson County, court fees, the right courthouse, serving the defendant, the deadlines that apply, and the filing process itself. Squabble handles the documents and the filing if you want that.
These cases are heard at the single courthouse below. Johnson County confirms the venue from the defendant's address or where the events happened.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Confirm the courthouse before you file. The court's own small-claims page carries its current filing location and hours, and Squabble confirms the courthouse for your case when you file.
The nearest counties to Johnson County are Carter County and Sullivan County. About 18,506 people live in Johnson County.
Small claims can be filed electronically here, which means the case can begin without going to the counter.
Small claims hearings are held in person at the courthouse.
Two sets of evidence are needed, one for the judge and one for the other side, and some courts also take it electronically in advance.
Residents of Johnson County, Tennessee bring small claims cases in the Tennessee General Sessions Court system, which handles civil claims up to $25,000. The Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) sits in Mountain City at 222 West Main Street, 37683, and serves a county population of about 18,506. The court's jurisdiction covers communities across the county, including Butler, Laurel Bloomery, Shady Valley, and Trade, along with ZIP codes such as 37640, 37680, 37688, and 37691. Electronic filing is available for cases in this court. The clerk's office can be reached at 423-727-9012, and the judge's chambers at 423-727-9486. The clerk accepts and processes filings, maintains case records, and issues court documents, while the General Sessions judge hears and decides the cases that come before the court. Johnson County lies near Carter County, Sullivan County, and Washington County, each of which has its own General Sessions Court within the Tennessee court system.
These 5 places sit inside Johnson County:
Butler, Laurel Bloomery, Mountain City, Shady Valley, Trade.
ZIP codes:
Of Tennessee's 95 counties, Johnson County is 70th by population at roughly 18,506 people. Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) sits about 12 miles from the Carter County courthouse in Elizabethton and 15 miles from the Sullivan County courthouse in Blountville.
If the other side lives just over the county line, the case may belong next door:
Everyday disputes over money belong in the small claims division, where the rules are simplified, and the sum in question has an upper bound.
Maximum claim
You can generally file where the dispute happened or where the other party lives.
Splitting a single claim across multiple filings to dodge the ceiling is not permitted.
The court decides who pays whom and how much. Anything beyond money goes to a higher court.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in Tennessee, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
A claim involving a minor is brought by a court-appointed guardian.
This state requires notarized filing documents. Squabble prepares them notarization-ready.
Over the limit? You can lower your claim to fit and stay in small claims, or file the full amount in regular civil court. Lowering usually means giving up the excess, so weigh it carefully.
Johnson County is under the same limits as nearby Carter County and Sullivan County. Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) is the courthouse listed for Johnson County.
Small claims exists for money owed, up to $25,000. The categories below come up more than any others.
Johnson County takes in Butler, Laurel Bloomery and Mountain City and the rest of the county. Johnson County has about 18,506 residents.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Fill in the claim, pick the courthouse that covers the dispute, and pay what the court charges.
Papers are delivered to the defendant, who may answer them or settle the matter first.
The hearing itself is short and informal. Some courts allow video. The ruling comes then or later in writing.
Everything below applies to a case filed in Johnson County, at the Mountain City courthouse. This is the route a Johnson County case takes, whether it starts in 37640 or anywhere else among the county ZIP codes.
Filing is only half of it. The defendant has to receive formal notice, a step called service of process, and in most cases you cannot hand over the papers yourself. The usual route in Tennessee is the sheriff or constable, email service where the court allows it, delivery arranged by the court or certified mail.
Who may serve depends on the court: law enforcement, a paid process server, the clerk by certified mail, or a disinterested adult. Costs and rules are local.
There is a deadline, counted backwards from the hearing, by which the defendant must have the papers. Ask the clerk for it when the date is assigned. Service must be served 15 days before hearing. Courts require original forms to be served.
The person who delivered the papers signs a proof of service. That document goes to the court ahead of the hearing.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Carter County and Sullivan County are the counties nearest to Johnson County. A Johnson County address carries one of its 5 ZIP codes, 37640, 37680 and 37683 among them.
Claims do not stay open indefinitely. Time runs from the events themselves, and a filing made afterwards may be shut out.
| Type of claim | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 6 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 1 year |
They do not change from one Johnson County ZIP code to another, 37640 included. Johnson County, population about 18,506, is covered by the table above.
Money owed under a contract in Tennessee generally accrues interest at 10% per year before judgment (Tenn. Code §47-14-123).
Interest can be calculated before filing using the Squabble interest calculator.
Johnson County is under the same state rate as nearby Carter County and Sullivan County. The rate above is the one for Johnson County, population about 18,506.
Make sure the claim is under the maximum and that the limitation period has not expired.
Get the defendant's legal name right, set out the events, and break down how the figure is reached.
File with the Johnson County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $25–$75 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
With a hearing date in hand, organise service and lodge the completed proof with the court.
Put the evidence in order, with exhibits marked, so the account is easy to follow.
Appear in person or, where available, remotely, present your case, and receive the court's decision.
Describe the dispute to Eleanor. Squabble drafts the paperwork, puts it through a Triple-Check™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and lodges it with the court.
Start for FREE →You will meet a claim form, a proof of service, and possibly a fee waiver. What each is called depends on the court, and Squabble matches them to your courthouse.
Johnson County has a population of about 18,506. Johnson County papers go to Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) in Mountain City.
Hearings are short and plainly run. Questions come from the judge, and most parties appear without help.
Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) sits at the 37683 address shown above. Butler, Laurel Bloomery and Mountain City are among the Johnson County places a hearing can draw parties from.
A judgment is the court's decision. Collecting it is a separate step, with court-backed tools if the other side doesn't pay. Which tools are available depends on state law.
Where the law allows, an employer can be directed to send part of the debtor's pay to the court.
A court-ordered levy allows funds to be taken from the debtor's bank account.
Lodging the judgment with the county can create a lien over property the debtor owns.
Courts can also summon the debtor to answer questions about income and property under oath. Until the balance is paid, interest usually continues to run at the statutory rate.
Butler, Laurel Bloomery and Mountain City are among the Johnson County places a judgment debtor may live in. The judgment in a Johnson County case comes from Johnson County General Sessions Court (1st Judicial District) in Mountain City.
Information reviewed August 2026. Courts change fees, limits and procedures, so check the current details before filing.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Johnson County case for you.
