Subject to exceptions as are stated in particular rules, the Rules of Civil Procedure shall govern procedure in the circuit or chancery courts in all civil actions, whether at law or in equity, and in all other courts while exercising the civil jurisdiction of the circuit or chancery courts. These rules shall be construed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. The Rules of Civil Procedure shall not apply to general sessions courts except as follows:
Rule 1.Scope of Rules
Last amended July 1, 2005 · Last verified July 2, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1 makes the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure the governing playbook for civil cases in the circuit and chancery courts, directs courts to construe them toward a just, speedy, and inexpensive result, and extends select provisions to general sessions courts handling civil matters and appeals from them.
Full Text of Rule 1
1 The rules shall apply to general sessions courts exercising civil jurisdiction of the circuit or chancery courts;
2 The rules shall apply after appeal or transfer of a general sessions civil lawsuit to circuit court; and
3 Rule of Civil Procedure 69 governing execution on judgments shall apply to civil judgments obtained in general sessions courts.
Advisory Commission Comments
Advisory Commission Comments [2005].
The amendment makes Rule 69 applicable to execution on judgments obtained in a general sessions court.
Advisory Commission Comments [2009].
A modified Rule 60 procedure to obtain relief from a general sessions court judgment is available by statute, T.C.A. § 16-15-727.
Amendment History
- As amended by order entered January 6, 2005, effective July 1, 2005.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 1 sets the reach of the entire rule book. It covers every civil action, at law or in equity, filed in Tennessee’s circuit or chancery courts, and in any other court exercising that same civil jurisdiction, subject to whatever exceptions individual rules carve out. The rule instructs courts to read and apply everything that follows toward one goal: a just result reached without unnecessary delay or expense.
General sessions courts sit outside that core reach, since they operate under their own simplified procedures. Rule 1 draws the boundary carefully rather than shutting them out completely: three of the civil procedure rules follow a general sessions case wherever it goes. They govern a general sessions court while it is exercising the civil jurisdiction of the circuit or chancery court, they apply once a general sessions civil case is appealed or transferred to circuit court, and Rule 69’s procedure for executing on judgments applies to civil judgments a general sessions court has already entered.
Nothing in Rule 1 gives a party a claim or a defense standing alone. It is the frame the rest of the rules sit inside — the standard by which a court judges how quickly a case should move and how much process a dispute deserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rule 1 apply to general sessions court?
Only in three limited ways: while a general sessions court is exercising the civil jurisdiction of the circuit or chancery court, after a general sessions civil case has been appealed or transferred to circuit court, and to the extent Rule 69 governs execution on a general sessions civil judgment. General sessions courts otherwise follow their own procedures.
Can I cite Rule 1 to ask for relief on its own?
No. Rule 1 does not create a claim or defense. It states the purpose the rest of the rules are meant to serve — a just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution — and courts read every other rule with that purpose in mind.
What is the difference between circuit court and chancery court under Rule 1?
Rule 1 does not distinguish them; both are covered equally. Historically circuit courts handled actions at law and chancery courts handled actions in equity, but Rule 1 applies the same procedure to civil actions in either court.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Commission Comments are reproduced verbatim from the
official Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 1). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 16-3-402 to 16-3-407, 16-3-601). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 2, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: scope of the rulesjust speedy and inexpensivegeneral sessions courts
Advisory Commission Comments.
This rule makes it clear that these Rules establish identical procedures for circuit and chancery courts and for those other courts of record which have been established by special or private acts of the General Assembly and which have jurisdiction similar to that of the circuit or chancery court, or of both. The Rules are not applicable to general sessions courts in the exercise of jurisdiction conferred by general statutes, but if a particular general sessions court exercises, under authority of a special or private act of the General Assembly, special jurisdiction similar to that of the circuit or chancery court, then these Rules do apply to that court in the exercise of that special jurisdiction.