Rutledge Court Docket Searches
Start with the ticket itself. Write down the citation number, the charge, the issuing agency, the court named, and the date. Then call the municipal clerk with those details in hand. The clearest public listing comes from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. It names Rutledge clerk Lisa Loveday. The city offers no docket page, citation search, calendar, or payment portal of its own.
Does the paper name Grainger County General Sessions or Circuit Court instead? Then take the county route. The county publishes docket index PDFs. But a Rutledge ordinance or municipal citation will not necessarily show up there. Tennessee Case Finder is not a city-court system.
- Identify the court printed on the citation or filing.
- Preserve the full citation or case number and all leading zeroes.
- Contact the Rutledge municipal clerk for a city traffic or ordinance record.
- Ask separately for the current setting, docket status, disposition, and copy options.
- Use the county clerk channel only when the case is held at county level.
- Confirm the office and address before an in-person visit.
Rutledge Access Starts With AOC
For a city ordinance or municipal traffic question, the statewide municipal clerk directory is the best starting point. It names the local clerk and gives current contact details, which matters because Rutledge has no municipal website of its own. A general county page tells you less here. The AOC municipal clerk directory carries the Rutledge entry.

The directory points Rutledge court records seekers to the city clerk. That is a different office from the similarly named Grainger County Clerk.
Best starting point: Use the AOC-listed Rutledge municipal clerk for an ordinance or city traffic case, then confirm the current process directly.
Inside the Rutledge Municipal Court
Municipal Court hears matters within city authority, mainly ordinance violations and city-level traffic cases. Robert M. Burts appears in the AOC judge directory. He is listed as Municipal Court Judge for Grainger in District 4. Treat that roster as a contact list only. It shows no public docket. And it does not mean every case arising in Rutledge belongs to the municipal court.
A ticket from another agency may land in General Sessions instead. More serious charges usually move through the county system. So read the court designation on your paperwork. For municipal matters, Lisa Loveday is listed at Highway 92 at Highway 11W, P.O. Box 465, Rutledge, phone 865-828-3660, email lisa.loveday@tncourts.gov.
Rutledge Judge Information Is Current-Sourced
For the sitting judge, use the AOC judge directory.

The directory names Robert M. Burts in the municipal role. It publishes no Rutledge hearing dates, case entries, payment options, or courtroom rules.
Older AOC annual reports also list Rutledge municipal officials. That material runs from 2004 to 2005. It serves as history alone. A name in an old report proves nothing about who holds office today. For current court routing, rely on current directories and direct confirmation with the clerk.
Finding Rutledge Court Dates
Your first clue on timing is the date printed on the citation. The city publishes no municipal calendar, so call the Rutledge clerk to confirm it. Ask what kind of setting it is, whether a docket call, hearing, trial, or compliance check, and verify the time, any required appearance, and the exact location. Resets, closures, and court orders can change the original schedule.
| Citation number | The city identifier used to locate the Rutledge court record. |
|---|---|
| Date and time | The scheduled appearance, which should be confirmed with the clerk. |
| Location | Ask which Rutledge address applies; do not choose from a county listing. |
| Judge | The AOC lists Robert M. Burts, but assignment for a case requires confirmation. |
| Setting type | Ask whether it is an initial appearance, hearing, trial, or later review. |
A listed setting only means an event is planned. It does not prove the hearing happened or show the result. When you need the outcome, ask the clerk for a disposition or a signed order.
Three Rutledge Addresses Serve Different Roles
Rutledge is the county seat. Three different court-related addresses serve three different roles. State courts sit at 8095 Rutledge Pike, per the AOC courthouse directory. The Circuit Court Clerk's office is at 270 Justice Center Drive, Suite 114. The municipal clerk uses Highway 92 at Highway 11W and P.O. Box 465.
| Rutledge location | Role | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Highway 92 at Highway 11W | Municipal clerk listing | Start for city ordinance or traffic records |
| 270 Justice Center Drive, Suite 114 | Circuit Court Clerk office | County Circuit, Sessions, and Juvenile record questions |
| 8095 Rutledge Pike | AOC state courthouse listing | State-court courthouse reference |
Call before you travel. The municipal clerk posts no confirmed hours, and entrance, parking, and courtroom details for a municipal docket request are not published. The courthouse address you know best may still be the wrong stop.
Rutledge Traffic Ticket Lookups
A Rutledge traffic ticket lookup starts with the agency and court named on the citation. If it says Rutledge Municipal Court, give Lisa Loveday's office the citation number, date, and case type. Ask whether the case is pending. Ask whether the date moved, whether the court takes payment before the hearing, and whether you must appear in person. The city has no public citation form or payment page. Never type case data into some unrelated vendor on a guess.
General Sessions on the ticket? Use the Grainger County traffic court records route through the Circuit Court Clerk. The two clerks keep separate files.
Also keep the court record apart from your driver record. A Rutledge docket covers the citation case itself. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security keeps the driver record. It has its own correction process.
Rutledge Requests Need Four Fields
Skip the vague ask for "everything." A tight request gets better results. Give the clerk four things: the citation or case number, the court date, the case type, and the exact record you want. That record could be a docket line, the municipal citation, a disposition, a final order, or a certified copy. Name the issuing agency too, when you know it.
- Citation number
- The identifier printed on the city ticket; preserve its full form.
- Setting
- A scheduled Rutledge court event, not proof of attendance or outcome.
- Disposition
- The recorded result, which may require the underlying case file.
- Certified copy
- A custodian-authenticated copy; Rutledge’s process and fee are unconfirmed.
Ask how to submit the request. Phone, email, mail, or the counter may all work. Rutledge posts no city-specific request form, fee schedule, copy procedure, terminal policy, or turnaround promise. The clerk can give you those current details.
How Rutledge Cases Reach the County
Not every case tied to a Rutledge address belongs to the municipal court. Some matters move up. Misdemeanor and traffic cases can fall under General Sessions. Early felony proceedings and cases assigned to Circuit Court all live on the county dockets instead. A municipal clerk can tell you where a local citation landed. It either stayed with the city or moved up. That one call saves a wasted search.
Docket flow: Rutledge Municipal Court › Grainger County Courts › Grainger County Circuit Court
No municipal record showing up? Ask where the matter was filed before you hunt through another system. The Grainger County court docket is the county-level route for those cases. One caution: never send a trial-court request to the County Clerk. Its Rutledge location does not matter here. The County Clerk handles licenses, tags, titles, marriages, businesses, and commission records, not trial dockets.
Rutledge County-Seat Scale
Rutledge is small. The official incorporated-place table lists a 2020 Census population of 1,321. That figure sets the scene for the municipal court. But it says nothing about caseload. The city publishes no annual count of municipal filings or settings.
That small scale helps explain why the AOC directory and direct clerk contact are the clearest public routes. It does not promise quick answers or informal handling. A short docket is not guaranteed either. Current procedure comes from the Rutledge clerk alone.
Who Can See Rutledge Court Records
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 sets the rules for public access to court records. It also covers the exceptions. Open records can be inspected. But sealing orders, state law, court rules, and confidentiality protections may still limit a file. Public status never promises a free online search or the release of every personal field. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act FAQ, covered requests go to the office that maintains the record. Looking is not the same as copying. You may request in person, by phone, mail, fax, email, or online. It depends on the office. Confirm Rutledge's accepted municipal channels directly.
Key rules:
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 34 provides the court-record access framework and exceptions.
Tennessee Public Records Act guidance describes sufficiently detailed requests to the proper custodian.
Rutledge Clerk Details Need Rechecking
The dedicated AOC profile for Lisa Loveday provides the clearest named municipal contact.

The profile supports the municipal routing above, but hours and local procedure still need confirming. Before you go, ask the clerk about hours and the building entrance. Ask about the court schedule too. Payment methods, the public-record policy, and copy or certification fees belong on the same list. Label city buildings carefully in Rutledge. The city, the Justice Center, and the courthouse sit close in name. Yet each holds different records. A state courthouse photo should never stand in for the municipal building.