Title 8, Public Officers And Employees

All courts ordering the survey of any land or lands may allow, in addition to the fee now allowed by law, such additional compensation as the services of the county surveyor may be reasonably worth.

When a survey is directed by a court of record, the fees of the surveyor are to be taxed in the bill of costs.

The county legislative body of each county may, in its discretion, have established, at or near the county seat, a meridian line of 114.6 poles in length, the termini of which line shall be designated by planted stones, with the exact point on each stone marked with “A.X.,” or ot…

It is the duty of the county surveyor and the surveyor's deputies to test their instruments by the meridian line in the counties in which such lines may be established, and to note the variation of the compass, that is, the difference between the magnetic meridian and the true or…

A report of the variation test described in § 8-12-111 shall be made by the county surveyor to the county legislative body, and the report shall be recorded on the minutes of the legislative body.

Nothing in §§ 8-12-110 – 8-12-114, shall be so construed as to affect surveys made under variations different from that established by those sections and before their enactment.

It is a Class C misdemeanor for any person willfully to remove, deface or in any way to interfere with the stones marking the termini of the meridian line.

The county surveyor is liable on the surveyor's official bond for any damages done by a wrongful survey or plat. The surveyor and the sureties on such official bond shall be liable for all malfeasance and nonfeasance of the surveyor's deputy in office, to the same extent and in t…

In case of the resignation, removal, or expiration of the term of office of any surveyor, the surveyor shall deliver all record books, and all other public papers belonging to the office, to the successor, and, on failure, shall be liable to an action for damages, and shall be al…

In case of the death of such surveyor, the personal representative, or other person having the possession of the books and papers of the surveyor's office, shall deliver them over to the surveyor for the time being, and, on failure or refusal, shall be liable as provided in § 8-1…

The county legislative body, a majority of the members being present, may make the late surveyor, or such surveyor's personal representatives, compensation for the books and papers delivered over.

(a) A register is elected for each county by the qualified voters thereof, and holds the office for four (4) years, and until a successor is qualified. (b) If a vacancy shall occur in the office of register, the vacancy shall be filled as provided for in § 5-1-104(b).

Before entering into the duties of the office, the county register shall take an oath to support the constitutions of this state and of the United States, and an oath of office. The county register shall execute an official bond. The bond must be prepared, executed, filed, and re…

The bond shall be in the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in counties with a population of less than fifteen thousand (15,000), and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in counties with a population of fifteen thousand (15,000) or more, according to the 2010 federal …

(a) Any register who fails to give bond as required by § 8-13-103 within thirty (30) days after election, who fails to provide a client representation letter to the comptroller of the treasury within ten (10) days of a request for such letter during an audit, or who moves out of …

The register may appoint a deputy or deputies and, in case of the principal's death, resignation or removal, the principal deputy shall continue to act until an appointment shall be made to fill the vacancy, in the manner prescribed by law. All deeds registered by deputies are de…

The register shall keep the register's office in the county seat and, either personally or by deputy, shall give due attendance at the office for the purpose of performing the register's official duties.

(a) The papers and records of the office shall at all times be and remain in the register's office or other suitable facility. (b) As used in this section, “suitable facility” means a facility that stores local government records securely against theft and natural disasters.

(a) It is the duty of the register to:(1) Determine whether each instrument offered for registration is entitled to registration under the laws of this state;(2) If the instrument is accepted for registration, note on the instrument the time the instrument is actually received by…

The different county legislative bodies or trustees shall pay for all such books procured as aforementioned, as is now done for county records.

Upon failure to perform any official duties, the register may be indicted for a Class C misdemeanor and the register and the register's sureties shall be civilly responsible to any person injured by the failure.

(a) The register shall not be compelled to receive a deed, in any case, and perform official duties in relation thereto, unless the legal fees for registration accompany the instrument. (b) A register shall adopt a policy regarding the procedure to follow if the register receives…

The county registers in the various counties may have official seals, which must contain the words, “Register's Office of (the name of county) County.”.

All instruments certified by the county register under seal shall have the same force and effect as certified instruments under seal from courts of record; provided, that instruments certified without the seal shall have the same effect that they would have had before the passage…

In all counties where there is no entry taker, the registers of such counties are authorized to act as such and receive remuneration as such.

The books and papers of entry belonging to the office shall be kept and carefully preserved by the register.

(a) The register of deeds shall record the official discharge of persons who after 1915 have served as members of the United States armed forces, the United States armed forces reserve, or the United States armed forces auxiliary. (b) The register of deeds shall, after September …

Any register who fails strictly to comply with §§ 8-13-114 — 8-13-116 commits a Class C misdemeanor.

(a) (1) If a veteran of the United States armed forces, or any other person, personally appears and presents to the county register a military discharge for recording, before accepting the document for recording, the county register shall give to the person a written notice subst…

To qualify for the office of register, a person must be a qualified voter of the county and a resident of the county for one (1) year prior to the date of the qualifying deadline for running as a candidate for register.

(1) For the purposes of this part, an “indigent person” is one who does not possess sufficient means to pay reasonable compensation for the services of a competent attorney:(1) In any criminal prosecution or juvenile delinquency proceeding involving a possible deprivation of libe…

(a) For each judicial district, except the twentieth and thirtieth districts, the offices of district public defender, assistant district public defender and district investigator are hereby created. (b) (1) (A) The terms of office of all district public defenders shall be eight …

The state shall provide each district public defender with suitable office space within the judicial district, together with necessary equipment and supplies and secretarial assistance. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a county from providing another suit…

(a) The district public defender has the duty and responsibility of representing indigent persons for whom the district public defender has been appointed as counsel by the court. Either personally or through an assistant district public defender, the district public defender sha…

(a) When any person appears without counsel before any court of this state exercising original jurisdiction (whether magistrate, general sessions, municipal, juvenile, circuit, criminal or any court empowered to deprive the person of liberty) upon a criminal prosecution or juveni…

(a) No person in this state shall be allowed to enter a plea in any criminal prosecution or other proceeding involving a possible deprivation of liberty when not represented by counsel, unless such person has in writing waived the right to the assistance of counsel. (b) Before a …

(a) Effective July 1, 1994, the salary for district public defenders shall be an amount equal to eighty-eight percent (88%) of the salary established by law for district attorneys general. Effective July 1, 1995, the salary for district public defenders shall be an amount equal t…

The personnel of the public defender system shall be state employees, entitled to all state employee benefit programs.

No court in this state has any power, jurisdiction or authority to entertain any suit against the state or against any public defender or any employees thereof acting in their official capacity with a view to reach the state, its treasury, funds or property, or the funds or prope…

For the twentieth and thirtieth judicial districts, the state shall pay, in equal quarterly installments, to the county or metropolitan government which has a local public defender, an amount annually appropriated for that purpose. Such amount shall not be less than the amount ap…

The district public defender is authorized to employ, reassign, or contract with individuals utilizing special funds appropriated solely for the purpose of providing prompt and fair adjudication of post-conviction proceedings in capital sentence cases, including authority to assi…

(a) Effective July 1, 2004, there are created eighteen (18) additional assistant district public defender positions to be designated in judicial districts as provided in this section. (b) (1) The executive director of the district public defenders conference and the administrativ…

(a) The district public defenders conference shall establish, and the executive director shall operate, the district public defender appellate division for the purpose of representing indigent persons in direct appeals, pursuant to § 8-14-104, to the Tennessee court of criminal a…

Effective July 1, 2025, there are created five (5) additional assistant district public defender positions.

(a) There is hereby created a district public defenders conference for the state, whose membership shall consist of all district public defenders of the state whose salary is paid in whole or in part out of the state treasury. The attorney general and reporter shall be an ex offi…

Such conference shall meet annually and at other times as herein provided for the consideration of any and all matters pertaining to the discharge of the official duties and obligations of the several members, to the end that there shall be a more prompt and efficient administrat…