Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-5-402 (2026)

• (a)
  • (1) Hearings in all child support cases that are not being enforced pursuant to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.), shall be heard within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed forty-five (45) days of the service of process in each county in the state.
  • (2) Hearings in all Title IV-D support cases that seek to establish or enforce support shall be heard within the time frames established by federal child support regulations. The department of human services shall send notice of the time frames as they may be amended to the administrative director of the courts, who shall send such notice to all courts of the state with child or spousal support jurisdiction. The administrative director of the courts shall send such notice to the courts within thirty (30) days of the date of notice from the department, and the time frames shall then become effective thirty (30) days after the date of the notice from the administrative director of the courts and shall apply to all actions to establish or enforce support initiated on or after July 1, 1995.

• (b) The presiding judge of each judicial district shall provide for expedited support hearings in one (1) of the following manners:
  • (1)
    • (A) The presiding judge of each judicial district, after conferring with the other judges and chancellors in the presiding judge's judicial district, shall certify to the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts the number of magistrates, if any, needed to serve each county in the district. Such certification shall include such information as may be required by the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts. The supreme court and the administrative director of the courts shall determine the number of magistrates, if any, needed for each such district, and the magistrates shall be selected and appointed by the presiding judge and shall serve at the presiding judge's pleasure. In counties having a metropolitan form of government and in counties having a population of not less than three hundred thirty-five thousand (335,000) nor more than three hundred thirty-six thousand (336,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census, the magistrate or magistrates shall be selected and appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the trial court judge who hears more than fifty percent (50%) of the child support and domestic relations cases in such judicial district; provided, that this sentence does not apply to any sitting magistrate in such counties as of July 1, 1994. In determining the number of magistrates for each district, the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts shall provide for as many magistrates as are needed to provide hearings in all child support cases within the time schedule set out in subsection (a);
    • (B) In the event a judicial district has in effect on or before October 1, 1985, a system for the appointment of magistrates or masters to hear support cases that satisfies the requirements of the federal child support enforcement amendments of 1984 (P.L. 98-378), or subsequent federal legislation, and the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, such district shall not be required to comply with the foregoing provisions of this part so long as such preexisting system remains in effect. Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, all magistrates or masters appointed pursuant to such system in circuit or chancery court shall be appointed by the presiding judge, with the concurrence of the other judges and chancellors in the district and shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority;
  • (2) In lieu of requesting a magistrate, the presiding judge may, with the agreement of all judges having child support jurisdiction in a particular county or counties, enter into agreements with juvenile courts to set, enforce, and modify support orders as provided in this part. In the event such an agreement is entered into, the juvenile court shall have jurisdiction over all support cases in such county, except as may otherwise be provided in the agreement, any contrary law notwithstanding;
  • (3) If a judicial district does not recommend the need for magistrates or if the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts do not approve such recommendation, the supreme court, the administrative director of the courts and the presiding judges of such districts shall provide such information to the commissioner of human services as may be required by the secretary of health and human services for the granting of a waiver in accordance with the federal child support enforcement amendments of 1984 (P.L. 98-378), or subsequent federal legislation, and the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. In the event the secretary does not grant a waiver for one (1) or more judicial districts, or in the event a waiver is revoked, the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts shall proceed to appoint a magistrate in accordance with subdivision (b)(1)(A) or take such other action as may be required to comply with federal law;
  • (4) The presiding judge shall prescribe which county or counties within the district that a magistrate will serve. All other terms and conditions of the appointment, including, but not limited to, compensation to be paid and reimbursement of expenses and whether the position shall be full time or part time, shall be prescribed by rule of the supreme court, which is hereby granted such rulemaking authority with regard to the accomplishment of the purposes of this part as it deems appropriate in the public interest. The compensation to be paid to the magistrates shall be not less than nor more than ninety thousand dollars ($90,000). On and after July 1, 2008, the base salaries of magistrates appointed pursuant to this section shall be annually adjusted to reflect any actual percentage pay increases provided to all state employees generally, as provided for in the general appropriations act. Adjustments to annual salary increases as provided for in this subdivision (b)(4) are not to be made on the basis of any class compensation efforts, class compression efforts, or any other method of salary adjustments.

• (c) If by July 1, 1986, the presiding judge fails to comply with subsection (b), the judge will be deemed to have delegated this responsibility to the supreme court and the administrative director of the courts, and the supreme court shall immediately appoint a magistrate to serve in accordance with this section, if necessary.

• (d) The administrative director of the courts shall have authority to enter into contracts with the Tennessee state IV-D office of child support enforcement to obtain funding for compensation for the magistrate, support staff and other expenses necessary to provide for the performance of duties required in this part and required in part 5 of this chapter. Such contracts shall be subject to availability of funds.

• (e) The appointment of magistrates in juvenile court that may be necessary to meet the provisions of this section shall be governed by title 37, chapter 1.

Acts 1985, ch. 477, § 13; 1986, ch. 890, § 11; 1993, ch. 66, §§ 45-48; 1994, ch. 801, §§ 1, 2; 1995, ch. 504, § 4; 2006, ch. 984, § 1; 2008 , ch. 894, § 1; 2009 , ch. 235, § 1.