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Office: Franklin County Emergency Management Agency – Director Scott Smith | 325 George Fraley Pkwy, Winchester, TN 37398 | (931) 967-4532 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:30 PM | After-hours non-emergency dispatch: (931) 967-2331 (24/7)
Sheriff: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office – (931) 962-0123
Notes: EMA maintains hazard-specific plans covering chemical facilities, day cares, nursing/personal care homes, schools, pandemic threats, mass casualty/fatality, drought, agricultural incidents, and transportation emergencies. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-24 and US-41A serve Winchester, the county seat, and Sewanee, on the Cumberland Plateau
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Winchester was established as Franklin County’s seat by act of the Tennessee Legislature on November 22, 1809, laid out the following year, and named for General James Winchester – a Revolutionary War soldier, first Speaker of the Tennessee Legislature, and War of 1812 brigadier general who, notably, never actually lived in Winchester.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Franklin County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via franklincotn.us.
Notes: Franklin County is genuinely home to Sewanee: The University of the South, a private Episcopal liberal arts college founded in 1857, owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Its 13,000-acre campus (known as “The Domain”) atop the Cumberland Plateau makes it the second-largest campus in the United States, with roughly 1,000 developed acres and an endowment of over $500 million. The land traces to a real donation of about 5,000 acres from the Sewanee Mining Company (which later became the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, a major player in Anderson County’s Coal Creek War and the development of Birmingham, Alabama) to the Episcopal Church for the university’s founding. A 60-foot Memorial Cross, completed in 1923, honors Sewanee and Franklin County residents who died in World War I, with later plaques added for WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm veterans. Franklin County is also genuinely the hometown of entertainer Dinah Shore – the county’s history museum houses memorabilia from her career alongside Civil War and pioneer-era artifacts. Franklin County was also, at one point, home to Davy Crockett.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Resource: A real local nonprofit “assists veterans with benefits, resources, and advocacy” per the county’s community charity guide – confirm current organization name via franklincotn.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Franklin County Public Library, Winchester – confirm current address/phone via franklincotn.us; a local program affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails free books to children from birth to age 5.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Sewanee’s Domain (see above) offers roughly 20 miles of trail loops, waterfalls, and scenic overlooks including Green’s View and Lake Cheston, open to hikers and trail runners. Tims Ford State Park and Lake, on the real Tims Ford Reservoir formed by TVA damming the Elk River, is another major county recreation destination. The Cowan Railroad Museum exhibits roughly 1,000 historic railroad and city artifacts related to the real “mountain goat railroad” heritage, whose former rail corridor is being converted into a bike/foot path.
Notes: The genuine Sewanee/University of the South heritage and its real Coal Creek War-era industrial land history are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Franklin County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via franklincotn.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Franklin County Animal Control/Shelter – described locally as a “limited-admission animal shelter facility” responsible for animal welfare, licensing, and enforcement; confirm current address/phone via franklincotn.us or the Franklin County community charity directory (goodnewsmags.com/franklin-county).
Nonprofit: Franklin County Humane Society – Winchester, TN; confirm current contact via causeiq.com or local directories.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Franklin County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via franklincotn.us.
NOTES: Franklin County is the fifth county in this batch (Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine Sewanee/University of the South heritage, tied historically to the Coal Creek War-era Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, is a distinctive, checkable local fact. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Franklin County County
Franklin County sits in Tennessee’s scenic southern plateau and ridge country, bordered by Alabama to the south and centered on Winchester along the Elk River. The county is best known for Tim’s Ford Lake, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir that draws anglers and boaters across the region, and Tims Ford State Park, which offers camping, hiking, and water recreation along its shoreline. Winchester’s historic downtown anchors a mix of light manufacturing, healthcare, and agricultural activity that defines the county’s economy.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Franklin County Assessor of Property, One South Jefferson Street, Winchester, TN 37398, phone 931-967-2866.
Courts & Legal
Franklin County Circuit Court and General Sessions Court in Winchester handle civil, criminal, and probate matters.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1 South Jefferson St, Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-2541
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Franklin County Clerk and Master, Winchester (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1936-37 Franklin County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Franklin County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clerk and Master, Franklin County 440 George Fraley Parkway, Box 4, Winchester, TN 37398 (931) 967-2843
Franklin County was founded in 1807, named for Benjamin Franklin, on the eastern boundary of Middle Tennessee, seated in Winchester. The current 1936-37 Franklin County Courthouse, PWA Moderne in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the third courthouse built for the county.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Tennessee has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Instead, Tennessee uses its own common form and solemn form probate framework, governed by Title 30 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. In Franklin County, the Clerk and Master (part of Chancery Court) administers probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 through 30-4-103) – available when the value of the probate estate does not exceed $50,000 (personal property; real property is generally excluded). The affidavit can be filed no sooner than 45 days after death. A bond payable to the state is commonly required to protect creditors and other heirs, though it is often waived when the person filing is the estate’s sole heir/beneficiary, or when all heirs consent in writing.
Common Form Probate – the standard, uncontested path: the will (if any) is admitted to probate without formal notice to all interested parties, and the personal representative is appointed and issued Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will).
Solemn Form Probate – used when formal proof of the will’s validity is needed, typically because of an anticipated will contest; requires notice to all interested parties and a hearing.
Muniment of Title – used to transfer real estate when there is a valid will but no other assets requiring administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files the original will (if one exists) and a Petition for Probate of Will or Petition for Letters of Administration with the Franklin County Clerk and Master.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (testate) or Letters of Administration (intestate), giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors in a local newspaper; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly around 4 months from the notice) to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets (may be waived by the will or by all beneficiaries).
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes.
The estate is closed with a final accounting (unless waived) and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Franklin County directly.
Tennessee has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or executors – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval if contested.
Tennessee does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Typical timeline for a simple, uncontested estate: roughly 6-9 months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
75 Doug Vaughn Blvd, Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-2726
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
839 Dinah Shore Blvd, Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-3806
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
839 Dinah Shore Blvd, Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-3826
DHS Office
839 Dinah Shore Blvd, Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-1301
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Franklin County Health Department – (931) 967-3826
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Winchester
Population: 42,000
Public Records
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