Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Warren County Emergency Management Agency – Interim Director Jason Hillis | 201 Locust St, Suite 11, McMinnville, TN 37110 | (931) 473-8446 | wcem.org
911/Addressing: Warren County Emergency Communications District / Addressing Project – (800) 794-1981 (toll-free landline) or (931) 967-4570; uses a Uniform Addressing System where house numbers correspond to driving distance from McMinnville (odd numbers left, even numbers right, heading outbound); new address/road assignment fee is $200.
EMS: Warren County EMS and Rescue – confirm current phone via wcem.org or warrencountytn.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-1 (Sparta St), SH-56, and SH-8 serve McMinnville, the county seat, 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: Warren County was created in 1807 from part of White County, named for Joseph Warren, a militiaman and major general who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. McMinnville, founded August 4, 1810 and incorporated in 1868, was named for Governor Joseph McMinn.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Warren County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via warrencountytn.gov.
Notes: McMinnville and Warren County are genuinely, formally known as the “Nursery Capital of the World” – home to over 400-450 thriving plant nurseries generating over $300 million annually, made possible by the area’s near-perfect soil and climate conditions. Separately, Warren County is home to Cumberland Caverns, a U.S. National Natural Landmark and Tennessee’s largest show cave – a 27.7-mile cave system (the state’s third-longest, the nation’s 24th-longest), discovered in 1810 by Aaron Higginbotham, who according to local legend was lost inside for three days after his torch went out. The cave opened as a show cave on July 4, 1956, and features distinctive named formations including “The Hall of the Mountain King” (nearly two football fields long) and a preserved Civil War-era Confederate saltpeter mine.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Warren County Veterans Service Office – 1410 Sparta Street, Suite 1 (inside The Three Star Mall), McMinnville, TN 37110 | (931) 473-6920 | Hours: Mon 8:30 AM-4 PM, Tue 8:30 AM-4 PM, Wed 8:30-10:30 AM, closed Thu/Fri (closed 12-1 PM daily for lunch); appointments preferred, walk-ins welcome.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Magness Community House and Library – 118 West Main Street, McMinnville, TN 37110 | (931) 473-2428 | [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Tue 8 AM-8 PM, Wed-Fri 8 AM-5 PM, Sat 8 AM-2/3 PM (sources vary), closed Sunday; founded in 1920 by Mary Cunningham using her own books, with the building later constructed by entrepreneur William H. Magness as a memorial to his father and brother; also home to the Warren County Genealogical & Historical Association and the Black History Museum of Warren County.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cumberland Caverns (see above), Rock Island State Park, and the Barren Fork River (popular for kayaking/canoeing/tubing) are the county’s signature attractions, alongside the historic downtown McMinnville square.
Notes: Both the “Nursery Capital of the World” designation and Cumberland Caverns are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Warren County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via warrencountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Warren County Animal Control and Adoption Center – 169 Paws Trail, McMinnville, TN 37110 | (931) 507-3647 (voicemail; no longer responding to Facebook Messenger); a small county shelter that has become no-kill over recent years.
Nonprofits: Humane Society of Warren County – McMinnville, TN; and A.A.R.F. (All About Rescue and Fixin’ Inc.) – a foster-based rescue serving the Upper Cumberland region.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Warren County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via warrencountytn.gov.
NOTES: Warren County is the fifth county in this batch (Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, Wayne) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine “Nursery Capital of the World” designation and Cumberland Caverns’ status as Tennessee’s largest show cave are both distinctive, checkable local facts. 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 Warren County County
Warren County is Middle Tennessee’s Nursery Capital and Rock Island State Park county – the county that grows more nursery trees and shrubs than anywhere else in America and the spectacular river gorge park where three streams meet in cascading waterfalls define a community whose agricultural distinction and natural beauty give it one of the most distinctive identities in the Upper Cumberland region.
McMinnville (the county seat, population ~13,500) is Warren County’s governmental and commercial hub, a Middle Tennessee city whose nursery industry, Rock Island proximity, and Cumberland Caverns underground concert venue anchor a thriving regional economy.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Warren County Assessor of Property at 111 S. Court Square, McMinnville, TN 37110, phone 931-473-2623. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Warren County Circuit Court at 111 S. Court Square, McMinnville, TN 37110, phone 931-473-2623, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
111 South Court Sq, McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-2505
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Warren County Clerk and Master, McMinnville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Warren 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, Warren County 111 South Court Square, Suite 105, McMinnville, TN 37110 (931) 473-2364
Warren County was founded in 1807, named for Joseph Warren, on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, seated in McMinnville. The Clerk and Master is appointed by the Chancellor for a six-year term; the current Chancellor of the 31st Judicial District serves both Warren and Van Buren counties.
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 Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren 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
210 Locust St, McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-2166
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
111 South Court Sq, McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-2942
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1023 Sparta St, McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-2531
DHS Office
1023 Sparta St, McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-2521
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Warren County Health Department – confirm current contact via warrencountytn.gov.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: McMinnville
Population: 40,000
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Warren County County residents.
