To file for a Tennessee divorce, the party seeking the divorce must have been a resident of Tennessee when the grounds for divorce arose. If the grounds for divorce arose outside of Tennessee and the party seeking the divorce resided outside of Tennessee, either spouse must have been a resident for 6 months prior to filing.

The divorce may be filed in any of the following counties:

• the county in which both spouses lived at the time of their separation; 

• the county in which the non-filing party lives if he or she is a resident of Tennessee; or 

• the county in which the filing party lives if the non-filing party is a non-resident of Tennessee.

Tennessee Divorce Grounds

The grounds for a Tennessee divorce are:

• irreconcilable differences if 

  • there has been no denial of this ground; or 

  • the spouses submit a properly signed marital dissolution agreement [see below under Simplified or Special Divorce Procedures] or

  • this grounds for divorce is combined with a general fault-based grounds (grounds 3-16);

• living separate and apart without cohabitation for 2 years when there are no minor children. 

• impotence;

• adultery;

• conviction of a felony and imprisonment;

• alcoholism and/or drug addiction;

• wife is pregnant by another at the time of marriage without husband's knowledge;

• willful desertion for 1 year;

• bigamy;

• endangering the life of the spouse;

• commission and/or conviction of an infamous crime;

• refusing to move to Tennessee with a spouse and willfully absenting oneself from a new residence for 2 years;

• cruel and inhumane treatment;

• spouse has made life intolerable;

• abandonment or kicking spouse out of the home and refusing to provide spousal support; and

• living separate from each other for 2 or more years.