How the Tennessee Guardianship Process Works
Establishing guardianship in Tennessee follows a structured legal process overseen by the court. For families in Franklin, Tennessee, petitions are typically filed in the Probate Division of the Williamson County Chancery Court. Here is an overview of what to expect.
Filing the Petition
The guardianship process begins with a verified petition filed with the court. The petition identifies the minor child, explains why a guardian is needed, and names the person asking to serve as guardian. The case is generally filed in the county where the minor child lives or where the custodial parent resides if the parents are living apart.
Required documentation must be included with or submitted alongside the petition. The court will not move forward without a complete and properly verified pleading, which is one reason having an attorney prepare and review the petition makes a meaningful difference in how smoothly the legal process goes.
Notice to Interested Parties
Once the petition is filed, interested parties must be notified. This typically includes the minor child’s parents, other close family members, and anyone who has a meaningful stake in the child’s well-being or the management of the child’s assets. Interested parties have the right to appear at the court hearing and be heard.
Guardian Ad Litem
In some cases, the court will appoint a guardian ad litem to independently represent the best interests of the minor child during the proceedings. A guardian ad litem investigates the circumstances and provides the court with a recommendation focused solely on what is best for the child. When a parent is the one petitioning the court to serve as guardian, the court generally will not appoint a guardian ad litem, as the interests of the child and petitioner are typically aligned.
The Court Hearing
A court hearing is held where a judge or Probate Master reviews the petition, considers any input from interested parties, and decides whether to establish the guardianship. If the court grants the petition, it issues an order naming the guardian and specifying the scope of their authority, any bond requirements, approved categories of expenditures, and restrictions on the sale or transfer of the minor’s property without court approval.
The court’s order is carefully tailored to protect the minor child’s assets while still giving the guardian the legal authority they need to manage those assets responsibly. Once the order is issued, the guardian has the legal right and obligation to act on the child’s behalf within the boundaries the court sets.
Bond Requirements
For guardians managing a minor’s estate, the court typically requires a bond. A bond is a financial guarantee that protects the minor child’s assets in case the guardian mismanages or misappropriates them. The bond amount is generally set based on the value of the assets being managed. Your attorney can help you understand the bond requirements in your specific case and how to satisfy them.
What Are the Guardian’s Duties?
A guardian of the estate holds a fiduciary position. This is one of the highest standards of responsibility the law recognizes. The guardian must put the minor child’s interests first at all times and manage the child’s assets with prudence and care. Acting in the guardian’s own self-interest at the expense of the ward is strictly prohibited.
The core responsibilities of a guardian of the estate in Tennessee include the following.
- Managing the minor’s assets prudently. This includes investing and preserving the assets in a manner consistent with the court’s orders and Tennessee law.
- Paying bills and expenses on behalf of the minor. The guardian can use the minor’s funds for the child’s support, education, and other needs, subject to the court’s approval and any restrictions in the guardianship order.
- Filing inventory. Within sixty days of appointment, the guardian must file an inventory of the assets subject to the guardianship with the Chancery Court.
- Accounting to the court. Guardians are required to file periodic reporting with the court, typically on an annual basis. These accountings detail all assets under management, any money received, and all expenditures made on behalf of the minor.
- Seeking court approval for significant transactions. A guardian generally cannot sell, encumber, or transfer the minor’s property without first obtaining court approval. This protects the minor’s assets from being depleted without judicial oversight.
- Filing a final accounting when the guardianship ends. When the guardianship terminates, the guardian must file a complete final accounting with the court covering all assets, receipts, and disbursements throughout the guardianship. If no objections are filed within 30 days, the guardian may distribute the remaining assets and close the guardianship.
How Long Does Guardianship Last in Tennessee?
Guardianship of the person generally terminates when the minor child reaches the age of majority, which is 18 in Tennessee. At that point, the young adult has the legal right to make their own personal decisions, and the guardian’s authority over their care and daily life ends.
Guardianships Can Last Longer than 18 Years Old
Guardianship of the estate can sometimes extend beyond the age of majority. Tennessee law allows a guardianship of the estate to continue past age 18 if the court finds that it remains in the ward’s best interests and determines that the ward is not yet capable of responsibly managing their own property. However, a guardianship of the estate cannot continue beyond the ward’s 25th birthday. The burden of proving that continuation is appropriate falls on the party requesting it.
When the guardianship does end, the guardian files a final accounting, distributes the remaining assets to the former ward, and formally closes the guardianship with the court.
Divorce and Guardianship: How They Intersect
Divorce and guardianship often intersect in ways families do not anticipate. When parents divorce and one parent later passes away, the surviving parent typically steps in to care for the minor child. But if the deceased parent leaves assets to the child through a will or intestate inheritance, those assets cannot simply be handed over. Even with a surviving parent in the picture, a formal guardianship of the estate may be required to receive and manage the minor child’s inherited property.
Divorce can also complicate questions about who should serve as guardian of the person. When both parents have passed away following a divorce, there may be competing family members from each side of the family who want to step in. The court resolves these disputes based on the best interests of the minor child, not family preference.
The Most Common Mistake Parents Make
The single most preventable guardianship situation we see is when parents name a minor child directly as a beneficiary in their will, on a life insurance policy, or on a bank or investment account, rather than routing those assets to a trust. It seems straightforward, but it creates exactly the problem guardianship is designed to solve.
When a minor child is named directly, there is no way to transfer those assets to them without a court-appointed guardian of the estate. That means filing a petition, posting a bond, filing an inventory within sixty days, submitting annual accountings, and managing the process until the child turns 18, at which point all the money goes to the young adult in one lump sum.
A minor’s trust, by contrast, requires none of that. The trustee manages the assets privately, can use them for the child’s benefit along the way, and can hold them until the child is older and better prepared to handle them responsibly. There is no court oversight, no bond, and no annual accountings.
If you are creating or updating your estate plan, fixing this is the single most important thing you can do for your children’s financial future. Our attorneys help families get this right before a guardianship becomes necessary.