§ 20-12-101 Recovery by successful party
§ 20-12-102 Litigation tax
§ 20-12-103 Copies of records
§ 20-12-104 Postage
§ 20-12-105 Number of witnesses
§ 20-12-106 Dismissal – Compromise
§ 20-12-107 Omitted costs
§ 20-12-108 Correction of erroneous taxation
§ 20-12-109 Charged against real plaintiff
§ 20-12-110 Dismissal, abatement or discontinuance
§ 20-12-111 Appeal from general sessions court
§ 20-12-112 Jurisdictional defects – Irregular transfer
§ 20-12-113 Abatement of action
§ 20-12-114 Nominal damages recovered
§ 20-12-115 Actions for overflow of water
§ 20-12-116 Usury
§ 20-12-117 Taxation between defendants
§ 20-12-118 Cases not expressly covered
§ 20-12-119 Discretion of judge
§ 20-12-120 Security given by plaintiff
§ 20-12-121 Failure to take security
§ 20-12-122 Actions commenced by petition or motion
§ 20-12-123 Appeals from general sessions court
§ 20-12-124 Rule to give security
§ 20-12-125 Terms of bond
§ 20-12-126 Omission of provisions from bond
§ 20-12-127 Pauper’s oath
§ 20-12-128 Guardian’s or conservator’s oath – Protection from liability
§ 20-12-129 Next friend’s oath
§ 20-12-130 Personal representative’s oath – Protection from liability
§ 20-12-131 Duties of officers and witnesses in cases in forma pauperis
§ 20-12-132 Dismissal of pauper’s action
§ 20-12-133 Judgment against pauper
§ 20-12-134 Payment by state
§ 20-12-135 Judgment against surety
§ 20-12-136 Execution against principal and surety
§ 20-12-137 Recovery from successful party
§ 20-12-138 Notice of motion against successful party
§ 20-12-139 Bill of costs on appeal
§ 20-12-140 Payments from appellate to trial court
§ 20-12-141 Payments by clerk of trial court
§ 20-12-142 Construction as remedial
§ 20-12-143 General sessions courts – Collection of costs
§ 20-12-144 Collection of fines or costs in default
§ 20-12-145 Recoverable Costs on Appeal

Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 20 > Chapter 12 - Costs

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Allegation: something that someone says happened.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Authority: means a port authority created pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
  • Base tax revenues: means the revenues generated from the collection of state and local sales and use taxes from all businesses within the applicable tourism development zone as of the end of the fiscal year of the state of Tennessee immediately prior to the year in which the municipality or public authority is entitled to receive an allocation of tax revenue pursuant to this chapter, adjusted annually after the first year by a percentage equal to the percentage of change in the collection of state and local sales and use taxes derived from the sale of goods, products and services for the entire county in which the public use facility is located for the preceding fiscal year. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Beneficially impacted area: means the geographic area within which it is reasonably anticipated and projected that state and local sales and use taxes will increase as a result of the construction and operation of the qualified public use facility by an amount in excess of the increases in the collection of state and local sales and use tax revenues reasonably projected to occur within that area without regard to the construction of the public use facility. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • board of directors: means the governing body of the authority. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1802
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2202
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2302
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • convention center authority: means any public corporation organized pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Department: means the department of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1802
  • Department: means the department of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2202
  • Department: means the department of health. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2302
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. Source: OCC
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Governing body: means the body in which the general legislative powers of a municipality are vested. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
  • Governing body: means the body in which the general legislative powers of a municipality are vested. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
  • Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
  • Joint venture: means a partnership or any other type of business relationship or organization, such as a corporation, trust, partnership, public-private partnership, limited liability company, association, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality that is sponsored, owned, operated, or governed by two (2) or more entities. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Loan agreement: means an agreement providing for an authority to loan the proceeds derived from the issuance of revenue bonds pursuant to this chapter to one (1) or more contracting parties to be used to pay the cost of one (1) or more projects and providing for the repayment of the loan by the other contracting party or parties. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Metropolitan government: means the political entity created by consolidation of all, or substantially all, of the political and corporate functions of a county and a city or cities. See Tennessee Code 7-1-101
  • Minorities: include , but are not limited to, African American, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern American and the underserved regardless of age, race, economics, gender, language or geographic location. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2202
  • Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Municipality: means any county or incorporated city or town in this state with respect to which an authority may be organized. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
  • Municipality: means any incorporated city or county located in the state of Tennessee, including a county with a metropolitan form of government. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Municipality: means any county, metropolitan government or incorporated city or town in this state with respect to which an authority may be organized. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Office: means the office of women's health designated by this part. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1802
  • Office: means the office of minority health designated by this part. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2202
  • Office: means the office of child nutrition and wellness in the department, which is created in §. See Tennessee Code 68-1-2302
  • other contracting party: means any party, including a municipality, to a sale contract, lease agreement or loan agreement, other than the authority. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Personal representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Port: means and includes any one (1) or more harbors or ports and related facilities, including, but not limited to, land and interests in land, wharves, piers, loading and unloading machinery, scales, transportation equipment, harbor and riverfront or lake front improvements, buildings, storage and transfer facilities, elevators, railroads, switchyards, concentration yards, roads, bridges, communication, electric power, gas, water and all other utility facilities and such other structures, facilities and improvements necessary or convenient to the development of harbors and river ports and for the promotion either directly or indirectly of trade, industry, and commerce. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Pro se: A Latin term meaning "on one's own behalf"; in courts, it refers to persons who present their own cases without lawyers.
  • Project: means any land, improvement, structure, building or part of a building comprised of facilities for conventions, public assemblies, conferences, trade exhibitions or other business, social, cultural, scientific and public interest events, along with any associated hotel accommodations. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Public authority: means any agency, authority or instrumentality created or authorized by any municipality or by two (2) or more municipalities acting jointly, including, but not limited to, any public building authority organized pursuant to the Public Building Authorities Act of 1971, compiled in title 12, chapter 10 or an industrial development corporation organized pursuant to chapter 53 of this title. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Qualified associated development: means parks, plazas, recreational facilities, schools, sidewalks, access ways, roads, drives, bridges, ramps, landscaping, signage and other public improvements constructed or renovated by the municipality or the public building authority in connection with the public use facility and related infrastructure and utility improvements for public or private peripheral development included in a master development plan for the tourism development zone and that is constructed, renovated or installed by the municipality or the public authority. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Qualified public use facility: includes :
    (i) Any building, complex, center, facility or any two (2) or more adjacent buildings, complexes, centers or facilities containing at least two hundred fifty thousand square feet (250,000 sq. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • revenue bonds: means bonds, notes, interim certificates or other obligations of an authority issued pursuant to this chapter, or pursuant to any other law, as supplemented by, or in conjunction with, this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Sale contract: means a contract providing for the sale of one (1) or more projects to one (1) or more contracting parties and includes a contract providing for payment of the purchase price in one (1) or more installments. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • Secondary tourist development zone: means a tourist development zone that at the time of its creation is located more than three (3) miles from the county courthouse. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
  • State: means the state of Tennessee and, unless otherwise indicated by the context, any agency, authority, branch, bureau, commission, corporation, department or instrumentality of the state, now or hereafter existing. See Tennessee Code 7-89-103
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Structured lease agreement: means a lease by a municipality of a qualified public use facility within a tourism development zone financed by bonds issued and outstanding in compliance with §. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
  • Tourism development zone: means an area in a municipality designated by ordinance or resolution of such municipality in which a qualified public use facility is located or planned, that is determined by the department of finance and administration to be a beneficially impacted area in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and that is certified as a tourism development zone by the department. See Tennessee Code 7-88-103
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Usury: Charging an illegally high interest rate on a loan. Source: OCC
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105