COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every Monday at the Maury County Courthouse starts the same way: a scramble for a place to park.
With more than 100 cases on the docket sometimes, the Maury County Judicial Center's 86 visitor spots are not enough.
Since the courthouse opened at the end of 2024, the parking shortage has been a persistent problem — one that attorney and county commissioner Jerry Bridenbaugh says has not gotten much attention.
"If you can imagine general sessions, juvenile, the regular chancery or circuit docket, and jury pools for a trial, you have cars from here to downtown," said Jerry Bridenbaugh.
Bridenbaugh, who took office just before construction started, says the nature of courthouse visits makes the problem easy to overlook.
"You get sued, you have a divorce, you come, you leave and never come back — so you don't see it on a daily basis like you do if you go to a retail establishment. But for those of us who are here, it is a consistent problem," Bridenbaugh said.
The overflow has pushed drivers to find creative solutions. Visitors have parked on grass and sidewalks along Main Street.
Nearby residents on E. 10th Street have had mail skipped because vehicles were blocking their mailboxes. One homeowner described trying to get help — and getting nowhere.
At the corner of Main Street and East 10th Street, The Ridge Butcher Shop and Fresh Market sits directly across from the courthouse. Store manager Daniel Lilley says overflow parking regularly spills into the surrounding area, including the store's private lot.
"We have signs, professional ones, but also we've handwritten a sign that we put in the center of the driveway. That way if anyone drives past, it's obvious you weren't supposed to park here," Lilley said.
Lilley says he has contacted more than 20 officials seeking a resolution and has not received a callback. He does not believe businesses should be forced to tow people.
The county has made small changes, including allowing district attorneys and public defenders — who are present nearly every day — access to the secure parking lot used by court employees. But Daniel Lilley, the butcher shop manager who first brought the issue to my attention, says the problem is far from solved.
"It's just frustrating that it's not getting resolved," Lilley said.
Parking enforcement records show just 5 citations and 7 warnings have been issued since the courthouse opened. Lilley said police are not the root cause of the problem, but there may be room for more enforcement.
"I don't think it's necessarily the police's fault, but maybe there should be some sort of process if you knew that their parking was an issue," Lilley said. "And you've now relegated that to somebody else's problem."
The county also passed on an opportunity to buy the vacant bookstore next door, which could have been used for additional parking. Bridenbaugh backed the idea and now worries a solution may be harder to find.
"There's all kinds of obstacles you would have to go through in order to find this solution," Bridenbaugh said.
Timeline: Maury Co. Courthouse Parking Headaches
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November 2024Maury County Judicial Center opens📍 Key Event
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07/09/20257 parking warnings issued — only enforcement activity in first 8 months⚠️ Enforcement
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10/20/2025Only illegal parking call for service logged in 20 months⚠️ Enforcement
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05/07/20263 parking citations issued — first citations in 18 months⚠️ Enforcement
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05/11/20262 more parking citations issued⚠️ Enforcement
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06/30/2026NewsChannel 5 story publishes — more than 5 violations counted in single visit📍 Key Event
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07/01/2026Mayor Butt says county looking into rescheduling options📍 Key Event
If something in your community is making life harder and you think NewsChannel 5 should know about it, email hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
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