Tennessee House Bill HB0718

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 102 and Title 68, Chapter 120, relative to building regulations.

Summary

HB0718 amends Tennessee’s building regulations by changing the deadline for a decision on a written appeal under Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-120-116(a). Under current law, the relevant authority must issue a decision within 10 working days of receiving the appeal; the bill replaces that requirement with 15 calendar days. The measure is narrow and procedural, focusing only on the timing of appeal decisions rather than changing the underlying standards for building regulation or enforcement. In practical terms, the bill gives the decision-maker slightly more time to respond to appeals, while also shifting the measurement from working days to calendar days. Because calendar days include weekends and holidays, the change may alter how quickly appeals are resolved in practice, depending on when the appeal is filed. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill amends Title 68, Chapter 120 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, specifically the appeal-decision timeline in § 68-120-116(a). It does not appear to create new substantive building code requirements or alter enforcement authority; instead, it adjusts an administrative deadline governing how quickly a decision must be issued on a written appeal. The affected parties are the state or local officials responsible for deciding these appeals, as well as builders, property owners, contractors, and others who may use the appeal process.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available materials. Based on the text alone, the bill appears technical and low-conflict, with a modest procedural change that likely would be viewed as administrative housekeeping rather than a major policy shift.

Contention

There is no documented contention in the provided record. The only potentially debatable issue is whether extending the deadline from 10 working days to 15 calendar days meaningfully slows appeal resolution or instead provides a clearer and more predictable timeframe. Any concern would likely come from parties seeking faster decisions, while those administering appeals may favor the added flexibility and simpler calendar-day calculation.