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HB1259 • 2026

Water

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7; Title 63; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to water.

Energy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Capley, Walley
Last action
2026-03-26
Official status
Reset on Final cal. 2 of Calendar & Rules Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official bill summary does not provide specific details about the financial responsibilities of homeowners or the extent of private property affected by this amendment.

Water System Projects on Private Property

This bill changes Tennessee laws to allow municipal water and sewer systems to work on private property for health reasons.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes rules so that municipal water and sewer systems can fix or replace pipes on private land if it's needed for health reasons.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Municipal water and sewer systems
  • Homeowners with private property

Terms To Know

Service line
A pipe that connects a home to the main water supply or sewage system.
Galvanized requiring replacement
An old type of metal pipe that needs to be replaced because it's no longer safe for drinking water.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much the homeowner will pay for these repairs.
  • It is unclear if this change affects all types of private property or only certain kinds.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1259

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions and provisions related to replacing certain types of water lines that are connected to lead service lines or require replacement due to federal regulations.

  • Adds a new definition for 'galvanized requiring replacement' in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(b).
  • Modifies the existing subdivision (c)(1)(B)(iii) of Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401 to include private water lines behind a utility-owned meter for addressing lead service lines or galvanized requiring replacement lines.
  • Adds a new subdivision (3) in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(c), allowing public entities to maintain or construct individual lines if the property owner consents and agrees to hold them harmless.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how these changes will be implemented in practice.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0639

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions and provisions related to replacing certain types of water lines that are connected to lead service lines or require replacement due to federal regulations.

  • Adds a new definition for 'galvanized requiring replacement' in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(b).
  • Modifies the existing definition of 'project for a private purpose' in Section 7-35-401(c)(1)(B)(iii) to include maintenance or construction of water lines on private property when deemed necessary by public entities.
  • Adds a new subdivision (c)(3) allowing municipalities and other public entities to maintain or construct individual water lines if the property owner consents.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how these changes will be implemented, such as specific procedures for obtaining consent from property owners.
Amendment 2-0 to SB0639

Plain English: The amendment adds definitions and provisions related to replacing certain types of water lines that are connected to lead service lines or require replacement due to federal regulations.

  • Adds a new definition for 'galvanized requiring replacement' in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(b).
  • Modifies the existing subdivision (c)(1)(B)(iii) of Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401 to include private water lines behind a utility-owned meter for addressing lead service lines or galvanized requiring replacement lines.
  • Adds a new subdivision (3) in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(c), allowing public entities to maintain or construct individual lines if the property owner consents and agrees to hold them harmless.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how these changes will be implemented in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final cal. 2 of Calendar & Rules Committee

  2. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  3. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  5. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 3/24/2026

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  7. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  9. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  11. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  12. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  13. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0592)

  14. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0616)

  15. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/9/2026

  17. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  20. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  21. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  22. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  25. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  26. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  27. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  30. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  32. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 639, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to authorize municipal water and sewer systems to undertake certain projects on private property.

Present law generally prohibits municipal water and sewer systems from bidding on or constructing any project for a private purpose. Present law specifies that "project for a private purpose”
does not include the renewal or replacement of individual wat
er or sewage lines behind a meter or onto private property when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by the municipal corporation because excessive infiltration and inflow from groundwater or rainwater is resulting in sanita
ry
sewer overflows or other serious health or system capacity issues. Municipal corporations are authorized, but not required, to maintain or construct individual lines for this purpose if the property owner consents and agrees to hold the municipal corpor
ation harmless for the work.

This amendment replaces the present law exception to project for a private purpose. This amendment specifies that "project for a private purpose" does not include the renewal or replacement or assessment of:

(1) Private water lines behind a utility-owned meter when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by a municipality, utility district, metropolitan government, or other public entity to address lead service lines or galvanize
d requiring replacement lines located on private property, but only for the portion of the service line extending from the utility-owned meter to the exterior building envelope of the structure served for the purpose of addressing serious health issues; o
r

(2) Sewage lines on private property when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by a municipality, utility district, metropolitan government, or other public entity because excessive infiltration and inflow from groundwater
or rainwater is resulting in sanitary sewer overflows or other serious health or system capacity issues.

The consent of the owner and a hold-harmless agreement will still be required under (1) and (2).

For purposes of this amendment, a service line is "galvanized requiring replacement" if the service line that is or was at any time downstream of a lead service line, or is currently or was previously connected to a lead service line, and is required to
be replaced pursuant to applicable federal drinking water regulations.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 639
By Harshbarger

HOUSE BILL 1259
By Capley

HB1259
002604
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7;
Title 63; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to
water.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 69-3-104(d), is amended by deleting
"five (5) days" and substituting "seven (7) days".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.