HB1720 • 2026

Zoning

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, relative to zoning outside of municipal boundaries.

Land

Active

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

Sponsor: Hicks T, Lowe
Last action: 2026-04-08
Official status: Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The fiscal impact on local governments cannot be determined due to numerous unknown factors.

Zoning Rules Outside City Limits

This bill allows counties to pass resolutions that prevent cities or regional planning groups from making zoning rules for land outside city limits in certain counties.

What This Bill Does

It permits a county legislative body to adopt a resolution prohibiting municipalities and regional planning commissions from creating zoning laws, plans, ordinances, or rules that apply outside the boundaries of a municipality.
Upon adoption of such a resolution by the county legislative body, any existing zoning plans, ordinances, rules, or regional zoning ordinances exercising jurisdiction over land use outside city limits become void and unenforceable.
The bill allows counties and municipalities to enter into interlocal agreements for completing or winding down development projects that were in progress before the new rule was adopted.

Who It Names or Affects

Counties with a population of less than 341,500
Municipalities and regional planning commissions within those counties

Terms To Know

Zoning: Rules that decide how land can be used, like for homes, businesses, or parks.
Interlocal agreement: An agreement between two local governments to work together on a project.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not apply to counties with a metropolitan form of government.
It does not apply to six specific counties: Moore County, Trousdale County, Hamilton County, Knox County, Davidson County, and Shelby County.
Due to numerous unknown factors, the fiscal impact on local governments cannot be determined.

Amendments

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

SA0953

Amendment 1-0 to SB1771

Plain English: This amendment adds new rules about zoning outside city limits in certain counties, making existing zoning plans unenforceable and requiring developers to declare if they want their land annexed by a city.

Adds restrictions on municipalities and regional planning commissions from creating zoning laws that apply beyond city boundaries.
Requires county legislative bodies to pass a resolution for the new rules to take effect, making existing zoning plans outside cities void.
Allows counties and cities to make agreements about ongoing development projects before the new rules start.

The amendment does not explain how it will affect specific development or infrastructure projects currently underway in detail.

Bill History

2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed behind the budget
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/17/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/11/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/4/2026
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor change.
2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor change.
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 2/18/2026
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 2/11/2026
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Effective upon the adoption of a resolution
by a majority vote of the county legislative body
, this bill prohibits
a municipality or regional planning commission
from
adopt
ing
a zoning plan, ordinance, rule, or regional zoning ordinance
that
exercis
es
jurisdiction over zoning, including development, infrastructure, or land use, outside of the boundaries of a municipality.

Upon adoption of
the
resolution, an existing zoning plan, ordinance, rule, or regional zoning ordinance
that
exerci
ses
jurisdiction ove
r zoning

outside of the boundaries of a municipality is void and unenforceable.

INTERLOCAL OR OTHER AGREEMENT

This bill authorizes t
he county and municipality
to
enter into an interlocal or other agreement for the completion of, or for the process of winding down, development, infrastructure, or land use obligations in progress prior to the adoption of such resolution. A developer may be a party to such an agree
ment with the consent of the county and municipal governing bodies.

APPLICABILITY

However, this bill clarifies that its provisions do not apply to Moore County, Trousdale County, Hamilton County, Knox County, Davidson County, and Shelby County, and do
not prohibit a county or municipality from entering into an interlocal agreement for any lawful purpose under state law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1771
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 1720
By Hicks T
HB1720
011204
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5;
Title 6; Title 7 and Title 13, relative to zoning
outside of municipal boundaries.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 13, Chapter 7, Part 3, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Notwithstanding this part, a municipality or regional planning commission
shall not adopt a zoning plan, ordinance, rule, or regional zoning ordinance, as
applicable, exercising jurisdiction over zoning, including development, infrastructure, or
land use, outside of the boundaries of a municipality.
(b) This section is effective in a county upon the adoption of a resolution by a
majority vote of the county legislative body. Upon adoption of such resolution, an
existing zoning plan, ordinance, rule, or regional zoning ordinance adopted under this
part exercising jurisdiction over zoning, including development, infrastructure, or land
use, outside of the boundaries of a municipality is void and unenforceable. The county
and municipality may enter into an interlocal or other agreement for the completion of, or
for the process of winding down, development, infrastructure, or land use obligations in
progress prior to the adoption of such resolution. A developer may be a party to such an
agreement with the consent of the county and municipal governing bodies.
(c) This section:
(1) Applies to counties with a population of less than three hundred forty-
one thousand five hundred (341,500), according to the 2020 or a subsequent
federal census; and

- 2 - 011204

(2) Does not apply to a county with a metropolitan form of government.
(d) This section does not prohibit a county or municipality from entering into an
interlocal agreement for any lawful purpose under state law.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.