SB1771 • 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: Lowe, Hicks T
Last action: 2026-04-14
Official status: Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Zoning Rules Outside City Limits

This bill stops municipalities and regional planning commissions from making zoning rules for land outside city limits in certain counties.

What This Bill Does

It prevents municipalities or regional planning commissions from creating zoning plans, ordinances, rules, or regional zoning laws that affect areas outside the city's boundaries.
Existing zoning rules that cover areas beyond a city’s borders become invalid and cannot be enforced once a county legislative body passes a resolution with a majority vote.
Counties and cities can make agreements to finish ongoing development projects before the new rule takes effect, but only if both agree.
The bill does not apply to six specific counties: Moore County, Trousdale County, Hamilton County, Knox County, Davidson County, and Shelby County.

Who It Names or Affects

Counties with a population of less than 341,500 according to the 2020 or later federal census.
Municipalities that try to make zoning rules for land outside their city limits.
Regional planning commissions involved in making zoning laws.

Terms To Know

Zoning: Rules set by local governments about how land can be used, such as for homes, businesses, or parks.
Interlocal agreement: An agreement between two or more local government entities to work together on a project or issue.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not apply to counties with a metropolitan form of government.
It is unclear how this law will affect the finances of local governments due to many uncertain factors.

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 already underway in detail.

Bill History

2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate Reset on calendar for 4/20/2026
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 on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed behind the budget
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 Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026
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
2026-03-10 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
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee
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
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
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

HOUSE BILL 1720
By Hicks T

SENATE BILL 1771
By Lowe
SB1771
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.