Starting January 1, 2027, Tennessee cities, counties, and planning commissions will be operating under a new set of mandatory deadlines for development application review, site inspections, and project surety releases — and the stakes for missing them are high.

Public Chapter No. 1044 sets firm 30- and 60-business-day deadlines for staff review of development applications, caps the number of deficiency notices a local government can issue at two, and establishes a new 120-business-day timeline for surety release once an independent engineer certifies that contracted work is complete. Miss a deadline, and the law triggers automatic approval of the application as submitted — regardless of whether it actually meets local standards.

Download the Policy Guide

To help your community prepare, the Center for Local Planning (CLP), County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), and Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) are jointly hosting a free webinar breaking down what the law requires and what to do now.