Franklin, TN Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)
Key Facts
- Added by
- Ord. No. 2025-35 (10-14-2025)
- Removal window
- 30 days after BNS notice
- Hardship aid threshold
- at/below 50% area median income
- Minor liability
- parent/guardian jointly liable for damages
Summary
Franklin bans placing graffiti on any public or private property citywide and requires owners to remove graffiti visible from public rights-of-way once Building and Neighborhood Services gives notice.
It shall be unlawful for any person to paint, inscribe, mark, or otherwise apply graffiti on any public or private property located within the corporate limits of the City.2.It shall be unlawful for the owner of any property to permit graffiti to remain in a manner visible to persons using rights-of-way accessible to the general public, provided the Building and Neighborhood Services Department Director or their designee has given the property owner proper notice to remove the graffiti within a specified period as prescribed in Sections 107.2 and 107.3 of the International Property Maintenance Code, 2024 Edition, and said period has elapsed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-302(3) adds Section 302.10 to Franklin's adopted Property Maintenance Code. It is unlawful to paint, inscribe, or mark graffiti anywhere in the city, and owners must remove graffiti visible from public rights-of-way after BNS gives notice under IPMC §§ 107.2-107.3 and the removal period lapses. The City Administrator is authorized to fund hardship removal for owners at or below 50% of the area median income. Applying graffiti is deemed willful misconduct, exposing the violator, or a minor's parent/guardian, to civil damages; the City Attorney is authorized to offer community service in lieu of a civil action.
Violations & Fines
Failing to remove graffiti after notice is a fine under Appendix A, with each day a separate offense; applying graffiti exposes the violator, or a minor's parent/guardian, to civil damages for willful misconduct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is spray-painting graffiti illegal in Franklin, Tennessee?
Who has to remove graffiti from private property in Franklin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin
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