Sumner County, TN Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)
Key Facts
- Where to file
- Director of Building & Codes' office
- Office address
- 355 N. Belvedere Drive, Gallatin
- Complaint must include
- Full cause and basis for the violation
- Eligibility window
- Violation must be 30 days old or less
- Enforcing officer
- Mayor-appointed Director of Building & Codes
- Applies in
- Unincorporated Sumner County only
- Governing section
- Zoning Resolution Sec. 1413.B
Summary
Anyone who believes a Sumner County Zoning Resolution violation is occurring can file a written complaint with the Director of Building & Codes. The complaint must state the full cause and basis for the alleged violation and describe an active, ongoing problem; vague or unsupported complaints can be turned away at intake.
Whenever a violation of this Resolution occurs, or is alleged to have occurred, any person may file a complaint. The complaint should state the full cause and basis for the alleged violation, and shall be filed in the Director of Building & Codes' office.
Full Breakdown
A, who holds the inspection and enforcement powers granted by Tenn. Code Ann. Section 13-7-110. ' Complaints are not routed through a general hotline; the Resolution requires that they be filed directly in the Director of Building & Codes' office, which sits in the County Administration Building at 355 North Belvedere Drive in Gallatin. B only obligates the county to accept complaints about a violation that is 'no more than 30-days old'; the Director can reject anything older or anything that fails to identify a real, ongoing violation.
C to investigate. This complaint process reaches only unincorporated Sumner County land; a violation inside Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, or White House has to be reported to that city's own code enforcement office instead, since municipal zoning there is separate from the county Resolution.
Violations & Fines
A complaint that the Director of Building & Codes substantiates becomes a misdemeanor case under Section 1413.D: conviction carries a fine of up to $50 per offense, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense with its own fine. The Director, or a neighboring property owner who is specially damaged, can also pursue civil remedies under Section 1413.E, including injunction, mandamus, or abatement, to stop or remove the violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I contact to report a zoning violation in Sumner County?
What has to be in my complaint?
Can I report a violation happening inside Gallatin or Hendersonville this way?
Can county inspectors enter my property after I file a complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sumner County
Compare Sumner County to another location·View the Tennessee code violation reporting overview
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