Rutherford County, TN Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Section 1410 A of the Rutherford County Zoning Ordinance puts the complaint intake in one office: the Director of Building Codes. Any person, not just an adjoining owner, may file a written complaint stating fully the cause and basis of the alleged violation, and the Director must record it, investigate immediately, and take action under the ordinance. This covers unpermitted land use, zoning district violations, and breaches of conditions attached to variances or special exceptions granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals. Section 1410 C backs the complaint process with real remedies: the Director of Building Codes, or any adjacent or neighboring property owner who would be especially damaged, can seek an injunction, mandamus, or other court action to stop an unlawful structure, correct or abate the violation, or block occupancy.

The Director may also notify utilities and county service departments of a violation and ask them to withhold or cut off service until the property is brought into compliance, and those utilities must comply with the request. Board members and county employees enforcing the ordinance are shielded from personal liability under TCA Title 29, Chapter 20 while acting in the discharge of their duties (Section 1410 D). The Board and its staff also have a right of entry onto land within their jurisdiction to make examinations, surveys, and post required notices (Section 1410 E).

This process runs through Planning & Engineering and Building Codes rather than a separate code-enforcement office, since Rutherford County's unincorporated area is administered directly by those departments and the Board of Zoning Appeals.