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

Section 22.05 of the Zoning Ordinance, current as of the county's June 2025 codification and unchanged since it took effect January 1, 2013, sets out how a violation gets reported and handled on unincorporated county land. Subsection (A) assigns responsibility for enforcement to the Codes Compliance Director or Building Codes Director, whichever office fits the type of violation, acting under authority granted by the Tennessee Code Annotated.

Subsection (B), Complaints Regarding Violations, is the reporting mechanism itself: whenever a violation occurs, or is alleged to have occurred, any person may file a complaint, and the complaint must be filed at the Community Development Department office and must state fully the cause and basis of the alleged violation. Once filed, the Ordinance requires the complaint to be properly recorded, investigated, and to have appropriate action taken.

Subsections (C) and (D) describe what happens after a complaint is filed. Under (C), the Codes Compliance Director or Building Codes Director may enter land or inspect a structure to check compliance, but only on presenting proper credentials. Under (D), that same official may then institute enforcement proceedings as authorized by the Ordinance or applicable state law, which can lead to the misdemeanor fine and civil remedies set out in Section 22.07. Because Tennessee counties zone only outside city limits, a complaint about property inside Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Fairview or Nolensville goes to that municipality's own code enforcement office, not the county's Community Development Department.