Shelby County, TN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Code chapter
- Ch. 44, Art. II, Div. 3
- Nuisance defined
- Sec. 44-87
- Court
- Environmental Court
- Max fine
- $50 per offense/day
Summary
In unincorporated Shelby County, the litter-control division of the Code (Chapter 44) prohibits maintaining a nuisance and defines urban blight from deteriorated property. Blighted and nuisance properties are prosecuted in the Shelby County Environmental Court, the court of original jurisdiction for all county ordinance violations.
Nuisance means structures or buildings in such a state of deterioration or abandonment that it is a blighting influence on neighboring properties. The fact that buildings on neighboring properties are abandoned or deteriorated is not a defense.
Full Breakdown
Shelby County Code section 44-88 makes it unlawful to maintain a nuisance on property, and section 44-87 defines 'nuisance' as structures or buildings so deteriorated or abandoned that they are a blighting influence on neighboring properties. 'Urban blight' is separately defined from weeds, grass, and undergrowth that leave a property in disrepair. Violations are misdemeanors under section 44-92, with a fine up to $50 per offense, each day separate. Cases are heard in the Shelby County Environmental Court (201 Poplar Ave.), which since 2010 also enforces Tennessee's Neighborhood Preservation Act (T.C.A. 13-6-101) against substandard vacant buildings that are public nuisances, appointing a receiver to abate conditions when an owner will not. These county rules apply outside incorporated municipalities.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining a nuisance, letting a building deteriorate into a blighting influence, or allowing property to fall into disrepair. Fine up to $50 per offense under section 44-92; Environmental Court may order abatement or appoint a receiver for vacant nuisance buildings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are blight cases heard?
What counts as a nuisance building?
Do these rules apply in Memphis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shelby County
Compare Shelby County to another location·View the Tennessee property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.