Kingsport, TN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing official
- Building official, designated public officer (Sec. 22-582)
- Hearing notice
- Not less than ten days or more than 30 days after service
- Repair versus demolition line
- 50 percent of the structure's value, land excluded
- Who can petition
- A public authority or at least five residents
- Court challenge
- Chancery court bill within 60 days of posting and service
- Cost recovery
- Lien filed with register of deeds, collected like property taxes
Summary
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, the building official decides when a dwelling is unfit for human occupation under Sec. 22-584. Defects that raise fire or accident hazards, inadequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities, dilapidation, disrepair, structural defects and uncleanliness all count. The standard reaches every dwelling in the city, rented or owner-occupied, and enforcement runs from a repair order to a closure placard or demolition.
In addition to other standards set forth in this division, the building official may determine that a structure is unfit for human occupation or use, if he finds that conditions exist in such structure that are dangerous or injurious to the health or safety of the occupants of such structure, the occupants of neighboring structures or other residents of the city. Such conditions without limiting the generality of the foregoing, may include the following: (1)Defects increasing the hazards of fire, accident or other calamities;(2)Lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities;(3)Dilapidation;(4)Disrepair;(5)Structural defects; and(6)Uncleanliness.
Full Breakdown
The City of Kingsport (Sullivan County, Tennessee) regulates unfit housing through Division 2 of Article IX in Chapter 22, adopted under T.C.A. § 13-21-101 et seq. Sec. 22-582 designates the building official as the public officer. Under Sec. 22-583 that officer can investigate conditions, administer oaths, examine witnesses and enter premises, in a manner that causes the least possible inconvenience to the people in possession.
The test is Sec. 22-584. The building official can find a structure unfit when conditions are dangerous or injurious to the health or safety of its occupants, the occupants of neighboring structures or other residents of the city. The listed conditions are defects increasing fire or accident hazards, lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities, dilapidation, disrepair, structural defects and uncleanliness. The list is not exclusive. Sec. 22-551 adds infestation, lack of essential heating or plumbing equipment, inadequate light and air, and overcrowding to the conditions the City treats as a menace to health, safety and welfare.
A case starts when a public authority or at least five residents petition the building official, or when the official acts on his own motion. After a preliminary investigation, the owner and parties in interest are served with a complaint and a hearing notice set not less than ten days or more than 30 days after service. Under Sec. 22-586, if repairs cost 50 percent of the structure's value or less, the order requires repair or, failing that, vacating and closing the dwelling. Above 50 percent, the order requires removal or demolition. Land value does not count in that comparison, and any repair must conform to the zoning and building codes.
If the owner ignores the order, the building official can have the work done, and a closed building can be posted with a placard stating that its use or occupation for human occupation is prohibited and unlawful. City costs become a lien once notice is filed with the county register of deeds, collected like property taxes under Sec. 22-589.
Violations & Fines
Division 2 prints no fine for an unfit dwelling. The consequences are orders: repair, alteration or improvement within the time in the order, vacating and closing the dwelling, or removal and demolition when repair is uneconomic. City costs are collected by the city tax collector in the same manner as property taxes and stand as a lien on the parcel. Sec. 22-555 adds an administration fee, set by resolution of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, when the City must abate a nuisance after an ignored order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a dwelling in Kingsport is unfit?
What happens after the building official opens a case?
When does an unfit dwelling have to be demolished instead of repaired?
Can an owner challenge a building official order in court?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kingsport
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