Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB1259: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7; Title 63; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to water.
Status: Chaptered, May 27, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 639, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to authorize municipal water and sewer systems to undertake certain projects on private property. Present law generally prohibits municipal water and sewer systems from bidding on or constructing any project for a private purpose. Present law specifies that "project for a private purpose” does not include the renewal or replacement of individual water or sewage lines behind a meter or onto private property when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by the municipal corporation because excessive infiltration and inflow from groundwater or rainwater is resulting in sanitary sewer overflows or other serious health or system capacity issues. Municipal corporations are authorized, but not required, to maintain or construct individual lines for this purpose if the property owner consents and agrees to hold the municipal corporation harmless for the work. This amendment replaces the present law exception to project for a private purpose. This amendment specifies that "project for a private purpose" does not include the renewal or replacement or assessment of: (1) Private water lines behind a utility-owned meter when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by a municipality, utility district, metropolitan government, or other public entity to address lead service lines or galvanized requiring replacement lines located on private property, but only for the portion of the service line extending from the utility-owned meter to the exterior building envelope of the structure served for the purpose of addressing serious health issues; or (2) Sewage lines on private property when such rehabilitative main
What the bill says
From the amended text:
House Agriculture & Natural Resources 1 Amendment No. 1 to HB1259 Todd Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 639* House Bill No. 1259 by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(b), is amended by adding the following as a new subdivision: ( ) "Galvanized requiring replacement" means a galvanized service line that is or was at any time downstream of a lead service line, or is currently or was previously connected to a lead service line, and is required to be replaced pursuant to applicable federal drinking water regulations, including the federal Lead and Copper Rule, 40 C.F.R. Part 141, Subpart I, as amended. SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-35-401(c)(1)(B)(iii), is amended by deleting the subdivision in its entirety and substituting instead the following: (iii) "Project for a private purpose" does not include the renewal or replacement or assessment of: (a) Private water lines behind a utility-owned meter when such rehabilitative maintenance or construction is deemed necessary by a municipality, utility district, metropolitan government, or other public entity to address lead service lines or galvanized requiring replacement lines located on private property, but only for the portion of the service line extending from the utility-owned meter to the exterior building envelope of the structure served for …