Tennessee Code Title 13. Public Planning and Housing § 13-7-207

(1) Hear and decide appeals where it is alleged by the appellant that there is error in any order, requirement, permit, decision, or refusal made by the municipal building commissioner or any other administrative official in the carrying out or enforcement of any provision of any ordinance enacted pursuant to this part and part 3 of this chapter;

(2) Deleted by 2025 Pub.Acts, c. 465, § 17, eff. July 1, 2025.

(3) Where, by reason of exceptional narrowness, shallowness or shape of a specific piece of property at the time of the enactment of the zoning regulation, or by reason of exceptional topographic conditions or other extraordinary and exceptional situation or condition of such piece of property, the strict application of any regulation enacted under this part and part 3 of this chapter would result in peculiar and exceptional practical difficulties to or exception or undue hardship upon the owner of such property, authorize, upon an appeal relating to the property, a variance from such strict application so as to relieve such difficulties or hardship; provided, that such relief may be granted without substantial detriment to the public good and without substantially impairing the intent and purpose of the zone plan and zoning ordinance.

(b)(1) A local government may, by ordinance, delegate initial jurisdiction over specified special exceptions, for interpretation of the map, or for decisions upon other special questions upon which the board of appeals is authorized by such ordinance to pass, to the local building commissioner or other administrative official.

(2) For matters delegated pursuant to subdivision (b)(1):

(3) The ordinance must include specific and objective standards by which special exceptions are evaluated.

(4) A request for a special exception must not be denied on the basis of health, safety, or general welfare, unless those bases are defined in the ordinance.

(5) For any request for a special exception, or request for interpretation of the map, the local building commissioner or other administrative official to whom jurisdiction has been delegated must render a decision within one hundred twenty (120) days of submission of a complete application, and the board must render a decision within one hundred twenty (120) days of the filing of an appeal.  An applicant may consent to an extension or waive these deadlines.  An application is deemed to be approved if the local building commissioner, other administrative official, or board fails to approve, deny, or extend with consent the application within the required time period.