Part 1 General Provisions 7-21-101 – 7-21-107
Part 2 Unified Government 7-21-201 – 7-21-206
Part 3 Utility Services 7-21-301 – 7-21-303
Part 4 Powers and Duties 7-21-401 – 7-21-408

Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 7 > Metropolitan Government > Chapter 21 - Charter Government Unification Act

  • Aesthetic plan: means a publicly available written resolution, regulation, policy, site plan, or approved plat that:
    (A) Establishes generally applicable aesthetic requirements within the authority or designated area within the authority. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Applicant: means any person who submits an application pursuant to this part. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Application: means a request submitted by an applicant to an authority:
    (A) For a permit to deploy or colocate small wireless facilities in the ROW. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Authority: means :
    (i) Within a municipal boundary, the municipality, regardless of whether such municipality is a metropolitan government. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Bylaws: means the code or codes of rules, other than the charter, adopted pursuant to chapters 51-68 of this title for the regulation or management of the affairs of the corporation irrespective of the name or names by which such rules are designated. See Tennessee Code 48-101-902
  • Charter: means a document containing a unified government structure, pursuant to this chapter, that constitutes the fundamental law of the unified government. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Charter: includes amended and restated charters and articles of merger. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Charter commission: means a commission established to propose the charter to the voters for adoption as provided in this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Chief executive officer of the county: means the officer vested by either the county charter or general law with the executive powers of the county government. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • City legislative body: means the city council, board of mayor and aldermen or other body possessing the legislative power and authority of the government of a municipality. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Communications facility: means the set of equipment and network components, including wires and cables and associated facilities, used by a communications service provider to provide communications service. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Communications service: means cable service as defined in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Communications service provider: means a cable operator as defined in 47 U. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Corporation: means a public benefit or mutual benefit corporation which is not a foreign corporation, incorporated under or subject to chapters 51-68 of this title, and is recognized as exempt under §. See Tennessee Code 48-101-902
  • County: means any county whose voters have adopted a county charter government. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • County legislative body: means that body vested by either the county charter or general law with the legislative powers of the county government. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Economic development agreement: includes , but is not limited to, leases or other agreements with private entities under the industrial development program provided in title 7, chapter 53, and redevelopment plans and agreements containing tax increment financing provisions authorized under title 13, chapter 20, including development authorities created by private act, as authorized pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 4-17-102
  • Entity: includes the following, whether foreign or domestic: LLCs. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fee: means a one-time, nonrecurring charge. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Historic district: means a property or area zoned as a historic district or zone pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
  • Individual: includes the estate of an incompetent or deceased individual. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Local authority: means an authority that is either a municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is a metropolitan government, or a county, and does not include an authority that is the state. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Mayor: means such officer vested by either the city charter or general law with the executive powers of a municipality. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Member: means a person reflected in the required records of an LLC as the owner of some governance rights of a membership interest of the LLC. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Membership: means the rights and obligations a member has pursuant to a corporation's charter, bylaws and chapters 51-68 of this title. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
  • Metropolitan government: means the political entity created by consolidation of all, or substantially all, of the political and corporate functions of a county and a city or cities. See Tennessee Code 7-1-101
  • Micro wireless facility: means a small wireless facility that:
    (A) Does not exceed twenty-four inches (24") in length, fifteen inches (15") in width, and twelve inches (12") in height. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Municipality: means an incorporated city or town located within the boundaries of a county whose voters have adopted a county charter government. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • new PSS: means a PSS that does not exist at the time the application is submitted, including, but not limited to, a PSS that will replace an existing pole. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Owners: means members in the case of an LLC, shareholders in the case of a corporation, partners in the case of general or limited partnerships and the equivalent with respect to other entities. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Participating governmental unit: means a county whose voters have adopted a county charter government or a municipality located within that county's boundaries that has elected to participate in the preparation of a charter pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including an authority. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Principal city: means that municipality having the largest population of any municipality in a particular county. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • PSS: means a pole or other structure used for wireline communications, electric distribution, lighting, traffic control, signage, or a similar function, including poles installed solely for the colocation of a small wireless facility. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Rate: means a recurring charge. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Residential dwelling: as used in this part , does not apply to factory-manufactured mobile homes constructed as a single self-contained unit and mounted on a single chassis, and as further defined in §. See Tennessee Code 13-24-201
  • Residential neighborhood: means an area within a local authority's geographic boundary that is zoned or otherwise designated by the local authority for general purposes as an area primarily used for single-family residences and does not include multiple commercial properties and is subject to speed limits and traffic controls consistent with residential areas. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Road: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • ROW: means the space, in, upon, above, along, across, and over all public streets, highways, avenues, roads, alleys, sidewalks, tunnels, viaducts, bridges, skywalks under the control of the authority, and any unrestricted public utility easement established, dedicated, platted, improved, or devoted for utility purposes and accepted as such public utility easement by the authority, but excluding lands other than streets that are owned by the authority. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the bylaws or the board of directors has delegated responsibility under §. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Secretary of state: means the person who holds the office of secretary of state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Small wireless facility: includes a micro wireless facility. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Smaller city: means any municipality within a county other than the principal city. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • unified: means consolidation or consolidated pursuant to this chapter and that power granted by the Constitution of Tennessee, Article XI, §. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Unified government: means the governmental entity created by the unification of the governmental and corporate functions of a charter county government with the governmental and corporate functions of one (1) or more municipalities within that county's boundaries. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • Unified municipality: means a former municipality that has merged into a unified government pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-21-104
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
  • Wireless facility: includes small wireless facilities. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Wireless provider: means a person who provides wireless service. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Wireless services: means any service using licensed or unlicensed spectrum, including the use of WiFi, whether at a fixed location or mobile, provided to the public. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • Wireline backhaul facility: means a communications facility used to transport communications services by wire from a wireless facility to a network. See Tennessee Code 13-24-402
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105