(a) Any person violating any of this part, any order issued in accordance with this part, or any rule, regulation or standard adopted pursuant to this part, or failing to pay a lawfully levied fee, commits a Class A misdemeanor. Each day of continued violation constitutes a separate punishable offense.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-202-212

  • 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.
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of environment and conservation or the commissioner's designated representative. See Tennessee Code 68-202-202
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Person: means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation (including a government corporation), partnership, association, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a state, any interstate body, any governmental agency of this state and any department, agency or instrumentality of the federal government. See Tennessee Code 68-202-202
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • 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
(b) Any person who violates or fails to comply with any provision of this part, any order issued in accordance with this part, or any rule, regulation or standard adopted pursuant to this part, or who fails to pay a lawfully levied fee is subject to a civil penalty of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) per day for each violation. Each day such violation continues constitutes a separate violation, and such person is also liable for any damages to the state resulting from such violations.
(c)

(1) Any civil penalty or damages shall be assessed in the following manner:

(A) The commissioner may issue an assessment against any person responsible for the violation or damages. Such person shall receive notice of such assessment by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by any other method authorized by law;
(B) Any person against whom an assessment has been issued may request a hearing before the commissioner for a review of the assessment;
(C) If a petition for review of assessment is not filed within thirty (30) days after the date the assessment is served, the violator shall be deemed to have consented to the assessment, and it shall become final;
(D) Whenever an assessment has become final because of a person’s failure to appeal the assessment, the commissioner may apply to the appropriate court for a judgment and seek execution on such judgment. The court, in such proceedings, shall treat the failure to appeal such assessment as a confession of judgment in the amount of the assessment; and
(E) The commissioner may institute proceedings for assessment in the chancery court of Davidson County or in the chancery court of the county in which all or part of the violation or failure to comply occurred.
(2) In assessing a civil penalty, the following factors may be considered:

(A) The harm or potential harm done to the public or the environment;
(B) The economic benefit gained by the violators;
(C) The amount of effort put forth by the violator to attain compliance;
(D) Any unusual or extraordinary enforcement cost incurred by the state; and
(E) The need for an economic deterrent from future violations.
(3) Damages to the state may include any reasonable expenses incurred in investigating and enforcing violations of this part, and in restoring the air, water, land and other property, including animal, plant and aquatic life of the state to their former condition.
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