Tennessee Code 13-21-105 – Service of complaints or orders
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 13-21-105
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Municipality: means any city or town. See Tennessee Code 13-21-101
- Public officer: means any officer or officers of a municipality or the executive director or other chief executive officer of any commission or authority established by such municipality or jointly with any other municipality who is authorized by ordinance adopted hereunder to exercise the power prescribed by such ordinances and by this part. See Tennessee Code 13-21-101
- 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
- Structure: means any dwelling or place of public accommodation or vacant building or structure suitable as a dwelling or place of public accommodation. See Tennessee Code 13-21-101
Complaints or orders issued by a public officer pursuant to an ordinance adopted under this part shall be served upon persons either personally or by registered mail, but if the whereabouts of such persons are unknown and the same cannot be ascertained by the public officer in the exercise of reasonable diligence, and the public officer shall make an affidavit to that effect, then the serving of such complaint or order upon such persons may be made by publishing the same once each week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper printed and published in the municipality, or in the absence of such newspaper, in one printed and published in the county and circulating in the municipality in which the structures are located. A copy of such complaint or order shall be posted in a conspicuous place on premises affected by the complaint or order. A copy of such complaint or order shall also be filed for record in the register’s office of the county in which the structure is located, and such filing of the complaint or order shall have the same force and effect as other lis pendens notices provided by law.