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Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS)

Training for Members of Planning Commissions

Reference Number: MTAS-481
Reviewed Date: 09/27/2023

Training for Members of Planning Commissions, Boards of Zoning Appeals, and Staff
Members of planning commissions and boards of zoning appeals must attend a minimum of four hours of training in planning and zoning subjects within one year of their initial appointment and in each calendar year afterward. For members of regional planning commissions, at least one hour of training must concentrate on the rights of private property owners and the relationship of those rights to the public planning process. Full-time or contract professional planners, building commissioners, and administrators must attend eight hours of planning and zoning training each calendar year. However, a professional planner who is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is exempt from this training requirement. A municipality may, by ordinance, opt out of these training requirements. T.C.A. § 13-3-101, T.C.A. § 13-4-101, T.C.A. § 13-7-205.