Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104 (2026)
Interlocal agreements
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a)
- (1) Any power or powers, privileges or authority exercised or capable of exercise by a public agency of this state, including those provided in § 6-54-307 or § 68-221-1107(b), may be exercised and enjoyed jointly with any other public agency of this state having the power or powers, privilege or authority, and jointly with any public agency of any other state or the United States to the extent that laws of such other state or of the United States permit such joint exercise or enjoyment. Any agency of the state government when acting jointly with any public agency may exercise and enjoy all of the powers, privileges and authority conferred by this chapter upon a public agency. The authority for joint or cooperative action of political subdivisions shall apply to powers, privileges or authority vested in, funded by, and/or under the control of their governing bodies and relative to which the governing bodies may make other types of contracts. No joint or cooperative agreement shall be entered into affecting or relating to the constitutional or statutory powers, privileges or authority of officers of political subdivisions, or of agencies of political subdivisions with a separate governing board and having powers granted by statute independent of the governing body. Notwithstanding any provision of the law to the contrary, any municipality may enter into an agreement with the sheriff, court of general sessions, and the governing body of any county in which it is located to provide for the enforcement of the municipality's ordinances according to §§ 8-8-201(a)(34) and 16-15-501. The agreement between the municipality and the county governing body shall be limited to provide that the cost of such enforcement will be borne by the municipality where the court costs paid over to the county, as provided by § 16-15-501, are not adequate.
- (2) Agencies of political subdivisions that have governing boards separate from the governing bodies of the political subdivisions may make agreements for joint or cooperative action with other such agencies and with other public agencies. The power to make joint or cooperative agreements includes any power, privilege or authority exercised or that may be exercised by each of the agencies that is a party to the agreement. Agreements between agencies of political subdivisions that have separate governing boards and other such agencies and agreements between such agencies and public agencies shall substantially conform to the requirements of this chapter. The governing bodies of such political subdivisions shall require agreements made by their agencies pursuant to this chapter to be submitted to the governing body for approval before the agreements take effect.
- (b) Any two (2) or more public agencies may enter into agreements with one another for joint or cooperative action pursuant to this chapter. Appropriate action of the governing bodies of the participating public agencies by resolution or otherwise pursuant to law shall be necessary before any such agreement may enter into force.
- (c) Any such agreement shall specify the following:
- (1) Its duration;
- (2) The precise organization, composition and nature of any separate legal or administrative entity or entities created thereby, which may include, but is not limited to, a corporation not-for-profit, together with the powers delegated to such a corporation;
- (3) Its purpose or purposes;
- (4) The manner of financing the joint or cooperative undertaking and of establishing and maintaining a budget for such undertaking;
- (5) The permissible method or methods to be employed in accomplishing the partial or complete termination of the agreement and for disposing of property upon such partial or complete termination; and
- (6) Any other necessary and proper matters.
- (d) In the event that the agreement does not establish a separate legal entity or entities to conduct the joint or cooperative undertaking, the agreement shall, in addition to the requirements of subdivisions (c)(1)-(6), contain the following:
- (1) Provision for an administrator or a joint board responsible for administering the joint or cooperative undertaking. In the case of a joint board, public agencies party to the agreement shall be represented; and
- (2) The manner of acquiring, holding and disposing of real and personal property used in the joint or cooperative undertaking.
- (e)
- (1) No agreement made pursuant to this chapter shall relieve any public agency of any obligation or responsibility imposed upon it by law, except that, to the extent of actual and timely performance thereof by a joint board or other legal or administrative entity or entities created by an agreement made hereunder, those performances may be offered in satisfaction of the obligation or responsibility.
- (2)
- (A) Notwithstanding the Local Government Public Obligations Act of 1986, compiled in title 9, chapter 21, including § 9-21-105 and § 9-21-107 to the contrary, a separate legal or administrative entity, created by interlocal agreement between two (2) or more political subdivisions of the state acting pursuant to this chapter, is not empowered to:
- (i) Assess, levy, or collect ad valorem taxes;
- (ii) Issue general obligation bonds; or
- (iii) Exercise the power of eminent domain.
- (B) However, to the extent that the participating political subdivisions possess such powers, the political subdivisions may exercise such powers on behalf and for the benefit of the separate legal or administrative entity.
- (A) Notwithstanding the Local Government Public Obligations Act of 1986, compiled in title 9, chapter 21, including § 9-21-105 and § 9-21-107 to the contrary, a separate legal or administrative entity, created by interlocal agreement between two (2) or more political subdivisions of the state acting pursuant to this chapter, is not empowered to:
- (f) Financing of joint projects by agreement shall be as provided by law.
Acts 1967, ch. 350, § 4; 1973, ch. 88, § 3; 1973, ch. 355, § 3; T.C.A., § 12-804; Acts 1981, ch. 289, § 3; 1982, ch. 930, § 2; 1984, ch. 890, § 1; 1985, ch. 84, §§ 1-4; 1986, ch. 698, § 1; 1990, ch. 921, § 2; 1991, ch. 91, § 1; 1992, ch. 880, § 2; 1993, ch. 401, § 1; 2004, ch. 849, § 2.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 8
cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1992–2022 · leading case: Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992).
Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “Under T.C.A. § 12-9-104 (1987), as extended by T.”
Lamb v. Tenth Jud. Dist. Drug Task Force, 944 F. Supp. 2d 586 (E.D. Tenn. 2013). “The provisions of Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104 provide local governments broad discretion to construct entities and to determine the composition and legal status of those entities.”
State of Tennessee v. Jose Amates Martinez, 372 S.W.3d 598 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2011). “Defendant relies upon Tennessee Code *610 Annotated section 12-9-104, captioned “Interlocal agreements,” which provides in pertinent part: .”
Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. v. Metro. Knox Solid Waste Auth., Inc., 970 F.2d 199 (6th Cir. 1992). “Tenn.Code Ann. § 12-9-104(a). Since the Act provides no independent substantive protections, the legislature’s failure to include an exculpatory clause does not imply that the legislative branch intended to impose liability on political subdivisions which join together under…”
Burley v. Sumner Cnty. 18th Jud. Drug Task Force (M.D. Tenn. 2022). “Capacity to be Sued Under Tennessee Law The Drug Task Force was formed under the authority of Tennessee’s Interlocal Cooperation Act, which provides that “[a]ny power . . . exercised . . . by a public agency of this state .”
Dennis Michael Harris, et ux v. Mickey Deanne Haynes (Tenn. Ct. App. 2013). “-8- TRMT has been described in a Tennessee Attorney General’s Opinion as follows: The Trust was created through an interlocal agreement of school boards under Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104 . It was formed to create and operate a self-insurance pool for school systems under the…”
Milton Rhea v. W. Tenn. Crime & Drug Task Force (6th Cir. 2020). “]” Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104 (a)(1). The Task Force was formed through a Joint Cooperation Agreement between the DAGs of Tennessee’s 28th, 29th, and 30th Judicial Districts,1 and the agreement explicitly states that it “shall not be interpreted to create a separate legal entity.”
Burley v. Sumner Cnty. 18th Jud. Drug Task Force (M.D. Tenn. 2020). “The statute requires that any such agreement state “[t]he precise organization, composition and nature of any separate legal or administrative entity or entities created . . . .”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(a) — 1 case
Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. v. Metro. Knox Solid Waste Auth., Inc., 970 F.2d 199 (6th Cir. 1992). “Tenn.Code Ann. § 12-9-104(a). Since the Act provides no independent substantive protections, the legislature’s failure to include an exculpatory clause does not imply that the legislative branch intended to impose liability on political subdivisions which join together under…”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(a)(2) — 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Jose Amates Martinez, 372 S.W.3d 598 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2011). “Defendant relies upon Tennessee Code *610 Annotated section 12-9-104, captioned “Interlocal agreements,” which provides in pertinent part: .”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(c)(2) — 1 case
Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “Under T.C.A. § 12-9-104 (1987), as extended by T.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(d) — 2 cases
Lamb v. Tenth Jud. Dist. Drug Task Force, 944 F. Supp. 2d 586 (E.D. Tenn. 2013). “The provisions of Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104 provide local governments broad discretion to construct entities and to determine the composition and legal status of those entities.”
Burley v. Sumner Cnty. 18th Jud. Drug Task Force (M.D. Tenn. 2020). “The statute requires that any such agreement state “[t]he precise organization, composition and nature of any separate legal or administrative entity or entities created . . . .”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(d)(1) — 1 case
Burley v. Sumner Cnty. 18th Jud. Drug Task Force (M.D. Tenn. 2022). “Capacity to be Sued Under Tennessee Law The Drug Task Force was formed under the authority of Tennessee’s Interlocal Cooperation Act, which provides that “[a]ny power . . . exercised . . . by a public agency of this state .”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(d)(2) — 2 cases
Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “Under T.C.A. § 12-9-104 (1987), as extended by T.”
Burley v. Sumner Cnty. 18th Jud. Drug Task Force (M.D. Tenn. 2022). “Capacity to be Sued Under Tennessee Law The Drug Task Force was formed under the authority of Tennessee’s Interlocal Cooperation Act, which provides that “[a]ny power . . . exercised . . . by a public agency of this state .”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(d)(l) — 1 case
Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “Under T.C.A. § 12-9-104 (1987), as extended by T.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 12-9-104(e) — 1 case
Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. v. Metro. Knox Solid Waste Auth., Inc., 970 F.2d 199 (6th Cir. 1992). “Tenn.Code Ann. § 12-9-104(a). Since the Act provides no independent substantive protections, the legislature’s failure to include an exculpatory clause does not imply that the legislative branch intended to impose liability on political subdivisions which join together under…”
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