Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-5-208 (2026)
Emergency rules
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) An agency may, upon stating its reasons in writing for making such findings, proceed without prior notice or hearing to adopt an emergency rule, if the agency finds that:
- (1) An immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare exists, and the nature of this danger is such that the use of any other form of rulemaking authorized by this chapter would not adequately protect the public;
- (2) The rule only delays the effective date of another rule that is not yet effective;
- (3) It is required by the constitution or court order;
- (4) It is required by an agency of the federal government and adoption of the rule through ordinary rulemaking procedures described in this chapter might jeopardize the loss of a federal program or funds; or
- (5) The agency is required by an enactment of the general assembly to implement rules within a prescribed period of time that precludes utilization of rulemaking procedures described elsewhere in this chapter for the promulgation of permanent rules.
- (b) The emergency rule shall become effective immediately, unless otherwise stated in the rule, upon a copy of the rule and a copy of the written statement of the reasons for the rule being filed with the secretary of state. The emergency rule may be effective for a period of not longer than one hundred eighty (180) days. An agency shall not adopt the same or a substantially similar emergency rule within one (1) calendar year from its first adoption, unless the agency clearly establishes that it could not reasonably be foreseen during the initial one hundred eighty-day period that the emergency would continue or would likely recur during the next nine (9) months. The adoption of the same or substantially similar rule through ordinary rulemaking procedures authorized by this chapter shall not be precluded by this section.
- (c) The agency shall take steps to make emergency rules known to persons who will be affected by the rules. The secretary of state shall post the emergency rule filing to the administrative register website within four (4) days of filing. An emergency rule filing shall remain on the administrative register website until the filing expires. The secretary of state shall update relevant rules to reflect the filing and the expiration of emergency rules.
- (d) In any action contesting a rule adopted in reliance upon this section, the burden of persuasion shall be upon the agency to demonstrate that the rule meets the criteria established by this section.
- (e) An agency's finding of an emergency pursuant to this section shall not be based upon the agency's failure to timely process and file rules through the normal rulemaking process.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 782, s 3, eff. 7/1/2014.
Acts 1982, ch. 874, § 17; 1991, ch. 346, § 4; 1993, ch. 316, §§ 4, 5; 2009 , ch. 566, § 11.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2001–2025 · leading case: The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cnty. Hosp. Auth. v. Div. of TennCare (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025).
The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cnty. Hosp. Auth. v. Div. of TennCare (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). “In June 2009, Erlanger sued AmeriChoice in the Chancery Court for Davidson County (“trial court”).”
The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cnty. Hosp. Auth. d/b/a Erlanger Health Sys. v. Div. of TennCare, Dep't of Fin. & Admin. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). “See Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-5-208 . Emergency rules ‘become effective immediately’ but lapse after 180 days.”
Rosen v. Tennessee Comm'r of Fin. & Admin., 204 F. Supp. 2d 1061 (M.D. Tenn. 2001). “§§ 4-5-208 or 4-5-209 (emergency or public necessity), the defendant shall give plaintiffs’ counsel thirty days notice except in circumstances that to do so would jeopardize federal financial participation.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-5-208(b) — 2 cases
The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cnty. Hosp. Auth. v. Div. of TennCare (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). “In June 2009, Erlanger sued AmeriChoice in the Chancery Court for Davidson County (“trial court”).”
The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cnty. Hosp. Auth. d/b/a Erlanger Health Sys. v. Div. of TennCare, Dep't of Fin. & Admin. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). “See Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-5-208 . Emergency rules ‘become effective immediately’ but lapse after 180 days.”
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