Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-36-101 (2026)

As used in this chapter:

• (1) "Action" means any civil action or binding dispute resolution proceeding for damages or indemnity asserting a claim for damage to or loss of commercial property caused by an alleged construction defect, but does not include any civil action or arbitration proceeding asserting a claim for alleged personal injuries arising out of an alleged construction defect;

• (2) "Claimant" means an owner, including a subsequent purchaser, tenant, or association, who asserts a claim against a prime contractor, remote contractor, or design professional concerning a construction defect;

• (3) "Commercial property" means all property that is not residential property;

• (4) "Construction defect" means a deficiency in, or a deficiency arising out of, the design, specifications, surveying, planning, supervision, observation of construction, or construction or remodeling of an improvement resulting from:
  • (A) Defective material, products, or components used in the construction or remodeling;
  • (B) A violation of the applicable codes in effect at the time of construction or remodeling;
  • (C) A failure of the design of an improvement to meet the applicable professional standards of care at the time of governmental approval, construction, or remodeling; or
  • (D) A failure to construct or remodel an improvement in accordance with accepted trade standards for good and workmanlike construction at the time of construction or remodeling;

• (5) "Design professional" means a person licensed in this state as an architect, interior designer, landscape architect, engineer, or surveyor, regardless of whether the person is a prime contractor or remote contractor;

• (6) "Improvement" has the same meaning as defined in § 66-11-101;

• (7) "Notice of claim" means a written notice sent by a claimant to the last known address of a prime contractor, remote contractor, or design professional against whom the claimant asserts a construction defect that describes the claim in reasonable detail sufficient to determine the general nature of the defect, including a general description of the type and location of the construction that the claimant alleges to be defective and any damages claimed to have been caused by the defect;

• (8) "Prime contractor" has the same meaning as defined in § 66-11-101;

• (9) "Remote contractor" has the same meaning as defined in § 66-11-101;

• (10) "Residential property" means property upon which a dwelling or improvement is constructed or to be constructed consisting of one (1) dwelling unit intended as a residence of a person or family; and

• (11) "Service" means personal service or delivery by certified mail to the last known address of the addressee, or as otherwise allowed by contract.

Amended by 2020 Tenn. Acts, ch. 749, s 35, eff. 7/1/2020.

Acts 2004, ch. 741, § 2.