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HB 1310

Food and Food Products - As enacted, deletes present laws pertaining to rented premises unfit for habitation and quick fast food establishment delivery vehicles; removes the statutorily set permit fees to operate food service establishments and requires such permit fees to be set by rule; makes other revisions to present laws pertaining to food service and safety. - Amends TCA Section 53-8-103; Title 68, Chapter 110; Title 68, Chapter 111; Title 68, Chapter 14 and Title 68, Chapter 15.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by William Lamberth

Tennessee law shifts food service permit fee authority from legislature to regulatory agencies, enabling flexible adjustment but reducing direct democratic oversight of operational costs for restaurants and food vendors.

Comp. became Pub. Ch. 400
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 1310

Legislative bill overview

HB 1310 removes statutorily fixed permit fees for food service establishments in Tennessee and delegates fee-setting authority to regulatory agencies through rule-making processes. The bill also repeals outdated provisions related to rental housing habitability and food delivery vehicle regulations, while making technical revisions to existing food service and safety laws across multiple Tennessee Code Annotated chapters.

Why is this important

Permit fee amounts directly affect the cost of doing business for restaurants and food vendors, making this shift from legislatively-set to administratively-set fees significant for regulatory flexibility and business planning. The change allows regulatory agencies to adjust fees more readily without legislative action, but removes the transparency and democratic oversight of direct legislative approval. This impacts both small food businesses operating in Tennessee and state revenue collection for food safety oversight.

Potential points of contention

  • Regulatory discretion vs. transparency: Moving fee-setting from statute to administrative rules reduces legislative oversight and public input requirements, potentially allowing fees to increase without direct voter-representative approval
  • Business predictability: Statute-based fees provide long-term cost certainty; rule-based fees may be adjusted more frequently, creating budgeting uncertainty for food service operators
  • Unequal impact: Small food vendors and local restaurants may be disproportionately affected by fee increases compared to larger establishments with greater administrative flexibility

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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