Department Policies

The Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) has primary responsibility for many of the environmental statutes and regulations of the state of Tennessee. TDEC utilizes policies both to explain the requirements of these laws and to foster consistency within the agency.

Tennessee Code Annotated section 4-5-102(10) defines policy as:

• Any statement, document, or guideline prepared or issued by any agency pursuant to its delegated authority that merely defines or explains the meaning of a statute or a rule. “Policy” also means any statement, document, or guideline concerning only internal management of State government that does not affect private rights, privileges, or procedures available to the public. “Internal management” means the administration of an agency’s internal operations for the purposes of facilitating operational effectiveness and efficiency.

In accordance with the statutory definition of policy, TDEC utilizes both external and internal policy documents. Final versions of external and significant internal policies as well as draft policy documents that are posted for public comment are posted below. If a policy document is not on this webpage, it may not be a final policy of the Department.

External Policies

TDEC defines “external policy” as a non-binding agency statement that explains the Department’s interpretation of statutory or regulatory requirements to facilitate external parties’ compliance with a statute or rule. External policies include, but are not limited to, compliance guides, regulatory interpretive memoranda, and conservation fee policies.

Significant Internal Policies

TDEC defines “significant internal policy” to include internal policies that define the distribution of authority among divisions, explain the Department’s legal authority or obligations under existing statutes or regulations, may affect external customers (e.g., enforcement policies), or otherwise represent a significant policy statement as determined by the issuing division or bureau.

Draft Policies

The following documents are draft and provided for information and comment only. The information contained therein is subject to change upon further review and does not commit the Department to any action or position. Draft policies remain posted on this page until a final determination is made by the Department.

TDEC Bureau and Division Name Acronyms