Chapter Definitions

  1. Law
  2. Tennessee Code
  3. Consolidated Governments and Local Governmental Functions and Entities
  4. Industrial Development Corporations
  5. General Provisions
  6. Chapter Definitions

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As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

  1. “Applicable ad valorem taxes” means any ad valorem taxes that, but for ownership of a project by a corporation, would have been due and payable pursuant to §§ 67-5-102 and 67-5-103;
  2. “Bonds” means bonds, notes, interim certificates or other obligations of a corporation issued pursuant to this chapter;
  3. “Contracting party” or “other contracting party” means any party to a sale contract or loan agreement except the corporation;
  4. “Corporation” means any corporation organized pursuant to this chapter;
  5. “Eligible headquarters facility” means a facility, located in a county with a population in excess of eight hundred thousand (800,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, that houses an international, national or regional headquarters facility of an entity that agrees, at a minimum, to make payments to the municipality in lieu of any special assessments or other fees or charges that would be levied on the project pursuant to chapter 84 of this title if the project were privately owned;
  6. “Enterprise” means the manufacturing, processing, assembling, commercial, service and agricultural operations to be carried on with or otherwise using the facilities of the project;
  7. “Governing body” means the board or body in which the general legislative powers of the municipality are vested;
  8. “Lease” includes a lease containing an option to purchase the project for a nominal sum upon payment in full, or provision for payment in full, of all bonds issued in connection with the project and all interest on the bonds and all other expenses in connection with the project, and a lease containing an option to purchase the project at any time, as provided in the lease, upon payment of the purchase price, which shall be sufficient to pay all bonds issued in connection with the project and all interest on the bonds and all other expenses incurred in connection with the project, but which payment may be made in the form of one (1) or more notes, debentures, bonds or other secured or unsecured debt obligations of the lessee providing for timely payments, including, without limitation, interest on the obligations sufficient for such purposes and delivered to the corporation or to the trustee under the indenture pursuant to which the bonds were issued;
  9. “Loan agreement” means an agreement providing for a corporation to loan the proceeds derived from the issuance of bonds pursuant to this chapter to one (1) or more contracting parties to be used to pay the cost of one (1) or more projects and providing for the repayment of such loan by the other contracting party or parties, and that may provide for such loans to be secured or evidenced by one (1) or more notes, debentures, bonds or other secured or unsecured debt obligations of the contracting party or parties, delivered to the corporation or to the trustee under the indenture pursuant to which the bonds were issued;
  10. “Mayor,” as used in § 7-53-314, means the chief executive officer of any county having a metropolitan form of government and having a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, with respect to which a corporation has been organized;
  11. “Municipality” means any county or incorporated city or town in this state with respect to which a corporation may be organized and in which it is contemplated the corporation will function;
  12. “Payments in lieu of taxes” means any amount negotiated separately from rent in lieu of applicable ad valorem taxes;
  13. “Pollution” means the placing of any noxious or deleterious substances, including noise, in any air or water of or adjacent to the state of Tennessee affecting the physical, chemical or biological properties of any air or waters of or adjacent to the state of Tennessee in a manner and to an extent that renders or is likely to render such air or waters inimical or harmful to the public health, safety or welfare, or to animal, bird or aquatic life, or to the use of such air or waters for domestic, industrial, agricultural or recreational purposes;
  14. “Pollution control facilities” means any equipment, structure or facility or any land and any building, structure, facility or other improvement on the land, or any combination thereof, and all real and personal property deemed necessary therewith having to do with or the end purpose of which is the control, abatement or prevention of water, air, noise or general environmental pollution, including, but not limited to, any air pollution control facility, noise abatement facility, water management facility, waste water collecting systems, waste water treatment works or solid waste disposal facility;
  15. “Project” means all or any part of, or any interest in:
    1. Any land and building, including office building, any facility or other improvement on the land, and all real and personal properties deemed necessary in connection therewith, whether or not now in existence, that shall be suitable for the following or by any combination of two (2) or more thereof:

      not less than  nor more than

      14,940 15,000

      49,400 49,500

      56,000 56,100

      74,500 74,600

      85,725 85,825

      477,000 500,000

      1. Any industry for the manufacturing, processing or assembling of any agricultural, mining, or manufactured products;
      2. Any commercial enterprise in selling, providing, or handling any financial service or in storing, warehousing, distributing or selling any products of agriculture, mining or industry;
      3. Any undertaking involving the use of ship canals, ports or port facilities, off-street parking facilities, docks or dock facilities, or harbor facilities, or of railroads, monorail or tramway, railway terminals, or railway belt lines and switches;
      4. All or any part of any office building or buildings for the use of such tenant or tenants as may be determined or authorized by the board of directors of the corporation, including, without limitation, any industrial, commercial, financial or service enterprise, any nonprofit domestic corporation or enterprise now or hereafter organized, whose purpose is the promotion, support and encouragement of either agriculture or commerce in this state or whose purpose is the promoting of the health, welfare and safety of the citizens of the state;
      5. Any office or other public building for any city, county or metropolitan government of the state of Tennessee or any board of public utilities, or any public authority, agency, or instrumentality of the state of Tennessee or of the United States;
      6. Any buildings, structures and facilities, including the site of the buildings, structure and facilities, machinery, equipment and furnishings, suitable for use by any city, county or metropolitan government of the state of Tennessee or any for profit corporation operating buildings, structures and facilities, including the site of the buildings, structures and facilities, machinery, equipment and furnishings, under contract with any city, county or metropolitan government of the state of Tennessee as health care or related facilities, including, without limitation, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, research facilities, extended or long-term care facilities, and all buildings, structures and facilities deemed necessary or useful in connection therewith;
      7. Any nonprofit educational institution in any manner related to or in furtherance of the educational purposes of such institution, including, but not limited to, classroom, laboratory, housing, administrative, physical education, and medical research and treatment facilities;
      8. Any planetarium or museum;
      9. Any facilities for any recreation or amusement park, public park or theme park suitable for use by any private corporation or any governmental unit of the state of Tennessee, including the state of Tennessee;
      10. Any multifamily housing facilities to be occupied by persons of low or moderate income, elderly, or handicapped persons as may be determined by the board of directors, which determination shall be conclusive;
      11. (a)  Any undertaking involving the operation or management of the Job Training Partnership Act program pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq. [repealed]. It is the legislative intent to include such project in order to increase employment opportunities pursuant to § 7-53-102;
        1. (xi)  (a)  Any undertaking involving the operation or management of the Job Training Partnership Act program pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq. [repealed]. It is the legislative intent to include such project in order to increase employment opportunities pursuant to § 7-53-102;
        2. Subdivision (15)(A)(xi)(a ) shall not apply in any county having a population, according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census of:
      12. Any land, buildings, structures and facilities, including the site of the building, structure and facilities, machinery, equipment and furnishings that constitute “recovery zone property” as in § 1400U-3(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 1400U-3(c)); and
      13. Facilities or expenditures paid or incurred for “qualified conservation purposes” as defined in § 54D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 54D), in connection with the issuance of “qualified energy conservation bonds”, as defined in § 54D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 54D);
      1. In any municipality in which there has been created a central business improvement district pursuant to chapter 84 of this title, “project” also means any hotel, motel or apartment building located within an area designated by appropriate resolution or ordinance by the municipality as the center-city area; and, in any municipality, “project” also means any hotel, including any conference or convention center facilities related to the hotel, or motel within an area that could provide substantial sources of tax revenues or economic activity to the municipality;
      2. In counties with a metropolitan form of government, “project” also means any hotel, motel or apartment building located on property owned by or leased from an airport authority created pursuant to title 42, chapter 3 or 4, but this subdivision (15)(B)(ii) shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than one hundred twenty thousand (120,000) nor more than one hundred thirty thousand (130,000), according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census;
      3. In the county seat of any county having a population of not less than nineteen thousand six hundred fifty (19,650) or more than nineteen thousand seven hundred fifty (19,750), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, “project” also means the purchase, acquisition, leasing, construction and equipping of hotels, motels, and apartments in any area within the county seat of such county;
      4. In any municipality in which there is a closed or substantially downsized facility, including, but not limited to, a facility formerly operated by the United States department of defense or department of energy, “project” also means the purchase, acquisition, leasing, construction and equipping of hotels, motels, conference centers and apartments, on or adjacent to the site of the closed or substantially downsized federal facility;
      5. In any municipality with a population of at least fifteen thousand (15,000) or more, according to the 2010 federal census or any subsequent federal census, located partly within a county having a metropolitan form of government and partly within an adjacent county, “project” also means the purchase, acquisition, leasing, construction, and equipping of hotels and motels within any such municipality’s corporate boundaries;
    3. Pollution control facilities, coal gasification facilities, and energy production facilities, as defined in § 7-54-101, and any buildings, structures and facilities, including the site of any buildings, structures and facilities, machinery, equipment and furnishings, for the production of electricity, that shall be suitable for use by any person including any public utility whether publicly or privately owned, board of public utilities, public authority, municipality, or agency or instrumentality of the state of Tennessee or the United States, or by any combination of two (2) or more. The board of directors of the corporation shall find, with respect to any office building or any hotel, motel or apartment building financed under this chapter that the acquisition and leasing or sale of such building, or the financing of the building by loan agreement, as the case may be, will develop trade and commerce in and adjacent to the municipality, will contribute to the general welfare and will alleviate conditions of unemployment, and with regard to any apartment building that the construction of an apartment building will increase the quantity of housing available in the municipality, and such finding by the board of directors shall be conclusive;
    4. Land or buildings or other improvements to land or buildings, or any combination thereof, and any breeding stock and machinery or equipment necessary or suitable for use in farming, ranching, the production of agricultural commodities, including the products of agriculture and silviculture, or necessary and suitable for treating, processing, storing or transporting raw agricultural commodities;
    5. A tourism attraction involving an aggregate investment of public and private funds in excess of seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) that is designed to attract tourists to the state, including a cultural or historical site, a museum or visitors center, a recreation or entertainment facility, and all related hotel or hotels, convention center facilities, administrative facilities and offices, mixed use facilities, restaurants and other tourism amenities constructed or acquired as a part of the attraction;
    6. In any municipality in which there has been created a central business improvement district pursuant to chapter 84 of this title, “project” also means any public infrastructure, public improvement, public facilities, or combination thereof, located within an area designated by appropriate resolution or ordinance by the municipality as the center city area, including without limitation, any alleys, auditoriums, bridges, culverts, curbs, drainage systems, including storm water sewers and drains, garages, parks, parking facilities, parkways, playgrounds, plazas, public art, roads, sewers, sidewalks, stadiums, streets, street equipment, tunnels, and viaducts;
    7. Any economic development project as defined in § 7-40-103;
    8. Land or buildings or other improvements to land or buildings, or any combination thereof, and any machinery or equipment necessary or suitable for use in the production of biofuels, biopower, biochemicals, biomaterials, synthetic fuels and/or petroleum products, or necessary and suitable for treating, processing, storing or transporting raw materials used in such production or in storing and transporting the finished product, intermediate products or co-products; and
    9. Any economic development project as defined in the Regional Retail Tourism Development District Act, compiled in chapter 41 of this title;
  16. “Rent” means a charge for use of property, including the lessee's obligation to repay debt issued or assumed by a lessor, or rent implied by the lessee's stated obligation to construct improvements;
  17. “Retail business” means a retail establishment providing general retail sales or services to consumers;
  18. “Revenues” of a project, or derived from a project, include payments under a lease or sale contract and repayments under a loan agreement, or under notes, debentures, bonds and other secured or unsecured debt obligations of a lessee or contracting party delivered as provided in this chapter;
  19. “Sale contract” means a contract providing for the sale of one (1) or more projects to one (1) or more contracting parties and includes a contract providing for payment of the purchase price in one (1) or more installments. If the sale contract permits title to the project to pass to the other contracting party or parties prior to payment in full of the entire purchase price, it shall also provide for the other contracting party or parties to deliver to the corporation or to the trustee under the indenture pursuant to which the bonds were issued one (1) or more notes, debentures, bonds or other secured or unsecured debt obligations of such contracting party or parties providing for timely payments, including, without limitation, interest on the obligations for the balance of the purchase price at or prior to the passage of such title; and
  20. “Waiver” means an agreement that does not require the payment of any payments in lieu of taxes for a period of time.


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