TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 11, 2021

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery recently issued an opinion on whether county mayors have the authority to issue county-wide mandates, and he says they do not in most circumstances, WCYB reports. The opinion came at the request of State Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who said she wanted guidance on whether health-related county orders such as mask or vaccine mandates could come from county mayors. Slatery said only the leading county health officer has the authority to issue county-wide health mandates and even then, the officer could be limited if the mandate runs counter to state law.