Customer Information
Board Overview
If you have an unresolved issue or complaint regarding your Local Government Water, Sewer, or Gas Utility, the Comptroller's office may be able to assist.
The Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation provides managerial, technical, and financial oversight of Local-government utility systems that offer Water, Sewer, or Gas. The TBOUR has also been granted authority to assess and provide a pronouncement on certain customer complaints.
Please contact your utility provider regarding service outages or emergencies.
Other Utility Regulatory Bodies:
There are other regulatory bodies in the State of Tennessee that oversee areas which do not fall under the TBOUR's jurisdiction, if your issue is regarding one of the following, please contact the corresponding agency.
If you have an inquiry regarding the operation of an electric system please reach out to the Tennessee Valley Authority
If you have questions regarding your water quality, distribution, or potential sanitary issues, please contact the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
For any questions or complaints regarding the operations of Internet or Broadband companies please contact the Federal Communications Commission.
If your utility is a privately owned system you will need to reach out to the Tennessee Public Utility Commission or the Attorney General's Consumer Advocate Division for further information.
Illegal Activities
If you believe there to be fraud, waste, or abuse occurring within your local government utility please reach out to the Comptroller's Division of Investigations. For all other issues that concern a TBOUR regulated utility, please refer to the complaint procedure and contact information provided below.
Questions or Concerns:
If you have a question related to the operations of a utility system under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation, please email Utilities@cot.tn.gov or call 615.747.5260 and a Board Staff Member will assist you. You may also file a Utilities Inquiry with our online system at the link below.
Complaint Procedure:
Initial Hearing: Before the TBOUR can provide a ruling on a customer complaint, you must first appear before your utility's governing body at a regularly scheduled board meeting and receive a formal decision on your case.
Filing: Once you have received a formal decision from your local utility board and you are still dissatisfied with the resolution provided, please reach out to Board staff at Utilities@cot.tn.gov who will provide you with information on submitting your complaint.
Please Note: You must file your complaint with our Office within 30 days of receiving a formal decision by your utilities governing body.
Hearing and Determination
Once Board Staff and Attorney have reviewed the submitted inquiry and have verified that it falls within board jurisdiction, they will bring the matter before the TBOUR. Once the complaint has been brought before the Board at a regularly scheduled meeting, related parties will be provided the opportunity to address the Board regarding the matter. The Board will then provide its final ruling on the case.
Disclaimer:
Please be advised, pursuant to the Board's standard procedure, the content of any complaint filed may be forwarded in its entirety to the named Respondent. Submitted complaints are a matter of public record and subject to the Public Records Act under T.C.A. 10-7-501 et seq. and as such are open to inspection by any state citizen. Additionally, this office cannot provide legal advice or represent private individuals who seek refunds or reimbursements. The Board does not have jurisdiction to recover monetary compensation for any individual. If you feel that you need legal assistance, you should consider contacting private legal counsel.