APD is a division of the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, which is within the Legislative Branch of Tennessee state government. APD employs a central panel of judges who are independent of the Executive Branch and the agencies whose cases are heard before them.  This independence ensures that an extra layer of due process protection is afforded to all parties involved in each case.

APD is partially funded through the Secretary of State’s budget as allocated by the Tennessee General Assembly. In addition, APD charges government agencies $200 to open a case and $100 per hour, after the first two hours, for a judge’s time spent on an individual case. Each government agency and type of case may have specific rules that determine if and how that government agency may recoup some of the costs of a case from the other party.

Use this form to let the Safe at Home Program know about any changes in your contact information, your household composition, and more. If you have any questions about this form, please contact the Safe at Home program directly for assistance. Remember that any changes to your contact information or your application information should be reported to the Safe at Home Program within 30 days from the date the change occurred.

If you are a party in the case, please email apd.filings@tnsos.gov with your request. If you are not a party in the case, then you can submit a public records request.

APD considers cases from most state agencies, various city and county governmental agencies, and state universities resulting in over 430 different types of cases.  On average, approximately 6,000 cases are referred to APD each year.  The majority of these cases involve property tax appeals, TennCare appeals, and appeals from the seizure of an individual’s assets.

Contact information for APD is provided here

Cases are opened with the Administrative Procedures Division (APD) by the state or local government agency for whom APD is hearing the case.  An individual or business who wants to appeal a government agency’s ruling will file an appeal with that agency.  The agency then refers that appeal to APD.  Individuals do not open cases directly with APD.

• For example, if a property owner wants to appeal their county property tax, the owner will file an appeal with the respective county’s board of equalization.  If the property owner wants to appeal further, beyond the county, then the property owner will file an appeal with the State Board of Equalization.  It is the State Board of Equalization that then refers the appeal and opens a case with APD.
• For another example, if someone is denied coverage of a medical service by TennCare and wants to appeal that denial, that individual will appeal to TennCare.  TennCare will then refer the appeal and open a case with APD.
• There are two exceptions to this process:  1) an individual property owner and a municipality disagree as to whether the property has been annexed by the municipality (TCA 8-3-102).  For these cases, the property owner or the municipality may file a complaint against the opposing party with the secretary of state.  2) a public official challenges a fraudulent lien against his or her property (TCA 47-9-513).  For these cases, the office where the lien is being filed forwards the challenge to APD.  

Generally, APD gets its authority from the Tennessee General Assembly through the laws they adopt, specifically the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (UAPA) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-5-101, et seq.)  In addition, many Tennessee statutes require state agencies to comply with the UAPA in conducting certain types of cases.  For example, the TEAM Act requires that certain state employee disciplinary cases be conducted in accordance with the UAPA (Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-30-318) and the Department of Safety and Homeland Security must conduct procedures about property that might be forfeited to the State under the provisions of the UAPA (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-33-210).  APD also contracts with local governments to conduct employee disciplinary proceedings and with colleges and universities to hold hearings required by Title IX. 

If you want to appeal the decision made in your case, then you should follow the instructions given here and as attached to your order.

If you are concerned about the ethics, demeanor, or conduct of APD employees, including APD support staff or ALJs, then please send your complaint in writing to the Director of APD.

For some questions you may have regarding your case, you may be instructed that your question is better directed to the government agency that is the opposing party in your case rather than to APD. You should direct those questions to the opposing attorney who represents the government agency or contact the government agency using the contact information contained in your Notice of Hearing or Notice of Hearing and Charges.

One example may be a question regarding how you are to pay the cost for your case. APD charges each government agency based upon the hours spent on each case. Each government agency has different rules and policies on if they can then in turn charge the petitioner. If you have been billed for your case, you would have been billed by the government agency involved in your case, not by APD. Questions regarding those charges should, therefore, be addressed to the government agency involved in your case.  

Q: Can non-U.S. citizens vote in Tennessee elections?

A: No. It is a felony for a non-US citizen to vote in a local, state, or federal race in Tennessee.

Q: What is the state’s process for reviewing voter rolls to ensure accuracy?

A: Under legislation passed in 2011, the Division of Elections verifies citizenship through a cross reference of our entire voter rolls with the information provided by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to identify non-U.S. Citizens.

Q: What should Tennesseans do if they would like to report specific instances of suspected voter fraud?

A: If you would like to report specific instances of suspected voter fraud, contact our Official Election Hotline at 1.877.850.4959.

This form should be used only by victims services professionals and other advocates who wish to be trained and certified as an Application Assistant. Please contact the Safe at Home Program directly for more information regarding upcoming training sessions or to schedule a training in your area.

This form should be submitted only by program participants who no longer wish to participate in the Safe at Home Program. Remember that your withdrawal request must be properly signed and notarized in order to be processed.

This form is intended for use only by authorized administrative agency officials at either the state or local level. If you have questions regarding this form, please contact the Safe at Home Program directly.

This form is intended for use only by authorized law enforcement officials to request disclosure of information pertaining to a program participant. If you have questions regarding this form, please contact the Safe at Home Program directly.

Use this form to request that the Safe at Home Program facilitate the transfer of records from one public school to another. Safe at Home is also happy to facilitate the transfer of records to or from a private school to another school, public or private.

Use this form to request that the Secretary of State verify your eligibility, and the eligibility of your children, for enrollment in public benefits programs or public schools. Participants should fill in their information and take this form to the public benefits agency or public school to be completed by a case manager or registrar. The form should then be submitted directly to the Safe at Home Program for verification and certification. Participants must ensure that their residential address is up to date and that the Safe at Home Program has fully verified their residential address prior to submitting the form.

Use this form to request a contested case hearing. Participants may request a contested case hearing if they have been notified that their program participation is to be terminated, with limited exceptions, or when they have been notified that their confidential information has been requested by an administrative agency and the Secretary of State has determined that some or all of their information should be disclosed. If you think that you may want to request a contested case hearing, please contact the Safe at Home Program directly to discuss your concerns.

Use this form to let the Safe at Home Program know that you have legally changed your name. Be sure to attach documentation of the change to your submitted form. Remember that a legal change of your name must be reported to the Safe at Home Program within 10 days of the change.