Commerce & Insurance updates building codes, adds mobile-food permit and optional daycare consultation

The Department of Commerce and Insurance presented a package of code updates and new procedures to the Joint Government Operations Committee on March 31. Assistant Commissioner Mike Bell and codes director Chris Bainbridge described three main changes: (1) update statewide minimum commercial construction standards from the 2012 code to the 2021 model codes with Tennessee‑specific amendments; (2) adopt permanent rules implementing the statewide mobile-food (food-truck) permit created by public chapter 390 (2023); and (3) offer an optional on-site consultation and inspection package for daycare and educational facilities that enroll 49 or fewer children (the threshold was raised from 24 to 49), intended as a lower‑cost alternative to full plan submission.