Nashoba Now | A Movement for a New Tennessee County

The Legal Path Forward

How Does It Happen?

Tennessee has allowed counties to be created and reorganized since statehood. Forming Nashoba County would follow the same constitutional and legislative path Tennessee has used before — click each step below to learn what's involved.

Article X, Section 4 of the Tennessee Constitution (dating to 1834, amended 1870) sets hard numeric floors that any new county must clear before anything else can happen:

The new county must contain at least 275 square miles.
The new county must have at least 700 qualified voters residing within it.
No boundary line of the new county may come within 11 miles of the old county's courthouse.
The county being divided — Shelby County — cannot be reduced below 500 square miles remaining.

Before anything goes to Nashville, the movement has to be organized at home:

Form a citizens' steering committee representing every community inside the proposed boundary.
Draft and refine a boundary map that satisfies the constitutional square-mileage and courthouse-distance rules.
Build public awareness, hold community meetings, and gather input from residents and local officials.
Document the case for why local government would better serve these communities as their own county.

Counties in Tennessee are formally created by the General Assembly, not by local vote alone:

The local legislative delegation introduces a bill (typically a private/local act) authorizing the creation of the new county.
The proposed boundary, name, and county seat are formally described in the legislation.
The bill moves through the standard House and Senate committee process before a floor vote.

This is the heart of the constitutional protection for existing counties:

No territory can be detached from Shelby County to form a new county without the consent of two-thirds of the qualified voters in the area being taken off.
This consent is measured through a referendum of the residents living inside the proposed new county's boundary.
If Shelby County would lose its seat of justice (the Memphis courthouse) as part of the change, a separate two-thirds vote of both houses of the General Assembly is also required.

Once voters and the legislature have both signed off:

Election results are certified by the appropriate county and state election officials.
A formal boundary survey and legal description of Nashoba County is prepared and recorded.
The new county line becomes the official dividing point for taxation, voting districts, and local jurisdiction.

The final phase turns Nashoba County from a line on a map into a functioning government:

Interim county officials are appointed or elected to organize county government.
A county seat and courthouse location is designated.
Courts, schools, law enforcement, and public services transition to the new county structure.
Nashoba County is formally seated on its effective date, and residents begin voting and paying taxes as a new county.

This overview is provided for public education about the process Tennessee law provides for forming a new county. It is not legal advice. Anyone considering a petition or referendum should consult the current Tennessee Code Annotated and qualified legal counsel.