Mayor Seeks Greater Local Authority Over Sober Living Homes
Williams Seeks Greater Local Authority Over Sober Living Homes
Charlotte, TN — Dickson County Mayor Danny Williams wants the County Commission to consider asking state and federal lawmakers to give local governments greater authority to regulate sober living homes.
Williams included the issue in the 100-day plan he presented during the commission’s Sept. 8, 2026, work session. He suggested preparing a resolution asking Dickson County’s state legislative delegation and members of Congress to change existing laws “in some fashion” to provide more local control.
No resolution was presented or approved at the meeting.
Williams said protections under the federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act limit what counties and cities can do.
“I don’t know if that’ll be done or not, but I think our part is to ask them officially and see if we can get the laws changed where we can regulate that,” Williams told commissioners.
Federal law does not prevent every form of local oversight, but it limits regulations that discriminate against people with disabilities or deny them equal access to housing.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on disability and applies to local zoning practices. The Americans with Disabilities Act can also protect people recovering from substance use disorders when they are not currently engaged in illegal drug use.
Those protections may extend to people taking legally prescribed medication to treat opioid use disorder. However, the ADA does not provide the same protection to someone currently engaged in illegal drug use.
As a result, a county generally cannot single out a recovery residence solely because of its residents. Local governments may still enforce neutral health, safety, building and land use regulations, but those rules must be applied in compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
The term “sober living home” can also refer to different types of facilities.
Under Tennessee law, a recovery residence is generally a substance free living environment that provides supervised, monitored or peer led support to people recovering from substance use disorders. It does not provide clinical treatment, medical services or medication administration on site, except for verifying abstinence.
That makes a recovery residence different from a halfway house or residential treatment facility, which may provide clinical services and operate under a separate state licensing structure.
Williams described the proposed resolution as one of several issues he wants the county to research during his first 100 days. Any resolution would have to return to the County Commission for discussion and a public vote before being sent to state and federal lawmakers.