Tennessee State Fire Marshal

The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office operates as the Division of Fire Prevention inside the Department of Commerce and Insurance, with a stated mission of preventing the loss of life and property due to fire. Its Codes Enforcement section applies the statewide fire and building construction safety codes, and updated minimum-code rules filed by the office took effect on April 17, 2025. A separate Electrical, Residential and Marina section issues permits and performs inspections under the state's adopted electrical, residential building and energy conservation codes, working with state inspectors and roughly 100 contracted deputy inspectors. The Manufactured Housing and Modular Buildings section licenses manufactured home manufacturers and acts as the state administrative agent for HUD. Education and outreach staff analyze fire incident data, manage the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System and run community risk reduction efforts such as the Close The Door campaign. Training is delivered through the Fire Services and Codes Enforcement Academy, and the Commission on Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education certifies volunteer and paid firefighters. Fire investigations, once part of this office, were transferred to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation under Public Chapter 487 of 2019.