Online Training for Utility District Commissioners and Utility Authority Board Members

In 2010, Tennessee law required utility district commissioners and utility authority board members to complete 12 hours of training within their first year of being appointed or elected. After this initial training, board members were required to complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years, starting January 1 following their initial training.

A new law, Public Chapter 166, has reduced the continuing education requirement to 6 hours every three years. This change, effective immediately, applies to board members of utility districts, utility authorities, and municipal and county water and wastewater systems. If you’re unsure how many continuing education hours you have, contact your board to check your status.

The new law also allows individuals who were removed from a utility board for not completing their training to apply for reinstatement. They can file a petition with the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation, which will set the terms for regaining eligibility.

The Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD) offers online courses to meet these training requirements. Each course provides 1 hour of training or continuing education credit and is approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury. Additional courses will be added as they are developed and approved.

If you’ve taken TAUD’s online training before, log in with your username and password. If you’re new, you’ll need to create an account to get started.

These requirements apply to all board members of utility districts, water and sewer authorities, and municipal and county utility systems providing water or wastewater services in Tennessee.