Beacon is excited to share a major development in our legal challenge against Nashville’s stormwater capacity fees. On July 18, 2025, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee preliminarily approved a $1.4 million class action settlement, a crucial step forward in securing justice for 361 homeowners who were unfairly charged fees before receiving building permits.
This case began with homeowners like Peyton Pratt, who was forced to pay thousands of dollars simply for seeking to expand his home for his growing family. Beacon is proud to represent Mr. Pratt free of charge, and thanks to his courage and the support of others, hundreds of property owners are now closer to receiving the refunds they deserve.
As part of the settlement, the city will issue full refunds to affected property owners. Within 28 days of the court’s order, each eligible homeowner will receive a notice and claim form by mail, along with a prepaid envelope to return it. To claim a refund, completed forms must be submitted by November 13, 2025, either by email or by mail to the address provided in the notice and posted below.
Metro Water Services
ATTN: Shawna Rodriguez: Pratt v. Metro Settlement
P.O. Box 196300
Nashville, TN 37219
E-mail: mws.swavailability@nashville.gov
The city has also posted on its website, providing instructions, contact information, and an electronic submission option for the claim form.
Because this is a class action settlement, a final fairness hearing is scheduled for October 30, 2025. If the Court stamps its final approval on the settlement, property owners who submitted their claim forms via mail or electronic submissions will be entitled to a full refund. Beacon will provide further updates here after the final hearing.
For the order granting preliminary approval of class action settlement, click here.
If you are a property owner who paid the stormwater capacity fee and have any questions, please contact: Wen Fa at wen@beacontn.org, or Ben Stormes at ben.stormes@beacontn.org.