TN Trusted
How to get TN Trusted
TN Trusted is NashvilleTN Live's stamp of approval for the professionals this city lets into its homes, its cases and its health: contractors, lawyers, agents, doctors, advisers, mechanics, vets, and the pros who run its big days. The check is free, takes about two weeks, and money can't buy it. Most businesses that ask don't pass. Here is exactly what we look at.
The bar
You can ask if
- You serve Nashville or Middle Tennessee in home services, law, real estate, health care, finance and insurance, auto care, pet care or event services.
- You've been open two years.
- Every license your work needs is active, and you're insured.
- You're rated 4.5+ on Google and 4.0+ on Yelp, with enough reviews to mean something.
And you keep a clean record
- Every license the work needs is active; no public discipline in the last 5 years, and never any involving fraud, client funds, or patient or animal harm.
- Google rating 4.5 or better on 25+ reviews, both lifetime and in the last 24 months.
- Yelp rating 4.0 or better when Yelp shows 10+ reviews (fewer than 10 counts as n/a, not a fail).
- Health, legal and financial pros with thin public reviews may qualify with 15+ Google reviews plus a balanced client survey (10+ responses, 80%+ satisfied), built so favorable and unfavorable answers are equally easy.
- No Yelp Consumer Alert in 24 months; no review gating, incentives tied to sentiment, fake reviews or legal threats against reviewers.
- BBB rating B or better if rated (BBB accreditation is not required).
- No unresolved government consumer-protection action; no pattern of court judgments for non-performance.
- Proof of insurance suited to the sector.
- Signs the TN Trusted Pledge: honest ads, answers concerns within 10 business days, reports discipline or lawsuits within 10 days, keeps licenses and insurance current.
The check, step by step
Ask, or get nominated.
Send your business name, license numbers and the services to check. It's free, and anyone can nominate a business.
We pull the record.
Licenses and discipline straight from the state boards, your registration, court records, BBB, and any government action.
We read what Nashville says.
Google 4.5+, Yelp 4.0+, enough recent reviews to count, and no sign of bought, filtered or scrubbed reviews.
We check you like a customer would, then we talk.
We call or ask for a quote. You send proof of insurance and, where privacy rules allow, a few recent clients we can ask. Then we sit down with whoever runs the place.
You hear back in about two weeks.
Up to four if we're waiting on documents. Pass, and you're listed as Selected by NashvilleTN with your own page. Miss, and we tell you what it was.
We keep checking.
Ratings and licenses every month, the whole check every year. TN Trusted can be lost.
What we check, field by field
Everyone: Business registration, ratings, BBB, court and government records, insurance.
Home services
Plumbers, electricians, heating and air, roofers, movers, painters, cleaners, pest control
- Contractor license, or home-improvement license (Davidson County requires a license for remodeling projects of $3,000+)
- Limited licensed electrician or plumber license where applicable
- No board discipline (monthly reports)
- Pest control: active pesticide charter and licensed applicators
- Permits pulled on recent jobs that needed them
- General liability insurance and workers' comp coverage
Attorneys
Injury, family, estate, criminal, business, immigration, employment, real estate, bankruptcy
- Active Tennessee license; public discipline history (private reprimands are not public)
- No recent public disciplinary action
- Any 'certified specialist' claim is real
- Malpractice insurance in force
- Two peer references from lawyers outside the firm
- Firm's own ads avoid unjustified expectations and comparisons that can't be substantiated
Real estate
Agents, property managers, mortgage lenders, home inspectors
- Agent, principal broker and firm licenses active
- No Real Estate Commission discipline
- Mortgage companies and loan officers: active license, no regulatory actions
- Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance in force
- Ads show the firm name and firm phone as on file with the Commission, with the firm name at least as large as the agent's or team's name
- Ratings bar met on the agent's or brokerage's Google profile (if the agent has fewer than 25 Google reviews, use the brokerage profile plus a second review platform at 4.5+)
Doctors & health
Primary care, pediatrics, dentists, orthodontists, dermatology, eye care, physical therapy, chiropractic, urgent care, counseling
- License active; practitioner profile reviewed
- No discipline in the monthly Disciplinary Action Reports
- Board certification (MD/DO) matches the specialty claimed
- Dentists: 'specialist' and 'board certified' claims follow the dental board's rule; general dentists offering specialty services include the required general-dentist statement
- Not on the federal health-program exclusion list
- NPI matches the provider's name and practice
Financial & insurance
CPAs, financial planners, insurance agencies, bookkeepers
- Investment adviser firm and representatives registered; Form ADV and disclosures reviewed
- No disclosure involving customer harm in 10 years (customer disputes, disciplinary events)
- CFP status and public discipline, if CFP is claimed
- CPA license and firm registration active
- Insurance producer license active
- Mortgage professionals licensed
Professional services
IT support, marketing and web design, printing and signs
- Business registration with the Tennessee Secretary of State
- BBB rating B or better if rated, and how complaints were answered
- Years in business and who owns it
- Written estimates or contracts with clear terms
Auto care
Repair, tires, body and collision, detailing
- ASE-certified technicians (Blue Seal: 75%+ certified, every service area covered)
- AAA Approved Auto Repair status where claimed (24-month/24,000-mile warranty)
- Towing/wrecker permit where applicable
- Garage-keepers liability insurance
- Dealer license if the shop also sells vehicles
- Written estimates and a written warranty policy
Pet care
Vets, groomers, boarding and daycare, trainers
- Veterinarian license active, no discipline
- AAHA accreditation (a plus, not required)
- Trainers: certification (a plus)
- Sitters and walkers: bonded and insured (care, custody and control)
- Fear Free certification (a plus)
- Facility visit for boarding, daycare and grooming
Event pros
Photographers, caterers, planners, transportation
- Caterers: Metro Health food service permit and inspection history
- Party transport (entertainment vehicles, limos and other vehicles for hire, pedal and sightseeing vehicles): Metro permit
- General liability; liquor liability for bar service; auto liability for transport
- Written contract with clear cancellation and refund terms
- Wedding pros: The Knot rating 4.5+ on 7+ reviews as a backup review source
What you get
Every TN Trusted business
- Your own TN Trusted page on NashvilleTN Live showing what we checked and when
- A place in the TN Trusted directory, marked Selected by NashvilleTN
- The seal for the year (web files) and a window decal, with a public verify link
- A heads-up if a rating or license slips at a monthly check
Sponsors (TN Trusted Partners)
TN Trusted comes with every sponsorship, and every sponsor has to pass the check first. On top of the above:
- The full partner page: photos, video, booking and contact links, coverage
- Labeled placement in sponsor slots and newsletter features, as the package specifies
- A monthly monitoring note on ratings, licenses and review replies (health practices: flags replies that reveal patient information)
- A yearly report of what we re-checked
- The package's media deliverables (visits, reels, reporting) as listed in your package
Selected, or Partner
Chosen on its record. Pays NashvilleTN Live nothing.
Passed the same TN Trusted check, and pays NashvilleTN Live to advertise. Paying never changes who is listed or where.
Lawyers are listed as Selected only for now: Tennessee's ethics rules limit what a paid directory may say about lawyers who pay it.
Keeping it
Every month
- Automated scan of Google and Yelp ratings and counts
- License status checks
- Board discipline feeds: TN Health monthly Disciplinary Action Reports, TDCI monthly disciplinary actions, TBPR recent disciplinary actions
Every year
Full re-check on the anniversary of approval; the seal's year changes; a re-check report goes to partners.
A business comes off the list for
- A license lapses, is suspended or restricted, or any board discipline
- Placement on the OIG exclusion list, or an SEC/FINRA disclosure involving customer harm
- Ratings below the bar at two monthly checks in a row, followed by 90 days without recovering
- Fake, bought or gated reviews; a Yelp Consumer Alert; legal threats against reviewers
- Misuse of the seal
- No answer to a concern within 10 business days
- False information on the application
Notice to the business with the reason. 10 business days to respond, except immediate suspension for license suspension, serious discipline or fraud. Then a written decision.
Report a concern
Had a bad experience with a TN Trusted business? Tell us what happened and when. We reply within 2 business days, ask the business to answer within 10 business days, and decide within 30 days. We don't mediate refunds and offer no guarantee. Licensing complaints should also go to the board that issued the license.
Using the seal
- Use only the current year's seal, and only while your status is active.
- Always show “by NashvilleTN Live” and link the seal to your TN Trusted page.
- Don't recolor, crop or stretch it, and don't add words like “Best”, “Top”, “#1”, “Certified” or “Guaranteed”.
- Use it only for the business and locations we checked.
- Never imply a guarantee, a ranking over competitors, or approval by a government body.
- Partners mark their own posts about us as paid (“#ad”, “NashvilleTN Partner”).
- Follow your profession's ad rules when you use it. Lawyers: RPC 7.1–7.3. Doctors and dentists: Rules 0880-02-.13 and 0460-02-.10. Investment advisers: add the date, period, rater and compensation disclosure. Broker-dealer reps: principal approval first. Real estate: firm name and phone beside it.
- No testimonials or results claims next to the seal unless you can back them up.
- If you lose TN Trusted, take the seal down within 7 days online and 30 days in print.
- We can withdraw permission to use the seal at any time, and misuse is grounds for removal.
What people ask
Can a business pay to get TN Trusted?
No. The check is free, and money doesn't change the answer. Some TN Trusted businesses also advertise with us; they're marked Paid partner, and they passed the same check first.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Sponsorship is separate and optional. Every package includes the TN Trusted partner kit, but only after a business passes.
What do “Selected by NashvilleTN” and “Paid partner” mean?
Selected: we chose the business on its record and it pays us nothing. Paid partner: it passed the same check and also pays to advertise with us.
How long does it take?
About two weeks, or up to four when we're waiting on a licensing board or documents.
Is TN Trusted a license, a certification or a guarantee?
No. It's NashvilleTN Live's opinion, based on the checks listed here, on the date shown. It isn't a government program and doesn't promise results. Check licenses yourself before a big job.
How often do you re-check?
Ratings and licenses every month, everything once a year. The seal shows the year.
Can a business lose TN Trusted?
Yes: a lapsed or disciplined license, ratings below the bar for 90 days, bought or filtered reviews, misuse of the seal, or ignoring a concern we send. Removed businesses come off the list, take the seal down, and can reapply after six months.
Why isn't my business listed?
We may not have checked you yet, we may not cover your field, or you didn't meet the bar. Ask to be checked.
Do lawyers, doctors and advisers work differently?
A little. Their professional rules limit what can be said. We never call anyone “best” or a “specialist” unless a board certified it, and paid pages for lawyers are marked attorney advertising.
I had a bad experience with a TN Trusted business. What now?
Report a concern on its page. We reply within two business days and decide within 30. For license issues, tell the board that issued the license too; we link to it.
Ready to be checked?
Send your business name, license numbers and what you'd like us to look at. It's free, it takes about two weeks, and we'll tell you either way.
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