In Tennessee, property owners and businesses generally must use reasonable care to keep their premises safe for people who are lawfully there. In Elizabethton, that can include:
- Retail and service entrances (wet thresholds, ice tracking, no warning signs)
- Apartment and rental stairways (loose handrails, uneven steps, failed repairs)
- Parking lots and sidewalks (potholes, debris, blocked visibility)
- Workplaces and warehouses (spill response, housekeeping, temporary hazards)
The key issue usually isn’t whether an accident happened—it’s whether the property owner knew or should have known about the hazard and whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent harm.


