The Memphis Code-Enforcement Decoder: who actually handles a squatter, a dead streetlight, an illegal dump or a code violation

Memphis problems have owners, but nobody hands you the org chart. Rental owners lose weeks reporting the right problem to the wrong agency, especially owners managing from out of state. Here is the decoder, current as of July 2026.

The squatter: police first, then the court

An occupied house you did not rent to anyone is the scariest call an owner gets. Call MPD's non-emergency line, 901-545-2677 (545-COPS). Here is the part nobody warns you about: if the person inside claims tenancy, produces a fake lease, or has simply been there a while, officers will usually declare it a civil matter and leave. That is not the end of the road; it means removal runs through a detainer warrant in Shelby County General Sessions Court, the same track as a standard eviction. Our Memphis eviction process guide walks the timeline and costs. Two prevention habits beat every cure: never leave a vacant house looking vacant, and check on it, or have someone check, on a schedule.

The dead streetlight: MLGW, not the city

Streetlights belong to MLGW, and reporting one to 311 sends it on a scenic detour. Report the outage through MLGW's own outage reporting, and note the pole number stenciled on the pole if you can read it. Dark streets matter to owners: exterior lighting is one of the cheapest operating levers you control, and the public pole in front is the one piece you do not.

The illegal dump, the junk car, the jungle lot: that is 311

Code enforcement lives behind Memphis 311: dial 311 in the city, 901-636-6500 from outside, or file online. It covers the classics that drag a block down: illegal dumping, junk vehicles, overgrown lots, derelict and unsecured structures. Two habits make it work. First, always keep the service request number; an unanswered number is your escalation path, and repeated violations on a neighboring property can end up in Environmental Court, which has real teeth. Second, report the pattern, not just the pile: a lot that gets dumped on monthly is a different case than a one-time mattress.

The neighboring eyesore you cannot fix yourself

The house next door is often the problem: it drags your rent, your photos, and your resident's patience. You cannot clean up property you do not own, but you can document and report through 311, and you can check who actually owns it in the public record before assuming it is abandoned. Sometimes the fix is a phone call to an owner who has no idea, and if the whole block's condition is the question, the crime map and our Memphis market report give you the objective read on what is around a property before you buy into it.

Keep the decoder handy

• Squatter or trespass: 545-COPS, then General Sessions if they claim tenancy
• Streetlight: MLGW outage reporting, pole number in hand
• Dumping, junk cars, weeds, derelict structures: 311, keep the request number
• Repeat offender property nearby: 311 pattern reports; Environmental Court is the escalation
• Not sure who owns the problem: the answer is usually in the public record

Owners hiring us skip most of these calls; it is part of what full-service management means. But every owner, managed or not, should know who actually picks up which phone in this city. More civic answers live on Ask Memphis.

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