NASHVILLE (AP) — Metro Nashville has asked a judge to temporarily shut down a hot tub on wheels, claiming in a lawsuit that the party vehicle is operating without a public swimming pool permit.

The suit was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court last week, The Tennessean reported. Music City Party Tub, the vehicle operator, was informed of the violation in an Aug. 11 letter from the Metro Public Health Department. A temporary injunction hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.

According to the lawsuit, the business — which debuted in Nashville's downtown entertainment district in April 2019 — also isn't currently registered with the state and doesn't have a business license in the county.

The health department says that when owner Guy Williams came to its office in April 2019, staff told him to submit design plans for the mobile hot tub and apply for a public pool permit. The agency inspected the vehicle and told Williams what to fix to be approved, but the suit says he never returned.

Health department workers told Williams in September 2020 that he was operating without a permit, according to the lawsuit. He said he was exempt because the hot tub is 50 gallons short of the "minimum capacity" for a public pool.

Such an exemption doesn't exist, the suit says.

A website promoting the business says six or seven people can soak in the tub at one time, or about 10 overall if they are seated on the edge.

Court filings show that the health department hand-delivered the noncompliance notice to Williams on Aug. 13, but he refused to sign it. It's unclear why the agency waited until August to act when the hot tub has been operating since 2019.

Each day that passes without the party vehicle correcting the compliance issue counts as a separate offense, the letter says. It has continued running since receiving the notice and has bookings available on its website through November.

Environmental Health Bureau Director Hugh Atkins, who initially inspected the hot tub, declined to comment to The Tennessean. Williams couldn't immediately be reached for comment.