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HB0823 • 2026

Alcoholic Beverages

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-4-102, relative to consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lafferty, Massey
Last action
2025-04-08
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 61
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation incorrectly stated that the bill only affects Hamilton County, but it actually amends the law statewide to lower population requirements.

Changes to Alcoholic Beverage Licensing in Hamilton County

This bill changes Tennessee's laws about alcohol licenses for sports authority facilities and requires yearly safety reports from local law enforcement.

What This Bill Does

  • Lowers the population requirement from over 500,000 to over 350,000 for a county or city to allow liquor-by-the-drink licenses at sports authority facilities.
  • Stops new alcohol licenses from being given to any facility in Hamilton County after March 1, 2030.
  • Requires local law enforcement to send yearly reports about public safety issues like drunk driving and vandalism to the state government.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Sports authority facilities located in Hamilton County
  • Law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over sports authority facilities in Hamilton County

Terms To Know

Liquor-by-the-drink license
A permit that allows a business to sell alcohol drinks one at a time, rather than only selling full bottles or cases.
Sports authority facility
A place like a stadium or arena where sports events are held.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens to existing alcohol licenses in Hamilton County after March 1, 2030.
  • It is unclear how the yearly safety reports will be used by the state government.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0823

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for issuing licenses to facilities in counties with specific population ranges, adding reporting obligations for law enforcement.

  • Facilities located in counties with populations between 366,200 and 366,300 will not be issued a license after June 30, 2030.
  • Law enforcement agencies must provide annual reports to the general assembly about public safety issues related to these facilities.
  • The exact impact of this amendment on specific counties and their populations is unclear without additional context.
Amendment 2-0 to HB0823

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for issuing licenses to facilities in counties with specific population ranges, adding reporting obligations for law enforcement.

  • Facilities located in counties with populations between 366,200 and 366,300 cannot be issued a license after March 1, 2030.
  • Law enforcement agencies must provide annual reports to the general assembly about public safety issues related to these facilities.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if a facility already has a license before March 1, 2030.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0320

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for issuing licenses to facilities in specific population ranges, adding reporting obligations for law enforcement.

  • Facilities located in counties with populations between 366,200 and 366,300 will not be issued a license after June 30, 2030.
  • Law enforcement agencies must provide annual reports to the general assembly on public safety issues related to these facilities.
  • The exact impact of this amendment is unclear without additional context about existing laws and current population data.
Amendment 2-0 to SB0320

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for issuing licenses to facilities in specific population ranges, adding restrictions on new licenses after March 1, 2030, and mandating annual safety reports.

  • Facilities located in counties with a population between 366,200 and 366,300 cannot receive a license to serve alcoholic beverages after March 1, 2030.
  • Law enforcement agencies must submit an annual report on public safety issues related to these facilities, including DUIs, public intoxication, and vandalism.
  • The exact impact of the amendment is unclear without knowing how many counties fall within the specified population range.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 61

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/25/2025

  3. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 61

  4. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 70, Nays 14, PNV 7

  12. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 2 - HA0065)

  13. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0024)

  14. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  15. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  16. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/13/2025

  17. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  18. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/11/2025

  19. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  20. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  21. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  22. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  23. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  24. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  25. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 3

  26. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0002)

  27. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0011)

  28. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/24/2025

  29. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 2/26/2025

  30. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  32. 2025-02-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 2/18/2025

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  35. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/18/2025

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON FEBRUARY 24, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 320, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 prohibits a
facility located in
Hamilton

C
ounty

from
be
ing
issued a license after
March 1
, 2030
, and requires t
he law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over a sports authority facility located in
Hamilton

C
ounty
to
provide an annual report to the general assembly, on or before January 1, detaili
ng any public safety issues related to the facility, including instances of driving under the influence, public intoxication, and vandalism
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 320
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 823
By Lafferty

HB0823
001912
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
57-4-102, relative to consumption of alcoholic
beverages on the premises.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-4-102(37)(A)(iv), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting instead:
(iv) The facility is located in a municipality or county having a population in
excess of three hundred fifty thousand (350,000), according to the 2020 federal census
or any subsequent federal census;
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.