KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB1149 • 2026

Boats, Boating

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67; Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 6; Title 69 and Title 70, relative to outdoor recreation.

Children Crime
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Butler, Hatcher
Last action
2025-04-01
Official status
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact penalties for violations are not detailed in the provided summary text.

Boating and Fishing Rules

This bill makes new rules about activities near public boat launches, docks, boats, and marinas in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes it against the law to engage in activities like fishing that inhibit the use of public access areas or launching areas for longer than customary times.
  • Forbids swimming, fishing, or engaging in other activities that interfere with the intended use of docks or cause damage to docks, boats, or marinas.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who use public boat launches and marinas.
  • Boaters and fishermen near public water areas.

Terms To Know

Class C misdemeanor
A type of minor crime that can result in a fine or short jail time.
Customary
The usual or normal way things are done.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what the penalties will be for breaking these rules.
  • It is unclear how this bill will be enforced by local authorities.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1149

Plain English: The amendment adds new sections to Tennessee law that require commercial paddle craft operators using state boat ramps to pay a fee of forty-two cents per use and imposes penalties for non-compliance.

  • Commercial paddle craft operators must now pay a fee of forty-two cents each time they launch or remove a nonmotorized vessel from an agency boat ramp.
  • Operators receive parking lot passes in the form of stickers when paying the fee, allowing them to use designated areas for vehicle and trailer operations.
  • The amendment sets penalties for commercial operators who do not comply with permit requirements, including fines up to $1,000 and a ban on applying for permits.
  • The text does not specify the exact duration of the penalty period imposed by the agency after non-compliance.
  • Details about how retailers will report sales data to the department of revenue are not fully explained in this amendment excerpt.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 4/1/2025

  4. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  5. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee to 3/26/2025

  7. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  8. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee to 3/19/2025

  9. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  10. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  11. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  12. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  13. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  14. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  16. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill makes it a Class C
misdemeanor offense
, subject to the penalties in §
69-9-219, for a person to:

(1) Engage in an activity, including fishing, that inhibits the use of a public access area, or launching area, for a period of time beyond that associated with the customary
launching and retrieval of recreational boats; or

(2) Swim, fish, or engage in another activity that interferes with the intended use of a dock, or causes damage to a dock, boat, or marina.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 964
By Hatcher

HOUSE BILL 1149
By Butler

HB1149
003217
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67;
Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 6; Title 69 and Title 70,
relative to outdoor recreation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 69-9-216, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection (h) and redesignating the existing subsection (h) accordingly:
(h) It is a violation of this chapter, subject to the penalties in § 69-9-219, for a
person to:
(1) Engage in an activity, including fishing, that inhibits the use of a public
access area, or launching area, for a period of time beyond that associated with
the customary launching and retrieval of recreational boats; or
(2) Swim, fish, or engage in another activity that interferes with the
intended use of a dock, or causes damage to a dock, boat, or marina.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.