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HB2009 • 2026

Highways, Roads and Bridges

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3 and Title 54, relative to highway traffic noise.

Active

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

Sponsor
Lafferty, Lowe
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does define the terms, but it is not explicitly stated that this is for traffic noise studies specifically. The definitions are provided as part of the legislation's requirements.

Highway Traffic Noise Study Act

This bill allows counties or municipalities to request and fund studies on traffic noise for homes near state highways if trees have been removed nearby.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a county or city government to ask the transportation department to study traffic noise around homes next to state roads if trees were cut down nearby.
  • Requires the requesting area to pay for the cost of conducting the traffic noise study before it starts.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County or city governments that want to request a traffic noise study.
  • The transportation department which will conduct the studies.
  • Residents near state highways who might be affected by traffic noise.

Terms To Know

Noise barrier
A physical structure like a wall or berm that reduces highway traffic noise.
Shielding
Anything man-made or natural, such as hills or trees, that blocks the sound of traffic from reaching homes.
Tree zone
A dense area of woods or several rows of trees that block views and sounds along a highway path.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much the studies will cost.
  • It is unclear if there are limits on how many times a county or city can request these studies.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2009

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement that counties or municipalities must pay for the costs of conducting highway traffic noise studies before the Tennessee Department of Transportation can carry out these studies.

  • Adds a new subsection (b) to require payment from requesting counties or municipalities before a highway traffic noise study can be conducted.
  • The amendment does not specify how costs are calculated or what happens if the cost is not paid.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2027

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement that counties or municipalities must pay for the costs of conducting a highway traffic noise study before it can begin.

  • Adds a new subsection (b) to require payment from requesting counties or municipalities before a highway traffic noise study can be conducted.
  • The amendment does not specify how much the cost of the study will be or what factors determine this cost.
  • It is unclear if there are any exceptions to the requirement for upfront payment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 91, Nays 4, PNV 0

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0836)

  6. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026

  7. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  8. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 11, Nays 0 PNV 0

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/24/2026

  18. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Transportation Committee

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/17/2026

  20. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  21. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 2/25/2026

  23. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Transportation and Safety Committee

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  25. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  26. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  29. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2009, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
requires the department, if the department approves the request to conduct a highway traffic noise study, to submit to the requesting county or municipality an invoice of the actual cost to conduct the study. The study must not be conducted until the cos
t is paid to the department by the requesting county or municipality.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 2027
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 2009
By Lafferty
HB2009
011271
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4,
Chapter 3 and Title 54, relative to highway traffic
noise.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 54, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A county or municipality, by resolution of its legislative body, may request the
department of transportation conduct a highway traffic noise study for residential
properties located along the sound propagation path of a state highway, including a state
highway that is part of the interstate and national defense highway system, if:
(1) A tree zone has been removed, cut, or cleared behind the residential
properties for purposes unrelated to construction of a state highway or physical
alteration of an existing state highway; and
(2) There is no existing shielding or noise barrier.
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Noise barrier" means a physical obstruction that is constructed
between a state highway and residential properties that lowers the highway traffic
noise level, including stand-alone noise walls, noise berms, whether earth or
other material, or a combination of such berm and wall systems;
(2) "Shielding" means a man-made or natural structure or barrier that
provides an auditory barrier between residential properties and a state highway,
including the top of a cut or an intervening hill; and

- 2 - 011271

(3) "Tree zone" means a region of woods and undergrowth or several
rows of trees that are sufficiently dense to completely or substantially block the
view along the sound propagation path of a state highway.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.