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HB2261 • 2026

Registers of Deeds

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 66-24-101, relative to writings eligible for registration.

Active

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

Sponsor
Martin G, Seal
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Comp. SB subst.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee Law on Registering Real Estate Documents

This bill changes Tennessee's laws to specify which documents related to real estate can be registered and what information they must include.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows certain agreements, notices, affidavits, memoranda, or abstracts about the transfer of real property to be registered with county registers if they meet specific requirements.
  • Requires all such documents to have authenticated signatures from all parties involved and an expiration date clearly stated.
  • Limits registration to bonds for transferring real estate only if they include the required signatures and expiration date.
  • Permits agreements, contracts, memoranda, abstracts, or affidavits about selling real property to be registered if they contain specific signatures and an expiration date.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to register documents related to transferring real estate in Tennessee.
  • County registers responsible for registering such documents.

Terms To Know

Authenticated signature
A signature that has been verified as genuine and legal, often through a notary public.
Expiration date
The specific day when an agreement or bond is set to end.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It does not specify what happens if the required information is missing from a document.
  • Does not clarify how disputes over registered documents will be handled.
  • Effective date of this act has not been specified yet.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2261

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee's laws about which documents can be registered by adding new types of agreements and contracts for real property sales and setting rules for their signatures and expiration dates.

  • Adds new subdivision (29) to Section 66-24-101(a), allowing registration of agreements, memoranda, abstracts, or affidavits for the sale of real property if they meet certain requirements.
  • Modifies existing subdivision (1) by adding specific signature and expiration date requirements for bonds related to conveyance of real estate.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how these changes will be implemented or enforced, which may require further clarification.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2353

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee's laws about which documents can be registered by adding new types of agreements and contracts for real property sales.

  • Adds new subdivision (29) to Section 66-24-101(a), allowing registration of agreements, memoranda, abstracts, or affidavits for the sale of real property if they meet certain requirements.
  • Modifies existing subdivision (1) by adding specific details about bonds for conveyance of real estate.
  • The amendment text does not specify all possible types of documents that can be registered, leaving some uncertainty about what exactly qualifies under the new rules.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 1, PNV 0

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA1087)

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  6. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  7. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0877)

  8. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  9. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/8/2026

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/8/2026

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  19. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  20. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State & Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  24. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  28. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  30. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes all agreements and bonds for the conveyance of real or personal estates to be registered with the county register. This bill also authorizes notices, affidavits, memoranda, or abstracts related to such agreements to be so register
ed. However, all agreements, and notices, affidavits, memoranda, and abstracts related to such agreements, must contain the authenticated signatures of all parties subject to the agreement and the expiration date of the agreement, including the day, mont
h,
and year.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2353, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize all bonds for the conveyance of real or personal estate to be registered only if the bond contains the signatures of all parties subject to the bond and the expiration date of the bond. Further, this
amendment authorizes all agreements for the conveyance of real property or contracts, memoranda, abstracts, or affidavits for the sale of real property, or similar documents by whatever similar or other name, to be registered if such documents contain th
e
signature of the owner of the property or the owner's attorney-in-fact or court-appointed representative, the signature of the proposed purchaser, and the expiration date of the agreement.

This amendment requires any affidavit submitted to the county register to be registered by sworn to in front of a notary public.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2353
By Seal

HOUSE BILL 2261
By Martin G
HB2261
012145
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
66-24-101, relative to writings eligible for
registration.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 66-24-101(a), is amended by
deleting subdivision (1) and substituting:
(1) All agreements, and notices, affidavits, memoranda, or abstracts related to
the agreements, and bonds for the conveyance of real or personal estate; provided, that
all agreements, and notices, affidavits, memoranda, and abstracts related to the
agreements must contain:
(A) The signatures of all parties subject to the agreement, authenticated
pursuant to § 66-22-101; and
(B) The expiration date of the agreement, which includes the day, month,
and year;
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.