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SB0876 • 2026

Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 4, Part 1, relative to registration and licensing of motor vehicles.

Active

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

Sponsor
Reeves, Keisling
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide information on how the increased fees will be used or if there are any exceptions to these fee increases.

Tennessee Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Increase Act

This bill increases the fees for handling mail orders to renew vehicle registrations and license plates in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the fee for handling mail orders of registration plates from $5 to $7.
  • Raises the fee for handling mail orders of decals from $2 to $3.
  • Allows county clerks to increase these fees further if there is a price increase by the U.S. Postal Service in any given year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County clerks who handle mail-order renewals of vehicle registrations and decals.
  • Vehicle owners who choose to use the mail order service for renewing their registration plates or decals.

Terms To Know

Mail Order Service
A service that allows people to apply for and receive renewal certificates and license plates or decals through the U.S. postal service.
Postmarked
The date stamped by a post office when an item is mailed, used here as a deadline for submitting mail-order renewals.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the increased fees will be used or if there are any exceptions to these fee increases.
  • It remains unclear whether this change will affect all counties equally due to variations in local postal service costs and usage patterns.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 326

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 326

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 75, Nays 17, PNV 1

  10. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  14. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  15. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/14/2025

  16. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  17. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  18. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  19. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Calendar & Rules Committee to 4/10/2025

  20. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  21. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  22. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  23. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/1/2025

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  28. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  31. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/18/2025

  32. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  38. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  39. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  40. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires e
ach county clerk
to
provide a mail order service for the renewal of registrations whereby registrants may apply for and receive the renewal certificates and plates or decals through the U
.
S
.
postal service.
A
n application for renewal by mail must be postmarked no later than 20 days before the license expiration date to allow time for processing.

Each county clerk may impose a fee for the service of handling mail orders of plates and decal
s.

The amount of such fee for the service of handling mail orders of plates is

$
5
, and the amount of such fee for the service of handling mail orders of decals is
$
2.
However, e
ach county clerk may increase
such
fees in an amount not to exceed an applica
ble U
.
S
.
postal service price increase in a given year.

This bill increases the minimum fee for the service of handling mail orders of plates to $7 and such orders of decals to $3.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 624
By Keisling

SENATE BILL 876
By Reeves

SB0876
002581
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55,
Chapter 4, Part 1, relative to registration and
licensing of motor vehicles.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-4-105, is amended by deleting
subsection (c) and substituting:
(c)
(1) Each county clerk shall provide a mail order service for the renewal of
registrations whereby registrants may apply for and receive the renewal
certificates and plates or decals through the United States postal service. Except
as otherwise required by law, an application for renewal by mail must be
postmarked not later than twenty (20) days before the license expiration date to
allow time for processing.
(2) Each county clerk may impose a fee for service of handling mail
orders of plates and decals. The fee for the service of handling mail orders of
plates is seven dollars ($7.00), and the fee for the service of handling mail orders
of decals is three dollars ($3.00).
(3) Each county clerk is authorized to increase the fees provided in
subdivision (c)(2) in an amount not to exceed any applicable United States postal
service price increase in any given year.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.