Official Summary Text
Present law generally authorizes a personal delivery device to operate in a pedestrian area at speeds up to 10 miles per hour, but local governments are allowed to prohibit personal delivery devices by local resolutions or ordinances if the local governm
ent determines that the prohibition is necessary in the interest of public safety.
This bill revises the above provision to, instead, authorize a personal delivery device to go up to 20 miles per hour in areas other than a pedestrian area. This bill removes a local government's ability to prohibit a personal delivery device by local r
esolution or ordinance, but does grant a local government the power to regulate them by local resolution or ordinance if the regulation is necessary, in the interest of public safety, and is not inconsistent with state law.
REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATION
If a personal delivery device is being operated, present law requires the person or entity to adhere to all of the following requirements:
Yield or not obstruct the right-of-way to all other traffic, including pedestrians.
Not unreasonably interfere with other traffic, including pedestrians.
Be equipped with lighting on both the front and rear of the personal delivery device visible in clear weather from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and rear of the personal delivery device if being operated between sunset and sunrise.
Not transport certain hazardous materials.
Be equipped with a marker that clearly states the name and contact information of the owner and a unique identification number.
Be equipped with a braking system that enables the device to come to a controlled stop.
Maintain an insurance policy that includes general liability coverage of not less than $100,000 for damages arising from the combined operations of personal delivery devices under a personal delivery device operator's control if operated by an entity.
However, present law does not otherwise subject a personal delivery device, and any entity that operates a personal delivery device, to any requirements or laws applicable to motor vehicles, including financial responsibility, licensure, and laws relatin
g to titling and registration.
This bill grants a personal delivery device all of the rights, and subjects them to all of the duties, under present law that are applicable to a pedestrian when operated in a pedestrian area or a bicyclist when operated in all other areas, except as to
those provisions that by their nature can have no application or that would place an unreasonable burden on the operation of the personal delivery device.
"PERSONAL DELIVERY DEVICE" DEFINED
Present law defines a "personal delivery device" as a device that is (i) solely powered by an electric motor, (ii) operated primarily on sidewalks and crosswalks, (iii) intended primarily for the transport of property on public rights-of-way, and (iv) cap
able of navigating with or without the active control or monitoring of a natural person.
This bill rewrites the definition above to include devices that operate primarily on bicycle lanes or paths, shoulders, the area adjacent to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, parking lots, or a similar area.
ON FEBRUARY 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1625, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 makes the following changes:
Authorizes personal delivery devices to be regulated, as well as prohibited, by local resolutions or ordinances if the
local government determines that the regulation or prohibition is necessary, in the interest of public safety
. However, such an adopted regulation must not be inconsistent with the bill.
P
rohibits a personal delivery device from being operated
(i)
in a bicycle lane of any road or highway where the speed limit is greater than 45 miles per hour;
(ii)
on the shoulder or area adjacent to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway of any road or highway where the speed limit is greater than 45 miles per hour, that is a part of the interstate highway system, or that is a controlled access highway; or
(iii)
in a crosswalk, if the device is not programmed to properly identify and safely use a crosswalk
.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1684
By Hawk
SENATE BILL 1625
By Massey
SB1625
010772
- 1 -
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55,
Chapter 8, relative to personal delivery devices.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-101, is amended by deleting
subdivision (53)(B) and substituting instead:
(B) Is operated primarily on sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle lanes or paths,
shoulders, the area adjacent to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, parking lots,
or a similar area;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-209(b), is amended by deleting
the period (.) at the end of the subsection and substituting instead the language "and in other
areas, up to twenty (20) miles per hour."
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-209(e), is amended by deleting
the first sentence, which presently reads:
Personal delivery devices may be prohibited by local resolutions or ordinances if
the local government determines that the prohibition is necessary, in the interest of
public safety.
and substituting instead:
Personal delivery devices may be regulated by local resolutions or ordinances if
the local government determines that the regulation is necessary, in the interest of public
safety. A regulation adopted by a local government must not be inconsistent with this
section.
- 2 - 010772
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-8-209, is amended by inserting
the following as a new subsection (a) and redesignating existing subsection (a) and the
remaining subsections accordingly:
(a) Notwithstanding a law to the contrary, a person or entity may operate a
personal delivery device on a sidewalk, crosswalk, bicycle lane or path, shoulder, the
area adjacent to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, parking lot, or a similar area
in this state. A personal delivery device has all of the rights and is subject to all of the
duties under this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title that are applicable to a
pedestrian when operated in a pedestrian area or a bicyclist when operated in all other
areas, except as to those provisions that by their nature can have no application or that
would place an unreasonable burden on the operation of the personal delivery device.
SECTION 5. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.