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SB1728 • 2026

Local Government, General

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5, Chapter 1 and Title 6, Chapter 54, relative to shopping carts.

Labor Taxes
Active

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

Sponsor
Jackson, McCalmon
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not support claims regarding the state government's control over rules about shopping carts and restrictions on local governments' ability to require business policies or impose fees on them.

Shopping Cart Protection Act

This act stops local governments from charging fees, fines, or costs for shopping carts left on public property unless the cart was taken away by its owner or an employee.

What This Bill Does

  • Prevents counties and cities from imposing fees, fines, or costs on owners of shopping carts found on public land if the cart wasn't removed improperly.
  • Applies to actions starting July 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Owners of shopping carts
  • Local governments and their agencies in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Public property
Land or buildings owned by the government, like streets, parks, and sidewalks.
Retail establishment
A store that sells goods to customers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill may cause local governments to lose some money from fines or fees they could have collected.
  • It's not clear how much revenue will be lost by local governments due to this act.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1514

Plain English: This amendment removes local government authority to regulate shopping carts and prevents them from imposing policies or fees related to shopping carts on businesses.

  • Removes county and metropolitan governments' ability to make laws about shopping carts, including setting policies or charging fees for their use.
  • Prevents municipal governments from creating regulations that require businesses to have specific shopping cart policies or impose fines/fees related to shopping carts.
  • The amendment text does not specify how existing local government rules about shopping carts will be handled, only that they are no longer allowed.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1728

Plain English: This amendment removes local government authority to regulate shopping carts and prevents counties or cities from making rules about shopping cart policies or fees.

  • Removes all existing language in Tennessee Code Annotated related to shopping cart regulations and replaces it with new sections that prohibit county and municipal governments from creating laws, ordinances, resolutions, or regulations regarding shopping carts.
  • Defines 'shopping cart' as any device supplied by a retailer for use by customers and employees to transport merchandise.
  • The amendment text does not specify how existing local government rules about shopping carts will be handled before the new law takes effect.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  5. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  7. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  8. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 23, Nays 4

  10. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0890)

  11. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  12. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  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 and Local Government Committee to 3/25/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/18/2026

  28. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/17/2026

  29. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/11/2026

  30. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/11/2026

  31. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/10/2026

  32. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 3/10/2026

  33. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/4/2026

  34. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/4/2026

  37. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 2/18/2026

  38. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  40. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  41. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  42. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  44. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  45. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  46. 2026-01-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill prohibits a fee, fine, or cost from being assessed by a county or municipality against the owner of a shopping cart found on public property unless the shopping cart was removed from the premises or parking area of a retail establishment by the
owner of the shopping cart or by an employee acting on the owner's behalf. This bill applies to acts or omissions occurring on or after July 1, 2026.

ON APRIL 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1728, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that t
he general assembly occupies the entire field of the regulation of shopping carts, including their purchase, use, taxation, manufacture, ownership, sale, storage, and transportation, to the exclusion of all county or metropolitan government laws, ordinanc
es, resolutions, enactments, or regulations.

This amendment also prohibits a
county or metropolitan government, or any agency, department, or official of a county or metropolitan government,
from
adopt
ing
an ordinance, resolution, or other regulation requiring a business to adopt a shopping cart policy of any nature or imposing a fee or fine on a business related to shopping carts
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1514
By McCalmon

SENATE BILL 1728
By Jackson
SB1728
010529
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5,
Chapter 1 and Title 6, Chapter 54, relative to
shopping carts.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
Notwithstanding another law, local ordinance, or resolution to the contrary, a fee,
fine, or cost must not be assessed against the owner of a shopping cart found on public
property unless the shopping cart was removed from the premises or parking area of a
retail establishment by the owner of the shopping cart or by an employee acting on the
owner's behalf.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 6, Chapter 54, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
Notwithstanding another law, local ordinance, or resolution to the contrary, a fee,
fine, or cost must not be assessed against the owner of a shopping cart found on public
property unless the shopping cart was removed from the premises or parking area of a
retail establishment by the owner of the shopping cart or by an employee acting on the
owner's behalf.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to acts or omissions on or after July 1, 2026.