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SB1814 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 62, Chapter 18 and Title 66, relative to land surveying monuments.

Crime Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Bailey, Williams
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on financial impacts or accidental damage scenarios.

Protecting Land Surveying Monuments

This bill makes it illegal to move, alter, destroy, or remove certain types of land surveying monuments without replacing them and sets penalties for doing so.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines what a geodetic control monument is: a permanent object set by professional land surveyors or government agencies.
  • Defines what a historic land surveying monument is: an object placed by governments to mark state, county, or city boundaries.
  • Defines what a property corner monument is: an object used by licensed land surveyors to show where properties begin and end.
  • Makes it illegal for anyone except employees or contractors of the department of transportation engaged in official duties to move, alter, destroy, or remove these types of monuments without replacing them.
  • Says that breaking this law is a Class A misdemeanor.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who might damage land surveying monuments
  • Land surveyors and government agencies
  • Employees or contractors of the department of transportation

Terms To Know

Geodetic control monument
A permanent object set by professional land surveyors or government agencies to mark important points.
Historic land surveying monument
An object placed by governments to show the boundaries of states, counties, or cities.
Property corner monument
A marker set by licensed land surveyors to indicate where properties start and end.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if someone accidentally damages a monument.
  • It is unclear how local governments will be affected financially by enforcing this law.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2026

Plain English: The amendment makes it illegal to move, alter, destroy, or remove certain types of land surveying monuments without replacing them, with exceptions for transportation department employees and contractors.

  • Adds new sections defining 'geodetic control monument', 'historic land surveying monument', and 'property corner monument'.
  • Makes it a crime to intentionally move, alter, destroy, or remove these types of monuments without replacing them.
  • Specifies that transportation department employees and contractors are exempt from this offense when performing official duties.
  • The amendment does not specify penalties for violations other than stating they are Class A misdemeanors.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1814

Plain English: The amendment adds new protections for land surveying monuments by making it illegal to move, alter, destroy, or remove them without replacing them, with certain exceptions.

  • Defines three types of land surveying monuments: geodetic control monument, historic land surveying monument, and property corner monument.
  • Makes it a crime for anyone except employees or contractors of the Department of Transportation to intentionally move, alter, destroy, or remove these monuments without replacing them.
  • Classifies this offense as a Class A misdemeanor.
  • The amendment does not specify penalties beyond classifying the violation as a Class A misdemeanor.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  3. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  5. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  6. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  7. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  8. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  9. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0562)

  10. 2026-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/9/2026

  11. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  12. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  13. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

  15. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  16. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/18/2026

  19. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  21. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  23. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  25. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  26. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  27. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  28. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  29. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1814, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 exempts
an employee or contractor of the department of transportation when engaged in the discharge of the employee's or contractor's official duties
from the offense of
intentionally mov
ing
without replacing, alter
ing
, destroy
ing
, or remov
ing
a monument the person knows, or reasonably should know, is a property corner monument, historic land surveying monument, or geodetic control monument.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2026
By Williams

SENATE BILL 1814
By Bailey
SB1814
011142
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39;
Title 62, Chapter 18 and Title 66, relative to land
surveying monuments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Geodetic control monument" means a land surveying monument
established by licensed professional land surveyors and governmental agencies.
A geodetic control monument may be in the form of, but is not limited to, a metal
pin, aluminum disk, brass disk, or other permanent or semi-permanent object, set
in soil, concrete, or rock, and must be marked as a control point or with "do not
disturb" or other language to identify the monument's purpose;
(2) "Historic land surveying monument" means a land surveying
monument established by federal, state, or local governments establishing a
state boundary line, county boundary line, or city boundary line; and
(3) "Property corner monument" means a land surveying monument
established by a licensed professional land surveyor to identify property corners
or property lines, the location and description of which are described in a
recorded document in the register of deeds office of any county in this state. A
property corner monument may be any permanent or semi-permanent object,
including, but not limited to:
(A) Iron or steel pipes, rebar, spikes, nails, or rods;

- 2 - 011142

(B) Concrete markers, including highway right-of-way markers;
(C) Stone or rock, whether natural or set;
(D) Trees, stumps, or temporary wooden stakes;
(E) Markings or scribes made on trees, concrete, or metal; and
(F) Such other monuments as may be described in deeds, on
plats, and in other instruments of record.
(b)
(1) It is an offense for a person to intentionally move without replacing,
alter, destroy, or remove a monument the person knows, or reasonably should
know, is a property corner monument, historic land surveying monument, or
geodetic control monument.
(2) A violation of subdivision (b)(1) is a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.