Landlord and Tenant

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms or the consequences of sharing videos for legal documentation purposes.

Eviction Video Privacy Act

This bill stops participants in eviction processes from sharing videos of serving legal papers without permission and allows victims to sue for damages.

What This Bill Does

• Defines a 'participant in an eviction process' as someone who serves civil process related to evictions, excluding law enforcement officers doing their job.
• Prohibits participants from publishing, transmitting, or broadcasting real-time or near-real-time videos of serving legal papers during evictions without the person's written permission.
• Allows individuals harmed by this violation to sue the violator in court and receive at least $25,000 for each intentional violation, plus actual damages, punitive damages, other forms of equitable relief, and reasonable costs and attorney fees.

Who It Names or Affects

• People involved in eviction processes who serve legal papers
• Individuals being served with eviction notices or related documents

Terms To Know

participant in an eviction process

A private entity or person serving civil process related to evictions, excluding law enforcement officers.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a participant shares videos for legal documentation purposes.
• It is unclear how the bill will be enforced and monitored in practice.

Official Summary Text

Unless authorized by a court order, this bill prohibits a participant in an eviction process from publishing, transmitting, or broadcasting, in real-time or near real-time, any video of the service of civil process upon an individual without the express
written permission of the individual.

"PARTICIPANT IN AN EVICTION PROCESS" DEFINED

As used in this bill, a "participant in an eviction process" means a private entity or person who is serving civil process related to an eviction proceeding or a person affiliated with a private entity or person who is serving civil process related to an
eviction proceeding, and does not include a law enforcement officer serving civil process related to an eviction proceeding while engaged in the law enforcement officer's official duties.

PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION

This bill provides that an individual who is a victim of a violation of this bill has a private right of action against a person violating this bill. A court may award a victim of a violation who prevails in such an action (i) a minimum of $25,000 in st
atutory damages per intentional violation of this bill, (ii) actual damages, (iii) punitive damages, (iv) other forms of equitable relief, and (v) reasonable costs and attorney fees.

ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1993, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that a participant in an eviction process is prohibited from publishing, transmitting, or broadcasting, in real-time or near real-time, in a manner that is accessible to the public, any video of the service or execution of civil pr
ocess related to an eviction proceeding upon an individual without the express written permission of the individual if the publishing, transmitting, or broadcasting is for any purpose other than legal documentation of the service or execution of the civil
p
rocess.

This amendment also provides that the prohibition described in the summary does not apply to a participant in an eviction process who publishes, transmits, or broadcasts, in real-time or near real-time, a video of the service or execution of civil proces
s, which includes an eviction notice, a judgment of possession, and a writ of possession, related to an eviction proceeding to any of the following, or the following's designees:



The landlord in the eviction proceeding


The property owner in the eviction proceeding


Counsel for the landlord or property owner


A law enforcement agency


The court with jurisdiction over the eviction proceeding


The property management company for the property in the eviction proceeding

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2041
By Parkinson

SENATE BILL 1993
By Lamar
SB1993
009749
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 13;
Title 29 and Title 66, relative to evictions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29, Chapter 18, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, "participant in an eviction process" means a private
entity or person who is serving civil process related to an eviction proceeding or a
person affiliated with a private entity or person who is serving civil process related to an
eviction proceeding, and does not include a law enforcement officer serving civil process
related to an eviction proceeding while engaged in the law enforcement officer's official
duties.
(b) Notwithstanding title 39, chapter 13, part 6 to the contrary and unless
authorized by a court order, a participant in an eviction process is prohibited from
publishing, transmitting, or broadcasting, in real-time or near real-time, any video of the
service of civil process upon an individual without the express written permission of the
individual.
(c)
(1) An individual who is a victim of a violation of subsection (b) has a
private right of action against a person violating this section.
(2) A court may award a victim of a violation of subsection (b) who
prevails in an action under this subsection (c):
(A) A minimum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in
statutory damages per intentional violation of subsection (b);

- 2 - 009749

(B) Actual damages;
(C) Punitive damages, pursuant to § 29-39-104;
(D) Other forms of equitable relief; and
(E) Reasonable costs and attorney fees.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.