Highways, Roads and Bridges

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3 and Title 54, relative to highway traffic noise.

Active

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

Sponsor: Lowe, Lafferty
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how noise barriers are defined beyond mentioning walls and berms.

Highway Traffic Noise Study Act

This bill allows counties and municipalities to request traffic noise studies from the Department of Transportation when trees are removed near residential areas along highways.

What This Bill Does

Allows a county or city government to ask the state's transportation department to do a study about how loud traffic is near homes.
Requires that this study can only happen if trees have been cut down for reasons not related to building roads, and there are no noise barriers already in place.
Specifies that the cost of doing the study must be paid by the county or city before it starts.

Who It Names or Affects

County and municipal governments
Residents living near highways where trees have been removed

Terms To Know

Noise Barrier: A wall, berm, or other structure that reduces traffic noise.
Tree Zone: An area with dense trees that block the view and sound of highways.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much a study will cost.
It is unclear what happens if a county or city cannot afford to pay for the study.

Amendments

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

HA0836

Amendment 1-0 to HB2009

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement that counties or municipalities must pay for the costs of conducting a highway traffic noise study before it can begin.

Adds a new subsection (b) to require payment from requesting counties or municipalities before a highway traffic noise study can be conducted.

The amendment does not specify how much the cost of the study will be or what factors determine this cost.
It is unclear if there are any exceptions to the requirement for upfront payment.

SA0946

Amendment 1-0 to SB2027

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement that counties or municipalities must pay for the costs of conducting a highway traffic noise study before it can begin.

Adds a new subsection (b) to SECTION 1, requiring counties or municipalities to cover the actual cost of a highway traffic noise study if approved by the department.

The amendment does not specify how much the studies will cost or what happens if a county or municipality cannot afford to pay for the study.

Bill History

2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., as am., Ayes 91, Nays 4, PNV 0
2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly
H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0836)
2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026
2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026
2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/7/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 11, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/1/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Transportation Committee
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/17/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 2/25/2026
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Transportation and Safety Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2009, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1
requires the department, if the department approves the request to conduct a highway traffic noise study, to submit to the requesting county or municipality an invoice of the actual cost to conduct the study. The study must not be conducted until the cos
t is paid to the department by the requesting county or municipality.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 2009
By Lafferty

SENATE BILL 2027
By Lowe
SB2027
011271
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4,
Chapter 3 and Title 54, relative to highway traffic
noise.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 54, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A county or municipality, by resolution of its legislative body, may request the
department of transportation conduct a highway traffic noise study for residential
properties located along the sound propagation path of a state highway, including a state
highway that is part of the interstate and national defense highway system, if:
(1) A tree zone has been removed, cut, or cleared behind the residential
properties for purposes unrelated to construction of a state highway or physical
alteration of an existing state highway; and
(2) There is no existing shielding or noise barrier.
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Noise barrier" means a physical obstruction that is constructed
between a state highway and residential properties that lowers the highway traffic
noise level, including stand-alone noise walls, noise berms, whether earth or
other material, or a combination of such berm and wall systems;
(2) "Shielding" means a man-made or natural structure or barrier that
provides an auditory barrier between residential properties and a state highway,
including the top of a cut or an intervening hill; and

- 2 - 011271

(3) "Tree zone" means a region of woods and undergrowth or several
rows of trees that are sufficiently dense to completely or substantially block the
view along the sound propagation path of a state highway.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.