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SB2053 • 2026

County Government

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13 and Title 68, relative to local government approval.

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Active

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

Sponsor
Yager, Hicks G
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Senate Reset on calendar for 4/20/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Local Approval for Quarry and Digital Asset Mining Facilities

This bill requires local government approval before a quarry or digital asset mining facility can be built in Tennessee, with specific notice requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires local legislative bodies to approve the location of quarries and digital asset mining facilities in public meetings.
  • Specifies that there must be at least 21 days' notice for these public meetings.
  • Requiring notices to be published in a county newspaper, posted on the local government's website, and physically placed near the proposed site.
  • Requires notification by mail to residents within 500 yards of the proposed facility location.
  • Defines what constitutes a 'digital asset mining facility' for the purposes of this bill.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local legislative bodies in Tennessee
  • Residents near proposed quarry and digital asset mining sites
  • Companies planning to build quarries or digital asset mining facilities

Terms To Know

digital asset mining facility
A group of computers working at a single site that consume more than one megawatt of energy annually for securing blockchain protocols and generating electronic records.
quarry
The extraction, removal, and processing of solid minerals or substances from natural deposits in the earth.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill applies only to facilities constructed on or after July 1, 2026.
  • It does not specify what happens if a local legislative body denies approval for a facility.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1827

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for local governments to approve proposed quarries and digital asset mining facilities, ensuring these operations meet certain safety and environmental standards before they can be established.

  • Local legislative bodies must now approve the establishment of nuisance quarries or digital asset mining facilities through a public resolution process after providing notice in various ways.
  • Applicants for such facilities are required to submit detailed proof, including traffic impact studies, environmental assessments, noise management plans, and financial assurances, before approval can be granted.
  • The amendment text is truncated at the end, so some requirements or details may have been omitted.
  • Specific definitions for terms like 'digital asset mining facility' and 'nuisance quarry' are provided to clarify what facilities this applies to.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1827

Plain English: The amendment removes part of Tennessee law that defines what a 'nuisance quarry' is in certain counties.

  • Removes the definition of 'nuisance quarry' for proposed quarries located in specific population ranges within certain counties.
  • The exact impact and reason behind removing this part of the law are not clear from the provided text alone.
Amendment 3-0 to HB1827

Plain English: The amendment changes the definition of 'nuisance quarry' to apply only to certain counties with specific population ranges and sets a limit on how close quarries can be to homes.

  • Changes the definition of 'nuisance quarry' to include only proposed quarries in counties with populations between 54,800 and 54,900 according to recent census data.
  • Requires that a nuisance quarry must have less than 200 contiguous acres of land for its operation.
  • The amendment text does not specify the full impact or other details about how this change will affect existing quarries or regulations beyond these specific conditions.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2053

Plain English: The amendment changes the definition of 'quarry' in Tennessee law by excluding certain types of excavation related to advanced transportation systems.

  • Removes and replaces part of the existing law that defines what a quarry is, specifically adding an exclusion for excavations made primarily for subterranean tunnels designed for modern transportation methods.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how this change will be enforced or its impact on current regulations and practices.
  • It's unclear what specific 'emerging technology' the amendment refers to, leaving room for interpretation.
Amendment 2-0 to SB2053

Plain English: The amendment changes the definition of 'quarry' in Tennessee law by excluding certain types of excavation related to advanced transportation systems.

  • Removes and replaces part of the existing definition of 'quarry' to exclude excavations or removals that are incidental to building tunnels for electric, autonomous, or low-emission vehicles.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how this exclusion will be enforced or regulated.
  • It is unclear what specific types of transportation systems and technologies would qualify under the new definition.
Amendment 3-0 to SB2053

Plain English: The amendment requires local governments to approve new quarries and digital asset mining facilities through a public resolution process with specific notice requirements.

  • Local legislative bodies must approve the establishment of quarries and digital asset mining facilities within their jurisdiction by passing a public resolution after providing at least 21 days' notice.
  • Notice for the approval meeting must be given in multiple ways, including newspapers, websites, physical postings, and mailed notices to nearby residents.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if local governments do not approve a facility or how existing facilities are affected.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 4/16/2026

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/20/2026

  4. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/8/2026

  5. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 4/8/2026

  6. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  7. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/6/2026

  8. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/2/2026

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  11. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on next avail. cal.

  12. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  13. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  15. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/30/2026

  17. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/23/2026

  21. 2026-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/16/2026

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  24. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  26. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  27. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Cities & Counties Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  29. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Cities & Counties Subcommittee

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  35. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  37. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Prior to any quarry or digital asset
mining facility being located in a
city or
county, including a county with a metropolitan form of government,
this bill requires
the appropriate local legislative body
to
approve the location for such facility in a public meeting.
As used in such provision, a
"
d
igital asset mining facility" means a group of computers working at a single site that consume more than one megawatt of energy on an average annual basis for the purpose of securing a blockchain protocol and generating controllable electronic recor
ds
.

NOTICE

This bill requires
at least
a 21-
day notice of the time and place of any meeting described
above.
The notice must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, placed on the local legislative body's official website, and posted in at least three places at the location where the proposed quarry or digital asset mining facility will
be constructed. The local legislative body
must
also notify by first class mail each resident whose property is within 500 yards of the proposed location.

APPLICABILITY

This bill applies to any
proposed quarry or digital asset mining facility that will be constructed on or after
July 1, 2026
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1827
By Hicks G

SENATE BILL 2053
By Yager
SB2053
011319
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5;
Title 6; Title 7; Title 13 and Title 68, relative to
local government approval.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 7, Chapter 51, is amended by adding
the following as a new part:
7-51-2801.
(a) Prior to any quarry or digital asset mining facility being located in a county,
including a county with a metropolitan form of government, or city, the appropriate local
legislative body must approve the location for such facility in a public meeting.
(b) There must be at least twenty-one (21) calendar days' notice of the time and
place of any meeting described in subsection (a). The notice must be published in a
newspaper of general circulation in the county, placed on the local legislative body's
official website, and posted in at least three (3) places at the location where the
proposed quarry or digital asset mining facility will be constructed. The local legislative
body shall also notify by first class mail each resident whose property is within five
hundred (500) yards of the proposed location.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) "Digital asset mining facility" means a group of computers working at
a single site that consume more than one (1) megawatt of energy on an average
annual basis for the purpose of securing a blockchain protocol and generating
controllable electronic records; and

- 2 - 011319

(2) "Quarry" means the extraction, removal, and mechanized processing
of stone, gravel, phosphate rock, metallic ore, limestone, marble, chert, sand,
dimension stone, or any other solid mineral or substance of commercial value,
except coal and deep metal mining, including, but not limited to, zinc, found in
natural deposits in the earth, for barter or sale.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to any proposed quarry or digital asset mining facility that will be constructed on or after
that date.