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SB2354 • 2026

Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 44 and Title 70, relative to possession of wildlife.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Hensley, Capley
Last action
2026-04-15
Official status
Transmitted to Governor for action.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the consequences of not meeting the conditions for keeping a raccoon without paying the fee.

Tennessee Wildlife Possession Act

This bill changes Tennessee's wildlife possession laws to allow people to keep raccoons without paying a $150 fee under certain conditions and reduces the time limit for reporting injuries caused by captive wildlife.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows people to possess raccoons without paying a $150 personal possession permit fee if the raccoon is from a legal source, vaccinated, non-native, not captured in the wild, and has an issued possession permit.
  • Reduces the time limit for reporting injuries caused by captive wildlife from 48 hours to 24 hours.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to possess raccoons in Tennessee
  • The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)

Terms To Know

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)
A state agency responsible for managing wildlife and enforcing related laws.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the conditions for keeping a raccoon without paying the fee are not met.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect enforcement or compliance with existing wildlife possession regulations.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2499

Plain English: The amendment allows people to keep raccoons without paying a personal possession fee if certain conditions are met.

  • Adds an exception in Tennessee law that permits keeping raccoons without a personal possession permit fee under specific circumstances.
  • The exact legal sources and requirements for obtaining vaccinated, non-native raccoons are not detailed in the amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2354

Plain English: The amendment allows people to keep raccoons without paying a personal possession fee if certain conditions are met.

  • Adds an exception in Tennessee law that permits keeping raccoons without a personal possession permit fee under specific circumstances.
  • The exact details of what constitutes a 'legal source' and the process for obtaining a possession permit from the agency are not specified in this amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  4. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  5. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 78, Nays 14, PNV 0

  6. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0776)

  7. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  8. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  12. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Calendar & Rules Committee to Next Avail. Cal.

  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

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  17. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 0

  18. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0703)

  19. 2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  24. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/11/2026

  25. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/11/2026

  26. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  27. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  28. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 23, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2354, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
ewrites this bill to authorize a person to possess a raccoon without the payment of the $150 personal possession permit fee, which is require
d
under present law, if:

(1)
The raccoon is o
btained from a legal source and has been vaccinated;

(2)
The raccoon is n
on-native and was not captured from the wild; and

(3) A possession permit for the raccoon has been issued by TWRA.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2499
By Capley

SENATE BILL 2354
By Hensley
SB2354
012071
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39;
Title 44 and Title 70, relative to possession of
wildlife.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 70-4-416, is amended by deleting
"forty-eight (48) hours" and substituting "twenty-four (24) hours".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.