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SB2434 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 49, relative to unmanned aircraft over schools.

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Active

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

Sponsor
Crowe, Jones R
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 1 - HA0978)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about the penalties, but it is mentioned in the official digest text that it creates a Class C misdemeanor offense for knowingly using an unmanned aircraft over school grounds.

Unmanned Aircraft Over Schools

This bill makes it illegal to use an unmanned aircraft over school grounds for surveillance without permission and sets penalties.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new law that says using an unmanned aircraft (like a drone) over the area of a public K-12 school is against the rules if done with the intent to conduct surveillance without getting permission from someone in charge at the school.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who might want to fly unmanned aircraft (like drones) over public K-12 school grounds for surveillance purposes without permission.
  • School administrators, directors of schools, or their designees who can give permission for drone use.

Terms To Know

Unmanned Aircraft
A flying machine that does not have a person on board, like a drone.
Surveillance
Watching or monitoring an area to gather information.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies if someone uses the unmanned aircraft with the intent to conduct surveillance without permission.
  • It does not apply to law enforcement officers doing their job, commercial drone operators who have special federal permits, or those using drones for commercial purposes authorized by the FAA.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2147

Plain English: The amendment adds a new law that makes it illegal to use an unmanned aircraft (like a drone) over school grounds without permission from school officials, with some exceptions for law enforcement and commercial operators.

  • Adds a new subdivision (a)(5) to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-903, which prohibits using an unmanned aircraft over public K-12 schools without permission from school administrators or designated officials.
  • Updates the penalties for offenses under subdivisions (a)(7), making it a Class E felony instead of a previous classification.
  • Modifies Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-902 to exclude surveillance prohibited by § 39-13-903(a)(5) from its scope.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact penalties for violations of subdivision (a)(5), only that it is a Class E felony if related to subdivision (a)(7).
Amendment 1-0 to SB2434

Plain English: The amendment adds a new law that makes it illegal to use an unmanned aircraft (like a drone) over school grounds without permission from school officials, with exceptions for law enforcement.

  • Adds a new subdivision (a)(5) in Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-903, which prohibits using an unmanned aircraft over public K-12 schools without permission from school administrators or designated personnel.
  • Updates the penalties for offenses under Section 39-13-903(a), making violations of subdivision (a)(7) a Class E felony and other specified violations a Class C misdemeanor.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how this new law will be enforced or what the exact penalties are for violating it, beyond classifying certain offenses as felonies or misdemeanors.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 1 - HA0978)

  2. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/13/2026

  3. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 73, Nays 14, PNV 2

  4. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0978)

  5. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  8. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  10. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  11. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0756)

  12. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/7/2026

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  16. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/1/2026

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  23. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/17/2026

  24. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  27. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  28. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  29. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  30. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  31. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  32. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  33. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2434, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that the bill only applies to knowingly using an unmanned aircraft over the grounds of a public school that serves students in any of the grades K-12 with the intent to conduct surveillance of the school grounds without permission
of a school administrator, the director of schools, or the director's designee. It also does not apply to a law enforcement officer acting within the scope of the law enforcement officer's lawful duties.

ON APRIL 7, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2434 FOR HOUSE BILL 2147, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2434, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that the bill also does not apply to the operator of an unmanned aircraft that is being used for a commercial purpose if the operator is authorized by the federal aviation administration to conduct operations in that airspace.

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #
1
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2147
By Jones R

SENATE BILL 2434
By Crowe
SB2434
012141
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39
and Title 49, relative to unmanned aircraft over
schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-903(a)(6), is amended by
deleting "subdivision (a)(6)" in subdivisions (a)(6)(B) and (a)(6)(C) and substituting "subdivision
(a)(7)".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-903(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision (5) and renumbering the subsequent subdivisions:
(5) Knowingly uses an unmanned aircraft over the grounds of a school;
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-903, is amended by deleting
subsection (b) and substituting:
(b)
(1) An offense under subdivisions (a)(1)-(6) is a Class C misdemeanor.
(2) An offense under subdivision (a)(7) is a Class E felony.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.