Electronic tracking of motor vehicles
Tenn. Vehicle Tracking Law
Location
Makes it a crime to knowingly install or hide an electronic tracking device on a motor vehicle to monitor its occupants without the consent of all owners, and bars lessors from tracking leased vehicles without the lessee's consent. Exceptions cover law enforcement investigations, parents monitoring a minor child in a vehicle they own or lease, stolen goods or stolen vehicles, and manufacturer-installed systems.
- Where
- Tennessee
- Citation
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-606 (as amended by 2016 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860)
- Status
- In force
- Last amended
- 2016-07-01
- Enforced by
- District attorneys (criminal prosecution)
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- Class A misdemeanor.
- Applies to
- Any person who places an electronic tracking device in or on a motor vehicle, including lessors of vehicles
- Does not apply to vehicle manufacturers' installed tracking systems
Practices it requires
- Do not knowingly install, conceal, or place a tracking device on a motor vehicle to monitor or follow its occupants without the consent of all owners.Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-606(a)(1)(A)
- A lessor may not install a tracking device on a leased vehicle without the lessee's consent.Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-606(a)(1)(B)
Other duties
- Exceptions for law enforcement, parental monitoring of a minor child, tracking stolen goods or vehicles, and manufacturer-installed systems.Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-606(b)-(c)
Sources
- Official text
- 2016 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 860 (HB 2095), adding the lessor rule, Tennessee Secretary of State
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-606 (2025 code text and history, Justia)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Original 1997 act (ch. 339) and the 2014 amendment (ch. 790) were not fetched, so effective_date is null; the 2016 amendment took effect July 1, 2016.
Research reference, not legal advice.