Privacy Law Library

Unmanned aircraft image capture and surveillance law

Tenn. Drone Surveillance Law

Location · Other

Makes it a crime to use a drone to capture images of a person or privately owned real property in Tennessee with intent to conduct surveillance, and to keep or share such images. Later amendments add drone restrictions over large ticketed events, fireworks sites, correctional facilities, and critical infrastructure. Destroying or ceasing to share an image once its unlawful origin is known is a defense.

Where
Tennessee
Citation
Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 39-13-901 to 39-13-907 (2014 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 876, SB 1892)
Status
In force
In force since
2014-07-01
Enforced by
District attorneys (criminal prosecution)
People can sue
No
Penalties
Capturing an image of an individual or private property with intent to conduct surveillance is a Class C misdemeanor; possessing an unlawfully captured image is a Class C misdemeanor and disclosing or using it is a Class B misdemeanor, with each image a separate offense.
Applies to
  • Any person using an unmanned aircraft (drone) to capture images in Tennessee, and anyone who possesses or distributes unlawfully captured images
  • Many listed exceptions, including university research, FAA test sites, military, mapping, land surveying, utilities, pipelines, property-owner consent, law enforcement under § 39-13-609, and public property

Practices it requires

  • Do not use a drone to capture an image of an individual or privately owned real property with intent to conduct surveillance, unless an exception such as the property owner's consent applies.Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 39-13-902(a), 39-13-903(a)(1)
  • Do not possess, disclose, display, distribute, or use an image captured in violation of § 39-13-903; destroy it once you know it was unlawfully captured.Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-904
  • Without consent, do not use a drone to capture images at ticketed open-air events with more than 100 people, or to surveil critical infrastructure within 250 feet.Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-903(a)(3), (a)(6)

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.

Unverified: Amendments adding event, fireworks, correctional-facility, and critical-infrastructure provisions were not individually dated, so last_amended is null; penalty classes for those later subdivisions were not confirmed.

Research reference, not legal advice.