AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 66, relative to leases.
This bill restricts landlords from prohibiting tenants from lawfully possessing, carrying, transporting, or storing firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition in their leased residential premises or dwelling units, as well as in tenant parking areas and the limited common areas needed to enter or exit those spaces. It applies to residential leases and rental agreements and also bars landlords from using lease terms or property rules to interfere with that lawful possession, subject to the bill’s specific conditions.
The bill allows landlords to require tenants to keep firearms concealed, holstered, or in a carrying container when moving between a vehicle and the residence or while in common areas such as hallways and elevators. If a tenant does not comply with those requirements, the landlord may demand compliance and use other remedies expressly provided in the lease or rental agreement, so long as those remedies do not ban lawful possession inside the tenant’s home. The bill also creates a private right of action for tenants harmed by a violation, allowing declaratory and injunctive relief, actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, while shielding landlords from civil liability solely for complying with the law.
The bill adds new sections to Tennessee’s landlord-tenant statutes in Title 66, creating firearm-related limits on what landlords may include in residential lease terms and property rules. It also amends the landlord rule-enforcement statute to make clear that a landlord’s rules are invalid if they conflict with the new firearm protections. The law excludes several categories of property and facilities, including state-leased premises, certain mental health and child services facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care and memory care facilities, some independent living facilities, and educational property subject to Tennessee’s weapons restrictions. The act applies prospectively to agreements and rules entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027.
The available voting history suggests the bill had meaningful support in committee, advancing 7-2 in the House Business and Utilities Subcommittee and 14-3 in the House Commerce Committee. The bill’s final enactment indicates it ultimately cleared both chambers and was signed into law. Overall, the sentiment appears favorable among supporters of firearm rights and property-rights limitations on landlords, with enough opposition to show the issue remained politically contested.
The main point of contention is the balance between a tenant’s right to keep firearms in a home and a landlord’s ability to regulate conduct in shared or common areas of rental property. Supporters likely viewed the bill as protecting lawful gun ownership in rented housing and preventing landlords from imposing broader firearm bans, while opponents likely objected to limiting landlord discretion and creating potential liability for lease restrictions. Additional sensitivity arises from the bill’s exceptions for health care, care facilities, and educational property, which reflect concerns about safety in higher-risk or regulated settings.