Tennessee House Bill HB0480

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/28/25
• Refer: 2/5/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 3/26/25
• Chaptered: 4/30/25
• Passed: 4/30/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62 and Title 66, Chapter 5, Part 1, relative to surveyors.

Summary

HB0480 amends Tennessee law governing real property conveyances by requiring that the description of real property in a deed of conveyance for property not previously described in a recorded instrument be prepared by a licensed, registered land surveyor. The bill ties this requirement to the existing statutory definition and registration framework for land surveyors in Tennessee law. The measure creates a new rule in Title 66, Chapter 5, Part 1, while referencing Title 62’s surveyor licensing provisions. It also exempts deeds of conveyance prepared by or for a governmental department or agency, meaning the new surveyor-prepared description requirement applies to private conveyances but not to government-related transactions. The act took effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill changes Tennessee property and recording law by adding a professional-preparation requirement for first-time legal descriptions of real property in deeds. It affects land surveyors, attorneys, title professionals, property owners, and anyone involved in drafting deeds for previously undescribed property, while leaving governmental conveyances outside the new mandate. In practice, it is intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of deed descriptions for newly conveyed property.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have had strong, bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It advanced unanimously through the House Cities & Counties Subcommittee and the House State & Local Government Committee, then passed the House on consent calendar with 93 yeas and 0 nays. The lack of recorded dissent suggests the measure was viewed as a technical, professional standards bill rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No substantive opposition is reflected in the available committee or floor records. The only notable policy distinction in the text is the exemption for deeds prepared by or for governmental departments or agencies, which limits the new requirement to private conveyances. Any potential concern would likely center on added drafting costs or procedural burdens for private property transactions, but no member objections or debate are provided in the record.