Tennessee House Bill HB0848

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/3/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 42; Title 56 and Title 66, relative to drones.

Summary

HB0848 is a narrow directive bill concerning drones. It amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 42-2-301(f), to require the relevant study body to examine the laws and regulations of other states that restrict drone operations over private property. The bill does not itself create new drone restrictions, penalties, or enforcement mechanisms in Tennessee; instead, it directs a comparative legal review. In practical terms, the measure is a research or interim-study provision aimed at informing future policy on privacy, trespass, and unmanned aircraft use. By focusing on how other states regulate drones over private land, the bill appears intended to gather information that could support later legislation addressing property owners’ rights and drone operators’ obligations.

Impact

The bill makes a limited change to state law by adding a new study topic to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 42-2-301(f). It affects the state’s legislative study process rather than substantive criminal, civil, aviation, or privacy law. No direct rights or duties are created for drone operators, property owners, law enforcement, or state agencies beyond the obligation to study other states’ restrictions on drones over private property.

Sentiment

Because there are no committee transcripts, votes, or recorded debate in the provided materials, the bill’s sentiment cannot be measured from discussion history. Based on the text alone, the bill appears noncontroversial and informational in nature, with a policy focus on gathering data rather than immediately regulating conduct. The absence of recorded opposition or support suggests no documented public disagreement in the available record.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the underlying policy question the study is meant to inform: whether Tennessee should impose restrictions on drones flying over private property, and how such restrictions would balance privacy and property rights against drone use, commerce, and recreation. Any future legislation arising from this study could draw disagreement from property-rights advocates, privacy advocates, hobbyist drone users, commercial operators, and law enforcement. However, this bill itself does not resolve those issues; it only directs the study of how other states handle them.