AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 49, relative to unmanned aircraft over schools.
Summary
HB2147 amends Tennessee law to create a new offense for knowingly using an unmanned aircraft, or drone, over the grounds of a public K-12 school with the intent to conduct surveillance without permission from a school administrator, the director of schools, or a designee. The bill also makes conforming changes to existing drone-related provisions in Title 39 and Title 49 so the new school-specific restriction fits within Tennessee’s broader unmanned aircraft and surveillance statutes.
The measure exempts law enforcement officers acting within the scope of their duties and commercial drone operators who are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate in that airspace. It classifies violations of the affected misdemeanor provisions as Class C misdemeanors, while preserving a separate Class E felony category for another existing subdivision in the same statute. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
The bill expands Tennessee’s criminal code by adding a school-focused drone surveillance prohibition to Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-903 and by updating related definitions in § 39-13-902. It narrows lawful drone use over public school property by requiring permission for surveillance flights and creates a new basis for criminal liability when that permission is absent. The law affects drone operators, school administrators, law enforcement, and commercial aviation users, while leaving federally authorized commercial operations and police activity outside the new restriction.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill in committee, with unanimous favorable votes in both the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee (7-0) and the House Judiciary Committee (16-0). No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous votes suggest the bill was viewed positively and as a targeted public-safety measure rather than a controversial expansion of criminal law.
Contention
The main policy issue is the balance between school safety and drone use rights. Support appears to center on preventing unauthorized aerial surveillance of school grounds and protecting student privacy and campus security. Potential concerns, though not reflected in recorded opposition, would likely involve the scope of the surveillance ban, how “intent to conduct surveillance” is interpreted, and whether the exceptions for law enforcement and FAA-authorized commercial operators are sufficiently clear. The unanimous committee votes indicate no recorded contention at the committee stage.