Tennessee Senate Bill SB0213

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/16/25
• Engrossed: 2/24/25
• Enrolled: 3/18/25
• Passed: 3/25/25
• Chaptered: 4/8/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 17 and Title 62, Chapter 19, relative to auctions of previously titled motor vehicles that are antique or unique.

Summary

SB0213 creates a narrow exemption from Tennessee motor vehicle dealer licensing requirements for the sale or purchase of previously titled antique or unique motor vehicles when those transactions occur through an auction format tied to a motor vehicle festival. The exemption applies only to festivals held at a municipal convention center in a county meeting a very specific population range and where part of the festival proceeds are donated to a hospital neurological institute in that same county. The bill amends two separate code sections—one in Title 55 and one in Title 62—to ensure the exemption applies across the relevant dealer-licensing provisions. The exemption is temporary. Both new subsections are repealed on October 22, 2025, and the act itself takes effect October 17, 2025. In practical terms, the bill allows a limited, location-specific event to conduct antique or unique vehicle auctions without requiring a motor vehicle dealer license, while leaving the general licensing framework in place for other sales and auctions.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 55-17-120 and 62-19-128 to carve out a special, time-limited exception from dealer licensing rules for certain antique or unique vehicle auctions. It does not broadly change dealer licensing law statewide; instead, it creates a highly specific exemption tied to a municipal convention center, a county population bracket, and charitable proceeds supporting a neurological institute. The effect is to permit a particular festival-based auction model to proceed without dealer licensure during the bill’s short effective period.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support for the bill. The Senate Transportation and Safety Committee recommended passage by a 9-0 vote, and the Senate floor adopted the measure 33-0. No committee transcript is available, but the lack of recorded opposition suggests the bill was viewed as a limited, noncontroversial accommodation for a special event rather than a major policy change.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The main feature that could draw attention is the bill’s highly tailored, population-specific language, which effectively limits the exemption to a single locality and event structure. That kind of specificity can sometimes raise concerns about special legislation or unequal treatment, but no opposition is reflected in the votes provided. The charitable donation requirement and the temporary sunset likely helped frame the measure as a narrow, event-specific exception rather than a broad deregulation of vehicle auctions.