Tennessee Senate Bill SB0447

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/29/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 6; Title 69 and Title 70, relative to activities on the waters.

Summary

SB0447 amends Tennessee’s water-activity laws to prohibit certain conduct at public access areas, launching areas, docks, boats, and marinas. The bill makes it a violation for a person to engage in an activity, including fishing, that blocks or delays the use of a public access or launching area beyond the time normally needed to launch or retrieve recreational boats. It also prohibits swimming, fishing, or other activities that interfere with the intended use of a dock or that damage a dock, boat, or marina. The bill is framed as an enforcement measure tied to existing penalties under Tennessee Code Annotated § 69-9-219. It takes effect July 1, 2025, and would add a new subsection to the state’s boating and waterway regulations, giving authorities a clearer basis to address obstruction, interference, and damage at shared water access points.

Impact

SB0447 would expand Tennessee’s regulation of conduct on public waters by creating a specific offense for obstructing boat ramps, launch areas, docks, marinas, and related access points. It would affect people using public access areas for fishing, swimming, or other recreational activity, as well as boaters, marina operators, and enforcement officials. The bill does not create a new regulatory scheme, but instead clarifies prohibited conduct and ties violations to existing penalties in the watercraft and boating code.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or partisan division in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a public-safety and access-management approach, likely appealing to boaters, marina operators, and local enforcement interests concerned with congestion and interference at water access points. The absence of recorded opposition or amendment history makes the overall sentiment difficult to assess beyond the bill’s apparent intent to preserve orderly use of public waterways.

Contention

The main point of contention would likely be how broadly the new prohibitions are interpreted and enforced, especially the language covering activities that “inhibit” use of a public access area or “interfere” with the intended use of a dock. Anglers, swimmers, and other recreational users could view the bill as limiting customary shoreline or dockside activity, while boaters and marina operators may support it as necessary to prevent obstruction and damage. Because the bill uses general terms like “another activity” and “interferes,” disputes could arise over what conduct crosses the line from ordinary recreation to a violation.