Tennessee Senate Bill SB1772

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/20/26
• Engrossed: 3/9/26
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/22/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 54 and Title 64, Chapter 9, relative to enforcement of traffic laws on designated private roadways within the megasite of West Tennessee.

Summary

SB1772 creates a new Tennessee law allowing a county or municipal law enforcement agency, together with the authority governing the West Tennessee megasite, to enter into a written agreement to enforce state traffic laws on certain privately owned roads inside the megasite. The bill defines these roads as “designated private megasite roadways” and limits the arrangement to roads that are privately owned, not dedicated to public use, and specifically identified in the agreement by legal description or map. Under the agreement, sworn peace officers may patrol the roadway, issue citations, and enforce Tennessee traffic laws in the same manner as on a public street. The private roadway owner or operator must install and maintain traffic-control devices and speed-limit signs consistent with the MUTCD, and must post notice at entrances that state and local traffic laws are enforced there. The agreement must be approved by the megasite authority’s board and by the relevant county or municipal governing body, and either party may terminate it with 30 days’ written notice.

Impact

The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 64, Chapter 9, and interacts with Title 55 traffic-law provisions by temporarily deeming covered private megasite roads to be “highways” for the limited purpose of traffic enforcement. It authorizes local law enforcement to apply traffic statutes and issue citations on those private roads, while expressly preserving private ownership, preventing any public dedication or right of access, and avoiding any transfer of maintenance or design responsibility to government. It also clarifies that private security does not gain police powers and that other agencies with concurrent jurisdiction are not barred from enforcing traffic laws there.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support for the bill. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, then cleared the Senate floor 32-0 on third consideration, and later passed the House 87-1. The lack of committee testimony or recorded debate in the provided materials suggests the measure was viewed as a practical, limited-scope traffic enforcement tool rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

The main policy issue embedded in the bill is the balance between public enforcement authority and private property rights. Supporters appear to favor giving local officers clear authority to enforce traffic laws on roads serving the West Tennessee megasite, likely to improve safety and operational consistency in a major industrial development. Potential concerns addressed by the bill include avoiding any implication that the roads become public, ensuring the government does not assume maintenance obligations, and preventing private security from exercising law-enforcement powers. The near-unanimous votes indicate little visible opposition, though the single dissenting House vote suggests at least minimal concern or objection from one member.