AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, relative to ticket sales.
SB2503, known as the “Fair Access to Non-Inflated Seats (FANS) Act,” would create a new set of rules governing the sale and resale of event tickets in Tennessee. The bill defines key terms such as bots, speculative tickets, primary ticket sellers, resale platforms, professional resellers, and ticket issuers, and then prohibits the sale or listing of speculative tickets. It also bars the use of bots or other methods to evade ticket limits, waiting rooms, presale codes, or security controls, and requires primary ticketing platforms to report known circumvention attempts to the attorney general.
The bill places substantial restrictions on the secondary ticket market. It would cap resale prices at the original total ticket price, limit resale fees to 10 percent, require seller certifications that tickets are in hand and not bot-acquired, and impose disclosure obligations on resale platforms regarding seller identity, location, and status as a professional reseller or fan seller. It also requires platforms to remove prohibited listings quickly, maintain records, and provide complaint mechanisms, while prohibiting misuse of artists’ or venues’ names and branding in ways that imply affiliation or endorsement without written consent.
The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Title 47 by adding a new part to the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act framework and by revising existing ticket-resale provisions in Title 47, Chapter 50. It would make violations of the new ticket-resale rules unfair or deceptive acts under the Consumer Protection Act, giving the attorney general broad enforcement authority and allowing significant civil penalties. It also deletes one existing section of law and adds a new statutory definition and prohibition on speculative ticket sales for third-party ticket resellers, enforced by the Division of Consumer Affairs with a separate $5,000-per-violation penalty. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, and would affect ticket issuers, venues, artists, promoters, resale platforms, third-party resellers, and consumers buying event tickets in Tennessee.
Based on the bill text, the measure is clearly framed as consumer-protection legislation aimed at curbing ticket scalping, bot-driven purchasing, deceptive resale practices, and inflated resale prices. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of legislative debate or formal support/opposition in the available materials. The structure and enforcement provisions suggest a strong policy preference for tighter regulation of the ticket marketplace and greater transparency for buyers.
The main likely points of contention are the bill’s broad limits on resale pricing and fees, its restrictions on transferability, and its compliance burdens on resale platforms and sellers. Ticket resellers and resale marketplaces may object to the price cap, the 10 percent fee ceiling, mandatory seller certifications, disclosure of seller location and identity, and liability for bot-acquired tickets. Artists, venues, promoters, and primary ticket sellers are more likely to support the bill’s anti-bot and anti-scalping provisions, especially the ability to restrict transfers and control presales, while consumer advocates may favor the transparency and refund protections. No specific disagreements are documented in the provided voting or transcript record.