Tennessee — Registry Rules

• Anyone convicted of a qualifying sexual offense (or an equivalent from another jurisdiction) who lives, works, or studies in Tennessee must register within 48 hours of establishing residence, employment, or enrollment. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-203.
• Initial deadline: 48 hours to register after establishing presence (weekends and legal holidays excluded by statute). See the definition of “within forty-eight (48) hours” in § 40-39-202 and AG Op. 09-05.
• Verification: Violent sexual offenders: quarterly (March, June, September, December). Sexual offenders: annually, within 7 days before/after birthday. See § 40-39-203.
• Primary method: In person with local law enforcement; data is entered in the TBI registry. Fingerprints, palm prints, and photographs as required. See TBI SOR and § 40-39-203.
• ⚠️ Homeless registrants must report monthly. See TBI instructions and § 40-39-204.
• ⚠️ All changes (address, job, school, phone, vehicles, etc.) must be reported within 48 hours; online identifiers (emails, usernames, social media) must be reported within 3 days (excluding holidays). See § 40-39-203(a)(1),(4),(7).
• ⚠️ Failure to register, verify, or update is a felony with escalating minimum jail terms. See § 40-39-204.

Individuals convicted of qualifying offenses listed in § 40-39-202(20) (e.g., rape, sexual battery, child exploitation) and those with comparable out-of-state, federal, or military convictions. Registration duties are triggered by residence, employment, or being a student under § 40-39-203.

Duration: Registration lasts for life unless eligible for removal after 10 years for certain offenses; see Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-207.

• Register within 48 hours of establishing or changing a primary or secondary residence, employment/vocation, or student status. See § 40-39-203(a)(1).
• Return for annual or quarterly verification as required by § 40-39-203(b).
• Report name, address, employment, or school changes within 48 hours. See § 40-39-203(a)(4).
• Report new or changed online identifiers within 3 days (excluding holidays). See § 40-39-203(a)(7).

• Quarterly verification for violent sexual offenders (Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec).
• Annual verification for sexual offenders (7-day window around birthday).
• Monthly reporting for homeless registrants.
• Fingerprints and updated photos as required by the registering agency. See § 40-39-203 and TBI SOR guidance.

Registrants with a minor victim face 1,000-ft residential and work buffers around schools, parks, playgrounds, licensed child-care, and certain other places; they also face limits on living near former victims. See § 40-39-211.

• Do not work or volunteer where you would have direct, unsupervised access to minors if prohibited by § 40-39-211.
• Report job or school changes within 48 hours. See § 40-39-203(a)(1),(4).
• Report emails/usernames/social media changes within 3 days (excluding holidays). See § 40-39-203(a)(7).

• The public website lists identifiers, offense(s), addresses, and photos; victim identities are excluded. See TBI public search and § 40-39-206(d).
• Some registrants (e.g., certain juveniles) may not appear online under statutory and court limits.

• Moving out of TN: notify and complete updates; provide destination details 48 hours before leaving. See § 40-39-203.
• International travel: give 21-day advance notice when possible (International Megan’s Law); coordinate with your registering agency and TBI SOR.

• Primary residence is established after 5 consecutive days in TN. See § 40-39-202(12).
• Secondary residence is triggered at 14 days aggregate in a calendar year or 4 days in any month; workers/students from out of state also trigger at 14 days/year. See § 40-39-202(18).
• If you meet a threshold, register within 48 hours with local law enforcement. See § 40-39-203.

Failure to register/verify/update is a Class E felony with mandatory minimum jail terms that increase for repeat violations; non-compliance can toll removal eligibility. See § 40-39-204 and § 40-39-207.

• Sexual offenders (non-violent) may request termination after 10 years of compliant reporting post-completion of sentence; violent and repeat offenders are lifetime. See § 40-39-207.
• Expungement of the qualifying conviction, where legally available, results in removal consistent with statute. See § 40-39-209.

• Homeless registrants: monthly in-person reporting per TBI practice and § 40-39-204.
• Juveniles typically register only if tried/convicted as adults; see classifications in § 40-39-202.
• No three-or-more registrants may share the same dwelling (limit of two). See § 40-39-211(h).

• Administrative cost up to $150 per year (statute allocates $100 to the registering agency and $50 to TBI); local community notification fee up to $50 may be added. See § 40-39-204(b) and Comptroller guidance.
• State-issued offender ID/verification costs per agency policy; indigency can affect some fees. See § 40-39-204 and TBI instructions.

• Statute: 2024 amendments to § 40-39-202 — 2024 Tenn. Acts; effective 2024-07-01. Clarified that “within forty-eight (48) hours” excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and state/federal holidays. link
• Case: Tennessee AG Op. 09-05 — Tennessee Attorney General (2009-01-23) — AG confirms the 48-hour rule excludes weekends/holidays; next business day applies. link