Tennessee Drone Laws 2026: The Complete Pilot's Guide

On a Saturday in November 2024, federal agents arrested a 24-year-old from Columbia, Tennessee at a staging site outside Nashville. According to the Justice Department's charging documents, Skyler Philippi had a powered-up drone in his hand and an armed explosive device on the ground beside him, and was preparing to fly the drone into a TVA electrical substation. The federal charges are weapon-of-mass-destruction and energy-facility attack counts. The Tennessee statute he would also have run into, if it had ever come to that, is Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-903(a)(6) — a state law that makes flying a drone within 250 feet of any critical-infrastructure facility a felony.

You are not Skyler Philippi. But every drone pilot working in Tennessee is operating in a state where a single bad flight near a TVA substation, a water plant, or a power-generation facility is a Class E felony exposure. That is not the rule in most states. It is the rule in Tennessee, and it sets the tone for the rest of the state's drone framework.

Tennessee's rules sit in three layers. Federal, from the FAA. State, written into Title 39 of the Tennessee Code with a separate aircraft rule from State Parks and a pending wildlife rule from TWRA. Local, where Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga each run their own playbook. A wedding shoot in East Nashville, a roof inspection in Bartlett, a sunset clip over Watts Bar Lake, a Bonnaroo flyover — they all sit inside those same three layers. The guide below covers all three, with primary-source citations, so you can plan a flight that stays legal from pre-takeoff through landing.

What governs drone flight in Tennessee?

Three layers, in this order:

The rest of this article works through each layer in that order.

Federal baseline: what applies everywhere

Before any Tennessee rule kicks in, you are bound by FAA rules. Here is the short version.

• Part 107Commercial operation. If you fly for anything that benefits a business — real estate listings, infrastructure inspection, paid videography, wedding work, farm scouting — you need the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.
• TRUSTThe Recreational UAS Safety Test covers non-commercial flight. Free. Online. Carry the completion certificate. No license required, but the certificate is.
• FAA registrationFive dollars, every drone heavier than 0.55 lb (250 g). The registration number must be visible on the aircraft.
• Remote IDMandatory March 16, 2024. Every drone flown outdoors under FAA rules has to broadcast its ID, location, and altitude. Standard Remote ID, broadcast module, or a FRIA.
• Altitude cap400 feet above ground level for most flights.
• Visual Line of SightYou, or a visual observer in contact with you, keep eyes on the drone. Daylight or civil twilight. Anything outside takes a waiver.
• Controlled airspaceClass B, C, D, and surface-E require LAANC authorization. Nashville (BNA) and Memphis (MEM) are Class C, Knoxville (TYS) is Class C, Chattanooga (CHA) is Class C, and most of downtown Knoxville sits inside the Class D shelf for Island Home Airport (DKX) as well.

Everything that follows is what Tennessee layers on top.

Tennessee state-level drone laws

The 250-foot rule — Tennessee's Class E felony

The most aggressive part of Tennessee's drone framework lives in Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-903(a)(6). Without the business operator's written consent, it is a Class E felony to knowingly fly a drone within 250 feet of the perimeter of any critical-infrastructure facility for the purpose of conducting surveillance, gathering evidence or collecting information about, or photographically or electronically recording, critical-infrastructure data.

A Class E felony in Tennessee carries one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.

What counts as a "critical-infrastructure facility" under § 39-13-903 is broadly defined and includes: (i) electrical power generation systems, the electrical transmission system (any individual component), and electrical distribution substations; (ii) petroleum refineries; (iii) manufacturing facilities that handle hazardous substances; (iv) chemical or rubber manufacturing facilities; (v) petroleum or chemical storage facilities; (vi) water or wastewater treatment facilities; (vii) natural-gas or propane storage, transmission, or distribution infrastructure; (viii) railroad yards and facilities not open to the general public; and (ix) communication service facilities. The Tennessee Valley Authority operates dozens of substations and transmission corridors across the state, and the 250-foot perimeter applies to every one of them.

Two things make this rule unusual. First, the trigger is proximity plus surveillance purpose — not a separate criminal predicate. You don't have to be intending another crime to land in § 39-13-903(a)(6). You just have to be inside 250 feet of the perimeter with a camera rolling, without the operator's written consent. Second, the felony classification is on the high side nationally. Florida's analogous critical-infrastructure rule, § 330.41, is a misdemeanor unless aggravated. Tennessee starts at felony.

If you are doing utility, infrastructure, or industrial work in Tennessee, get written consent from the facility operator before any flight that will put you within 250 feet of the perimeter. Every time. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-902 carves out lawful inspection by or for an electric or natural-gas utility — but that exception requires you to actually be the utility's contractor, with documentation. The statute also expressly preserves operations conducted under FAA authorization for commercial purposes.

Surveillance, ticketed events, fireworks, and prisons — § 39-13-903(a)(1)–(5)

Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-903 also houses Tennessee's everyday-pilot misdemeanors. Subdivisions (a)(1)–(5) are Class C misdemeanors — up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine per offense — but the multiplier is the news. Each unlawfully captured image is a separate offense. A 90-second flight that yields 60 frames over a back yard with a reasonable expectation of privacy is, on its face, 60 misdemeanors.

The misdemeanor portion of the statute prohibits five things:

1. Using a drone to capture an image of an individual or privately owned real property with the intent to conduct surveillance.
2. Using an image in a manner prohibited by the lawful-capture rules in § 39-13-902.
3. Without the venue owner's consent, using a drone to capture an image of an individual or event at — or dropping any item into — an open-air event venue where more than 100 people are gathered for a ticketed event.
4. Knowingly using a drone within or over a designated fireworks discharge site, display site, or fallout area during an event without the owner's consent.
5. Knowingly using a drone over the grounds of a correctional facility.

The 100-person ticketed-event provision is the legal hook for any drone flight over Bonnaroo, CMA Fest, Memphis in May, the Iroquois Steeplechase, or a private ticketed concert in any of the four major metros. Get written consent from the promoter, or stay out.

Criminal trespass extends to drones — § 39-14-405

Tennessee folded drones directly into its criminal-trespass statute. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-405 defines "enter," for trespass purposes, to include causing an unmanned aircraft to enter the airspace above someone's land "not regulated as navigable airspace" by the FAA.

In practice, low-altitude drone overflight of a clearly private parcel without consent is criminal trespass in Tennessee. The statute is a Class C misdemeanor. Three affirmative defenses are available: reasonable belief that consent had been granted, conduct that did not substantially interfere with the owner's use of the property, and immediately leaving the property upon request. The third defense is the operationally useful one. If a property owner waves you off, land and leave.

State parks — written park-manager approval required

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation regulates state-park aircraft use under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-02-02-.02. Drones are aircraft under the rule. Inside the boundary of any Tennessee state park, you need written park-manager approval before takeoff or landing, or you need to be using a designated landing area (most parks have none).

The rule also restricts water operations: no drone use within 500 feet of bathing beaches, boat docks, floats, piers, or ramps, and no operation within one mile of water-controlled structures like dams and spillways.

Tennessee runs more than 50 state parks, including Fall Creek Falls, Cumberland Mountain, Pickett, Roan Mountain, Reelfoot Lake, and Big Ridge. Each park manager handles permission requests case by case. There is no statewide application form. Start with the park you plan to visit, or with TDEC's Division of State Parks directly.

TVA public lands — federal overlay

Layered on top of Tennessee's own rules is the Tennessee Valley Authority's rule on public lands, administered under 18 CFR Part 1304. Public drone operation is prohibited on and over all developed TVA public lands, facilities, and structures — TVA dam reservations, developed recreation areas, power-plant reservations, substations, and transmission lines.

TVA allows public drone operation over undeveloped TVA land and water. Most of the photogenic shoreline on Watts Bar, Norris, Cherokee, Douglas, and Kentucky Lake counts as undeveloped — but the moment you are over the dam itself, a substation, or a TVA recreation area, you are in the prohibited zone. The TVA rule also independently prohibits drone use that harasses wildlife.

If you damage a TVA structure or another person, the agency takes the position that you are personally and fully liable. Insurance under Part 107 is not legally required by the FAA, but in Tennessee it is genuinely worth carrying.

Hunting and wildlife — and the August 2026 deer-recovery rule

Using a drone to hunt, scout, harass, or take wildlife in Tennessee is prohibited under Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency rules. That has been the rule for years.

TWRA is in the middle of a rule-making (Rule 1660-01-33) that will, for the first time, allow drones for deer recovery only, on private land, between 30 minutes after official sunset and midnight. Recovery, not scouting. No hunting implements in the recovery party at the time of the flight. The new rule is expected to take effect August 1, 2026, aligned with the new Deer Bait Privilege License for the 2026–27 season.

Until the rule takes effect, drone use for deer recovery is still illegal in Tennessee.

Police use of drones — § 39-13-609

Tennessee's Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act at § 39-13-609 restricts law-enforcement drone use. A police agency may not use a drone to gather evidence or information without a warrant, except in narrow exceptions — reasonable suspicion of imminent danger to life, search for a fugitive, missing-person searches, hostage situations. Any data collected has to be deleted within 15 business days unless it is directly relevant to the lawful reason for the flight or to an investigation. People aggrieved by a violation have civil standing to sue the agency.

This is a constraint on the state, not on private pilots — but it is in the article because it is the constitutional posture Tennessee has taken on drone surveillance generally.

Penalties at a glance

Local ordinances to watch in Tennessee

Nashville (Metro / Davidson County) — three designated parks, by permit

Nashville's Metro Code § 13.24.400 covers aviation in Metro Parks. The operative text bans bringing, landing, or causing any aircraft (including drones) to alight in any Davidson County park — except in three designated flying areas: Warner Park, Peeler Park, and Cane Ridge. A permit is required even in those three.

Metro Parks staff has stated on the record that the department cannot permit drone use in Nashville parks outside the three designated areas, for any purpose, including photography or filming. If you need to shoot in another park, the right path is the Film and Video Permit office, and a Yes is rare.

Memphis (Shelby County) — Shelby Farms permits and a Drone Zone

Shelby Farms Park is the major flyable green space in Memphis. The park's published rules allow recreational drones weighing 250 g or less with restrictions — no flights over guests, pets, or vehicles. The park also maintains a designated "Drone Zone" that requires a permit. Larger drones and commercial flights need permission separately. Inside Memphis city limits, individual parks like Overton Park have their own restrictions; always check the park's posted rules or call Memphis Parks and Recreation before launching.

Memphis is also Class C airspace under Memphis International (MEM), and the Memphis Tigers play in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium — a federal TFR venue on game days.

Knoxville — airspace dominates

Knoxville has no comprehensive drone-in-parks ordinance, but the city is hemmed in by airspace. Most of downtown is under the McGhee Tyson (TYS) Class C shelf, with the Island Home Airport (DKX) Class D centered closer in. LAANC is the binding constraint for most central-Knoxville flights.

Lakeshore Park in West Knoxville and House Mountain (Knox County, just east of the city) are the commonly cited fly-friendly locations. Neyland Stadium triggers a federal TFR for every Tennessee Volunteers home game.

Chattanooga — Code Chapter 8 and the TVA overlay

Chattanooga's Code of Ordinances Chapter 8 (Aviation) governs aviation citywide. No standalone drone-in-parks ordinance has been published as of this writing, but Chattanooga's geography puts the felony 250-foot rule front and center: Chickamauga Dam sits inside the metro, and Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is ~20 miles north. The 250-foot perimeter from § 39-13-903(a)(6) is the binding rule for anyone shooting along the river or the lakes nearby.

Chattanooga Metro is Class C airspace under CHA. LAANC required.

Where to fly legally in Tennessee

Tennessee has good flying — once you know which property is which.

• AMA-recognized club fields. modelaircraft.org lists active sites across the state. Membership gets you insurance.
• Designated drone areas in Metro Nashville Parks (Warner Park, Peeler Park, Cane Ridge — by permit).
• Shelby Farms Drone Zone (Memphis — by permit).
• Private property with the owner's written consent — outside the 250-foot perimeter of any critical-infrastructure facility, outside any state-park boundary, and outside controlled airspace unless LAANC is approved.
• Most TVA undeveloped land and water, away from dams, substations, and developed recreation areas.
• TWRA lands and Wildlife Management Areas — with the caveat that drones cannot be used to scout, drive, or take game.
• FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs). Tennessee's list is published at faa.gov and updated periodically.
• The B4UFLY app before every flight. It surfaces controlled airspace, active TFRs, and security exclusions in real time.

Who enforces drone laws in Tennessee?

Federal rules are enforced by the FAA. Civil penalties run into tens of thousands of dollars for serious violations, and criminal referrals go to the U.S. Attorney's office in Tennessee's three federal districts (Eastern, Middle, Western). Tennessee state criminal charges under § 39-13-903 and § 39-14-405 are filed by district attorneys following an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol or a local police department. TDEC park rangers and TWRA wildlife officers cover state parks and wildlife rules. Local police and park enforcement officers handle city and park-district violations. If a drone damages property, injures a person, or invades privacy, civil liability runs in parallel.

How to fly legally in Tennessee — quick checklist

Commercial drone work in Tennessee

The industries that most often hire Part 107 pilots in Tennessee include utility and TVA-corridor inspection, automotive manufacturing, agriculture, public safety, and logistics.

How USI helps you fly legally

Knowing the rules is half the work. The other half is the credential — and the path looks different depending on who you are. Three audiences, three doors.

Tennessee drone law FAQ