From pet raccoons to skunk importation: 5 odd Tennessee laws you may not know about
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Each year, Tennessee lawmakers pass hundreds — sometimes thousands — of new bills aimed at improving state law, creating new regulations and strengthening safety codes.
It's hard to keep track of the thousands of existing state laws that have been passed over the decades.
Tennessee actually has an active office to review outdated laws and potentially repeal them from code. The Revisor of Statutes, within the Office of Legal Services, accepts submissions from everyday Tennesseans of laws that might be outdated or obsolete.
The office releases an annual report on potential recommendations, and people can submit laws for review with a form on the office's website.
Submissions appear to be rare, but occasionally the revisor recommends the deletion of state code, such as a 2016 recommendation to delete a 1932 clause regarding regulation of clothing workshops. The office found modern workplace safety laws adequately covered the issue and the old code was deemed "obsolete."
The revisor often finds submitted laws should be left up to policy decisions by the General Assembly, even if they're seemingly outdated in 2023.
Several sections of code, for example, require legal notices to be publicly displayed on county courthouse doors. The effort to serve public notice on the courthouse door is likely not practiced any longer, but the revisor has declined to take action against it.
Here are a few other quirky, unexpected or outdated laws on Tennessee's books.
Duelists need not apply
The Tennessee Constitution prohibits anyone who engages in a duel, or aids and abets a duel, is disqualified from holding public office in the state.
The same section of the constitution also outlined two other disqualifications for public office. Ministers were prohibited from serving in the legislature, and atheists are prohibited from serving in "civil" state office.
The constitution stated ministers "ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions," a ban that was not enforced after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 1978.
Hitching a ride on a friend's bike is illegal
In Tennessee's Motor and Other Vehicle state code, it states a bike can't carry more than "the number for which it is designed or equipped."
The same portion of code also forbids playing on highways, understandably.
Pet raccoons illegal, pet pythons legal
It's illegal to own a racoon as a pet in Tennessee.
This isn't necessarily an odd law — most states have existing statutes around wildlife and domesticated animals — but it is a law that set off one of the more unusual gubernatorial campaigns in state history.
Mark Brown, known as "Coonrippy," launched a gubernatorial campaign in 2014 in an attempt to bring attention to his efforts regain custody of Rebekah, a raccoon he rescued and lived with until Tennessee wildlife agents confiscated her.
Brown was known to post videos with Rebekah — dancing with her, reading stories to her and even taking a shower with the racoon.
Tennessee state law classifies animals into five classes, some of which can only be owned by a registered zoo. Class III animals aren't as heavily permitted and include nonpoisonous reptiles, which could include the non-venomous python, as well as animals such as camels and giraffes.
Importing skunks is a no-no
Outside the animal classification, there's an oddly specific ban on skunk importation in state law.
It's a Class C misdemeanor to do so, though zoos and research institutions have exemptions.
No skating in the Capitol
Though not codified in state law, lawmakers in 1870 passed an interesting resolution, according to legislative librarian Eddie Weeks.
State records show a House Joint Resolution, adopted July 8, 1870, directing the superintendent of the capitol to "prohibit the use of Roller Skates in the Hall of the Capitol Building."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee laws: 5 odd laws you might not know about
