(a) Except for a person described in § 40-38-603, an adult person, or a parent or fiduciary acting on behalf of a minor or person with a disability, may apply to the secretary of state with the assistance of an application assistant to have an address designated by the secretary of state serve as the person’s substitute address, or the substitute address of the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is filed, where the applicant, or the individual on whose behalf the application is filed, resides at an address not previously identified in any public record as the person’s address, or has relocated to a new residence within the preceding thirty (30) calendar days or presently intends to relocate to a new residence within ninety (90) calendar days from the date of the application. The application shall be made on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and filed in the office of the secretary of state in the manner prescribed by the secretary of state.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 40-38-604

  • Applicant: means the person who applies to be a program participant and who is or has been a victim of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or another sexual offense. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Application: means the form or forms submitted, in the manner prescribed by the secretary of state, by an individual requesting certification for the address confidentiality program. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Application assistant: means an employee or volunteer at an agency or organization that serves victims of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense, who has received training and certification from the secretary of state to help individuals complete applications to be program participants. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Co-applicant: means the spouse, parent, or fiduciary of the applicant who lives in the same residence as the applicant at the time the application is made and who resides in the same residence with the applicant while the applicant is a program participant. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Confidential address: means the actual address of a program participant's residence, school, institution of higher education, business, or place of employment, as specified on an application to be a program participant or on a notice of change of address filed under this part. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Minor: means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Parent: includes biological and adoptive parents, as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • participant: means a person who is certified by the secretary of state as a program participant and who is an applicant, co-applicant, the child of an applicant or co-applicant, or a person with a disability for whom an applicant or co-applicant serves as a fiduciary. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Process: means judicial process and all orders, demands, notices, or other papers required or permitted by law to be served on a program participant. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • program: means the program created under this part to protect the confidentiality of the confidential address of a relocated victim of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • secretary: means the secretary of state of Tennessee and any designee of the secretary. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • Sexual offense: means a sexual offense or violent sexual offense as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Substitute address: means an address designated by the secretary of state under the address confidentiality program that is used instead of a confidential address as set forth by this part. See Tennessee Code 40-38-601
(b) The application must contain all of the following:

(1) The mailing address and telephone number or numbers at which the secretary of state may contact the applicant;
(2) The address or addresses of the applicant’s residence, school, institution of higher education, business, or place of employment that the applicant requests not be disclosed for the reason that disclosure will increase the risk that the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, will be threatened or physically harmed by another person;
(3) Documentary evidence that, either:

(A) There exists an ongoing criminal case that may result or a criminal case that has resulted in a conviction by a judge or jury or by a defendant‘s guilty plea, in which the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application was filed, was a victim of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense; or
(B) A court of competent jurisdiction has granted an order of protection to the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, and which is in effect at the time of application;
(4) In the absence of an ongoing criminal case that may result or has resulted in a conviction or an order of protection granted by a court of competent jurisdiction within this state which is in effect at the time of application, a notarized statement by a licensed professional with knowledge of the circumstances, such as an attorney, social worker, or therapist, confirming that such individual believes that the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, is in danger of further harm;
(5) A sworn statement by the applicant that disclosure of the confidential address or addresses would endanger the safety of the applicant or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made;
(6)

(A) Documentary evidence, in the form and manner prescribed by rule by the secretary of state, that the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, has moved to a new residence unknown to the offender within the previous thirty (30) calendar days; or
(B) A sworn statement by the applicant that the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, currently resides at an address unknown to the offender and not previously identified in any public record as the person’s address or has the present intent to move to a new address unknown to the offender within the following ninety (90) calendar days. If the applicant does not move to a new address within the following ninety (90) calendar days or fails to provide documentary evidence of the new residence address to the secretary of state within this time frame, in the form and manner prescribed by rule by the secretary of state, the program participant‘s certification shall be cancelled, unless the secretary of state determines that the program participant is currently residing at a shelter, as defined in § 71-6-202, or a similar facility;
(7) A voter registration form to be completed if the applicant is eligible to vote and wishes to register to vote or update a current voter registration;
(8) A sworn statement that the program participant understands all of the following:

(A) That during the time the program participant chooses to have a confidential voter registration record, the program participant may vote only by absentee ballot;
(B) That the program participant may provide a program participant identification number instead of the residence address on an application for an absentee ballot or on an absentee voter’s ballot identification envelope statement of voter with the applicant’s signature;
(C) That casting any ballot in person will reveal the program participant’s precinct and residence address to precinct election officials and employees of the county election commission and may reveal the program participant’s precinct or residence address to members of the public; and
(D) That if the program participant signs an election petition, the program participant’s residence address will be made available to the public;
(9) A knowing and voluntary designation of the secretary of state as the agent for the purposes of receiving service of process and the receipt of mail;
(10) A knowing and voluntary release and waiver of all future claims against the state for any claim that may arise from participation in the address confidentiality program, except for a claim based on the performance or nonperformance of a public duty that was manifestly outside the scope of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment or in which the officer or employee acted with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner;
(11) The notarized signature of the applicant, the name and notarized signature of the application assistant who assisted the applicant, and the date on which the applicant and the application assistant signed the application; and
(12) If at the time of application, the applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, is subject to a court order or is involved in court action related to the dissolution of marriage proceedings, child support, or the allocation of parental responsibilities or parenting time, the name of the court, contact information for the court, and the case number associated with those proceedings.
(c) Upon receiving a properly completed application under subsection (a), the secretary of state shall:

(1) Certify the applicant, co-applicant, or the minor or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is filed, as a program participant and provide evidence of such certification to the program participant;
(2) Designate each eligible address listed in the application as a confidential address;
(3) Issue the program participant a unique substitute address;
(4) Issue the program participant a unique program participant identification number;
(5) Provide information to the program participant concerning the manner in which the program participant may use the secretary of state as the program participant’s agent for the purposes of receiving mail and receiving service of process;
(6) Provide information to the program participant concerning the process to vote as a program participant, if the program participant is eligible to vote; and
(7) Forward all first class mail, legal documents, and certified mail received by the secretary of state to the program participant.
(d) Except for a person described in § 40-38-603, a co-applicant may apply to the secretary of state with the assistance of an application assistant to use the same substitute address as an applicant with whom the co-applicant resides. The co-applicant’s application must contain the following information:

(1) The name of the applicant with whom the co-applicant is applying for the substitute address;
(2) The relationship of the co-applicant to the applicant, such as spouse, parent, or fiduciary;
(3) The mailing address and telephone number at which the secretary of state may contact the co-applicant;
(4) The address of the co-applicant and applicant’s residence, school, institution of higher education, business, or place of employment that the applicant and co-applicant request not to be disclosed for the reason that disclosure will increase the risk that the applicant, or the child or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made, will be threatened or physically harmed by another person;
(5) Documentary evidence of the co-applicant’s relationship with the applicant in the form and manner prescribed by rule by the secretary of state;
(6) A sworn statement by the co-applicant that disclosure of the confidential address or addresses would endanger the safety of the applicant, or the child or person with a disability on whose behalf the application is made;
(7)

(A) Documentary evidence, in the form and manner prescribed by rule by the secretary of state, that the co-applicant has moved with the applicant, or the child of the applicant or the person with a disability for whom the applicant serves as a fiduciary, to a new residence unknown to the offender within the previous thirty (30) calendar days; or
(B) A sworn statement by the co-applicant that the co-applicant intends to move with the applicant, or the child of the applicant or the person with a disability for whom the applicant serves as a fiduciary, to an address unknown to the offender and not previously identified in any public record as the address of the applicant or co-applicant, or to a new address unknown to the offender within the following ninety (90) calendar days. If the co-applicant or the applicant does not move to the same new residence address within the following ninety (90) calendar days or fails to provide documentary evidence of the new residence address to the secretary of state within this time frame, in the manner and rule provided by the secretary of state, then the co-applicant’s program participation must be cancelled, unless the secretary of state determines that the co-applicant is currently residing at a shelter, as defined in § 71-6-202, or a similar facility, with the applicant, the child of the applicant, or the person with a disability for whom the applicant serves as a fiduciary;
(8) A voter registration form to be completed if the co-applicant is eligible to vote and wishes to register to vote or update a current voter registration application;
(9) A sworn statement that the co-applicant understands all of the following:

(A) That during the time the co-applicant chooses to have a confidential voter registration record, the co-applicant may only vote by absentee ballot;
(B) That the co-applicant may provide a program participant identification number instead of the residence address on an application for an absentee ballot or on an absentee voter’s ballot identification envelope statement of voter with the co-applicant’s signature; and
(C) That casting any ballot in person will reveal the co-applicant’s precinct and residence address to precinct election officials and employees of the county election commission and may reveal the co-applicant’s precinct or residence address to members of the public;
(10) A knowing and voluntary designation of the secretary of state as the agent for the purposes of receiving service of process and the receipt of the mail;
(11) A knowing and voluntary release and waiver of all future claims against the state for any claim that may arise from participation in the address confidentiality program, except for a claim based on the performance or nonperformance of a public duty that was manifestly outside the scope of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment in which the officer or employee acted with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner;
(12) The notarized signature of the co-applicant, the name and notarized signature of the application assistant who assisted the co-applicant, and the date on which the co-applicant and application assistant signed the application; and
(13) If, at the time of application, the co-applicant, or the child of the co-applicant or the person with a disability for whom the co-applicant serves as a fiduciary, is subject to a court order or is involved in court action related to the dissolution of marriage proceedings, child support, or the allocation of parental responsibilities or parenting time, the name of the court, contact information for the court, and the case number associated with those proceedings.
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