(a)

lawyer at desk

Ask a traffic law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified traffic lawyers.
Parking violations, accidents, DUI/DWI, licensing, registration, and more
Protect your vehicle and your rights with expert legal help now
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-4-120

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Foreign vehicle: means every vehicle of a type required to be registered brought into this state from another state, territory or country other than in the ordinary course of business by or through a manufacturer or dealer and not registered in this state. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Operator: means :
    (A) For purposes of a conventionally operated vehicle, every person, other than a chauffeur, who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle upon a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Owner: means a person who holds the legal title of a vehicle, or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof, with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee, or in the event a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then the conditional vendee or lessee or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this chapter and chapter 10, parts 1-5 of this title. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Person: means a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, corporation, or an engaged ADS. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. 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
  • Trailer: means every vehicle with or without motive power, other than a pole trailer, designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so constructed that no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Truck: means every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Vehicle: means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
(1)

(A) A nonresident owner of any regularly licensed passenger motor vehicle not operated for hire registered in any state or territory of the United States, Canada or Mexico may have the privilege of operating upon the public roads of this state for a period of thirty (30) consecutive days, plus such additional period of time as a resident of Tennessee would be permitted to operate passenger vehicles not for hire over the highways of the state of the nonresident.
(B) In the event the commissioner finds that another state has failed to extend the benefits of reciprocity to a resident of this state for a period of more than thirty (30) days, the commissioner is authorized to deny the privileges of reciprocity to vehicles registered in the other state for any period of time in excess of thirty (30) days.
(C) An owner or operator who operates in this state shall not be entitled to reciprocity for a period in excess of thirty (30) days; provided, that any personnel of the army, navy, marine corps or air force stationed in this state, whose motor vehicle is properly registered in that person‘s state of domicile, will not be required to reregister the vehicle in this state.
(D) A nonresident owner of a foreign licensed private passenger automobile, or a pickup or panel truck, who operates the vehicle in this state solely as a means of transportation to and from a place of temporary employment shall be permitted to operate it without titling and paying registration fees and taxes in this state to the same extent as a resident of Tennessee, under similar circumstances, would be permitted to operate a like vehicle over the highways of the state of the residence of the nonresident pursuant to a reciprocity agreement.
(2) A nonresident owner of any regular licensed or unlicensed mobile home or house trailer may have the privilege of occupying the mobile home or house trailer and traveling upon the public roads of this state for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days without the necessity of having to register the mobile home or house trailer in this state. If any such person remains in the state for any period of time in excess of sixty (60) consecutive days, the person will be required to register the mobile home or house trailer in the state.
(b) A nonresident owner, having a valid foreign certificate of title and/or certificate of registration for a foreign vehicle, which is operated within this state for the transportation of persons or property for compensation, or for the transportation of merchandise, shall register and obtain a Tennessee certificate of registration for the vehicle and pay the same fees as are required with reference to like vehicles owned by residents of this state, but shall not be required to surrender the foreign certificate of title, certificate of registration, or registration plate or plates, except during the pendency of the application, for a Tennessee certificate of registration, if the vehicle is to continue to remain registered in a foreign state as well as in this state; provided, that the nonresident owner of a foreign vehicle operated within the state for the transportation of persons or property for compensation or for the transportation of merchandise shall be permitted to operate the vehicle over the highways of this state without obtaining a certificate of registration or registration plate or plates or paying registration fees, to the same extent and for the same period of time as a resident of this state under similar circumstances would be permitted to operate a vehicle over the highways of the state of the residence of the nonresident by reciprocity agreement.
(c)

(1) Every nonresident, including any foreign corporation carrying on business within this state and owning and regularly operating in such business any motor vehicle, within this state, shall be required to register and procure a Tennessee certificate of registration and registration plate or plates for each such vehicle and pay the same fees therefor as are required with reference to like vehicles owned by residents of this state.
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect, change or restrict the authority of the commissioner to enter into reciprocal agreements with other states in accordance with § 55-4-121.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Part 1 Contents