(a) The traffic laws of this state, including the applicable traffic laws of a municipality through which a user fee facility passes, and user fees and use restrictions established by the commissioner, govern the use of a user fee facility authorized under this chapter. State and local law enforcement authorities may enforce the traffic laws and use restrictions.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class C misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $50
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 54-3-108

  • board: means the board established in this chapter. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • Department: means the department of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • Facility: means a highway, bridge, tunnel, parking lot or garage, or other paved surface or structure that is designed to carry or contain land transportation vehicles, or another transportation-related facility. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • High occupancy user fee lane: means a high occupancy vehicle lane that may be used by an operator of a vehicle carrying fewer than the number of persons specified for the high occupancy vehicle lane if the operator pays a user fee. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • operation: means activity associated with the management, operation, and maintenance of a completed user fee project, including, but not limited to, collecting user fees. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. 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
  • User fee: means a fee or charge for the use of a user fee facility. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • User fee facility: means a facility where the development or operation of the facility is wholly or partially funded with user fees. See Tennessee Code 54-3-103
  • User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), the operator of a vehicle that is driven through a user fee facility shall pay the user fee as established under this chapter.
(c) The following vehicles are exempt from payment of a user fee:

(1) Law enforcement or other authorized emergency vehicles as defined by § 55-8-101, regardless of whether the vehicle is responding to an emergency or displaying a flashing light;
(2) Multiple-passenger vehicles operated by a public transit authority; and
(3) On a high occupancy user fee lane, vehicles that have been authorized to use an HOV lane free of charge during the time period specified for HOV use.
(d) The department may, subject to approval of the board, prohibit certain classes of vehicles from operating in a user fee facility through the posting of appropriate signage, wherever the department determines, on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the presence of those vehicles impairs the safe or efficient operation of the user fee facility.
(e) A person who uses a user fee facility and fails to pay the user fee within ninety (90) days of the person’s notice of nonpayment under § 54-3-114, or a person who operates a prohibited vehicle on a user fee facility, commits a Class C misdemeanor and is subject to a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00).
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