(a) No person shall with fraudulent intent deface, destroy or alter the manufacturer‘s serial, engine or transmission number or other distinguishing number or identification mark of a motor vehicle or its component parts, nor shall any person place or stamp any serial, engine, transmission or other number or mark upon a motor vehicle or its component parts, except one assigned by the department. A violation of this subsection (a) is a Class E felony.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class E felony1 to 6 yearsup to $3,000
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-5-112

  • Department: means the department of revenue. See Tennessee Code 55-1-111
  • Manufacturer: means every person engaged in the business of constructing or assembling vehicles of a type required to be registered at an established place of business in this state. 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
  • 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
(b) This section shall not prohibit the restoration of a vehicle identification number upon a motor vehicle or motor vehicle component part by the commissioner of safety or the commissioner’s designee, nor prevent any manufacturer from placing in the ordinary course of business numbers or marks upon motor vehicles or motor vehicle component parts thereof.