(a) As used in this section, “impound” means removing a vehicle from a private parking lot adjacent to a street, alley, highway, or thoroughfare by a uniformed police officer, to the nearest garage or other place of safety or to a garage designated or maintained by a law enforcement agency.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-5-129

  • Highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way when any part thereto is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. 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
  • Police officer: means every officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations of traffic regulations. 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
  • Street: means the entire width between boundary lines of every way when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. 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) Authorized personnel of the appropriate law enforcement agency in any county or municipality of this state have the authority to impound any vehicle after determining the existence of any one (1) or more of the following factors:

(1) The registration plate displayed on the vehicle is stolen or is otherwise not registered to the vehicle; or
(2) The renewal decal displayed on the vehicle is stolen or is otherwise not registered to the vehicle.
(c) Sections 55-16-105 and 55-16-106 shall govern the disposition of any vehicle impounded pursuant to this section.
(d) Law enforcement personnel must secure permission of the owner of any private property before entering onto the property for the purposes of this section.
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