(a)

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 54-7-207

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Department: means the department of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-5-103
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) As used in this subsection (a), “county highway structure” includes any county highway, highway facility, building, bridge, overpass, tunnel, barricade, fence, wall, traffic control device, right-of-way, sign or marker of any nature whatsoever erected upon or maintained within or adjacent to a county highway or the county highway right-of-way.
(2) It is an offense for any person who is not authorized to construct or repair a county highway structure to knowingly carve upon, write, paint or otherwise mark upon, deface, rearrange, or alter any county highway structure.
(3) It is an offense for any person who is not authorized to construct or repair a county highway structure to knowingly, in any manner, destroy, damage, knock down, mutilate, mar, steal or remove any county highway structure.
(4) A violation of subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3) is a Class A misdemeanor.
(5) In addition to any criminal penalty provided by law for a violation of subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3), there is created a separate civil cause of action for the cost of any damage resulting from such prohibited action.
(6) There is created a civil cause of action for the cost of any damage done whenever a person negligently damages any county highway structure.
(7) Criminal actions prosecuted pursuant to this subsection (a) shall be brought by the district attorney general of the judicial district in which the damage occurred. Civil actions instituted pursuant to this subsection (a) shall be brought by the county attorney or an attorney employed by the chief administrative officer of the county highway department.
(b)

(1) Any person who reports information to a law enforcement officer that leads to the apprehension and conviction of a person for a violation of this section shall receive a reward of two hundred fifty dollars ($250). The county where the conviction occurs shall provide the reward money from the proceeds of the fines collected under this section.
(2) The proceeds from the fines imposed for violations of this section shall be collected by the respective court clerks and then deposited in a dedicated county fund. The fund shall not revert to the county general fund at the end of a fiscal year but shall remain for the vandalism enforcement rewards established in subdivision (b)(1).
(3) Each county shall expend the funds generated by the fines provided for in this section by appropriation for the vandalism enforcement rewards. Excess funds, if any, may be expended for litter control programs on adoption of an appropriate resolution by the county legislative body.
(c) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, this section shall apply to all counties.
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