Tennessee Laws on Recording in Public: What You Can and Cannot Film

Recording in public is generally legal in Tennessee. As a general rule, no state law prohibits ordinary video or audio recording in places where people lack a reasonable expectation of privacy, and the First Amendment protects gathering information in public. The main exception is unlawful photography under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-13-605: filming focused on a person's intimate areas, without consent, in a way the person would find offensive or embarrassing, and for sexual gratification is an offense wherever it happens, and a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy "regardless of the location" when filmed in an offensive manner that captures body areas not otherwise visible, such as upskirting. That conduct can be a felony even in public. Recording police is a narrower question in Tennessee, as explained below. Under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-13-601, audio recording in public requires no consent because public conversations carry no such expectation.

Tennessee broadly permits recording in public places. The state has no general statute that prohibits photography, video recording, or audio recording in locations where people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The key exception is unlawful photography under section 39-13-605, which can reach intimate-area or upskirt-style filming even in public. Your right to record in public is grounded in the First Amendment and reinforced by Tennessee's permissive one-party consent wiretapping law.

This guide covers the rules for recording in public throughout Tennessee, including what spaces count as "public," where the limits are, and how specific locations like government buildings, parks, and shopping centers are treated.

The Legal Framework for Public Recording

First Amendment Protections

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to gather information in public, including through photography and video recording. Courts have recognized that recording in public serves important functions:

• Documenting government activity and promoting accountability
• Newsgathering and journalism
• Artistic expression and creative work
• Personal record-keeping and evidence preservation
• Monitoring public safety and community events

These protections apply to everyone, not just professional journalists. You do not need press credentials, a media affiliation, or any special license to record in public in Tennessee.

Recording police is a narrower question. The Sixth Circuit, which covers Tennessee, has not issued a published decision recognizing a First Amendment right to record police in public, and no Tennessee court has recognized one, so decisions of other circuits are persuasive but not binding here. Eight federal appeals courts (the First, Second, Third, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits) have recognized that right, and the Fourth Circuit has held that livestreaming a police traffic stop is protected speech. Keep a safe distance and follow lawful orders.

Tennessee's Wiretapping Law and Public Recording

Under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-13-601, the wiretapping statute only protects "oral communications" where the speaker has a reasonable expectation of privacy. In most public settings, speakers do not have this expectation. A conversation on a busy sidewalk, a speech at a rally, or a loud exchange in a park is not a protected "oral communication" under the statute.

This means that in many public recording situations, you do not even need to rely on the one-party consent exception. The wiretapping law simply does not apply to communications that lack a reasonable expectation of privacy.

When you are part of a conversation in public and recording it, you have double protection: the lack of reasonable privacy expectation and your own one-party consent.

Where You Can Record in Tennessee

Public Streets, Sidewalks, and Parks

You can freely record on:

• City and county streets
• Public sidewalks and walkways
• Public parks, playgrounds, and greenways
• Public plazas and town squares
• Public parking lots owned by government entities
• Public beaches and waterways
• Public transportation stops and stations

These are traditional public forums where First Amendment protections are strongest.

Government Buildings and Offices

Recording in government buildings varies by location and context:

Generally permitted:

• Public lobbies and waiting areas of government offices, unless the office has a rule against recording
• Public meetings governed by the Tennessee Open Meetings Act (Tenn. Code Ann. section 8-44-101 et seq.), which requires meetings to be open but does not itself address recording
• Exterior areas of government buildings

May be restricted:

• Courtrooms: under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30, the media must request coverage in writing from the presiding judge, and coverage stays subject to the judge's control; recording by anyone else depends on the judge and local court rules
• Security-sensitive areas within courthouses
• Areas behind counters in government offices
• Secure facilities such as jails, prisons, and juvenile detention centers
• Military installations
• Restricted areas posted with clear signage

Government offices can limit recording inside their buildings. In traditional public forums such as streets, sidewalks, and parks, restrictions must be content-neutral and narrowly tailored, but in lobbies and offices the government generally may impose reasonable, viewpoint-neutral rules, including some no-recording policies.

Public Events and Gatherings

You can record at any public event in Tennessee, including:

• Concerts in public parks
• Street festivals and parades
• Farmers markets
• Sporting events in public spaces
• Community gatherings and town halls
• Political rallies and campaign events
• Protests and demonstrations

Public Transportation

Recording on public transportation in Tennessee, including city buses, light rail, and publicly operated transit, is generally permitted. Riders in public transportation have a limited expectation of privacy. Some transit agencies have their own policies about recording, and on transit vehicles and property those rules may be enforceable, so check the agency's rules.

Where Public Recording Gets Complicated

Semi-Public Spaces: Retail Stores and Restaurants

Private businesses open to the public occupy a gray area. While customers are in a space accessible to the public, the space is still private property. Key principles:

• The property owner can restrict or prohibit recording
• If you are asked to stop recording and refuse, you can be asked to leave
• Remaining after being asked to leave constitutes trespass under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-14-405
• Recording before being asked to stop is not illegal, but the property owner sets the rules going forward

Private Property Visible From Public

You can record what is visible from a public vantage point, even if it involves private property. If you are standing on a public sidewalk and can see something happening in a yard or through a window, you can generally photograph or film it. However:

• Using zoom lenses or other equipment to see things not visible to the naked eye from a public location may raise privacy concerns
• Persistently surveilling a private residence from public property could constitute stalking or harassment
• Recording through windows into areas where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy crosses legal boundaries

Schools and Childcare Facilities

Recording near schools is legal from public property, but may draw attention from administrators or law enforcement. Recording on school property is governed by the school district's policies. School administrators can restrict recording inside school buildings and on school grounds during school hours for safety and privacy reasons.

Audio Recording in Public

When Consent Is Not Required

Audio recording in public often does not require any party's consent because public conversations lack a reasonable expectation of privacy. Specific scenarios where consent is typically not needed:

• Recording a street performer or public speaker
• Capturing audio at a public protest or demonstration
• Recording conversations at normal volume in crowded public spaces
• Documenting public altercations or incidents
• Recording at public government meetings

When Consent May Be Required

Even in public, some conversations may carry a reasonable expectation of privacy:

• Two people speaking quietly on a bench in a secluded area of a park
• A conversation in a relatively private corner of a restaurant
• Discussions in a semi-enclosed public space like a phone booth or vestibule

The determination depends on the specific circumstances. Courts look at whether a reasonable person in the speaker's position would expect their words to be private.

Recording Protests and Demonstrations

Your Right to Record

Recording protests and public demonstrations from a place where you are lawfully present is generally lawful in Tennessee. That generally includes:

• Recording the protesters themselves
• Filming law enforcement responses to protests
• Documenting counter-protesters
• Livestreaming events in real time
• Photographing signs, activities, and participants in public

Filming officers at a protest is widely practiced, but the Sixth Circuit has not recognized a First Amendment right to record police, so follow lawful dispersal and distance orders.

Limitations During Civil Unrest

During declared emergencies or periods of civil unrest, the Governor may impose curfews or other restrictions under Tennessee's emergency management laws. These restrictions apply to your physical presence in an area, not specifically to recording. If you are lawfully present, you can record. If a curfew order requires you to leave, you must comply regardless of your desire to record.

Photography and Commercial Use

Street Photography

Casual street photography is legal in Tennessee. You can photograph people in public places without their consent. However, using someone's likeness for commercial purposes, such as advertising or product endorsement, may require consent under Tennessee's right of publicity law (Tenn. Code Ann. section 47-25-1105).

Tennessee has one of the most protective right of publicity statutes in the country. The original Personal Rights Protection Act was significantly strengthened by the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act (T.C.A. § 47-25-1101 et seq.), Public Chapter 588 of 2024, which became effective July 1, 2024 and made Tennessee the first state in the nation to extend right-of-publicity protections specifically to a person's voice against unauthorized AI imitation. This law protects individuals' rights to control the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness, including AI-generated reproductions.

Journalism and News Reporting

News reporting and journalism are strongly protected under the First Amendment. Journalists in Tennessee can record in public, interview people on the street, and photograph or film any newsworthy event occurring in a public place. Tennessee has a shield law (Tenn. Code Ann. section 24-1-208) that provides journalists with certain protections against being compelled to reveal confidential sources.

Penalties for Illegal Recording in Public Settings

Trespassing

If you refuse to stop recording on private property after being asked and refuse to leave, you can face a criminal trespass charge. Aggravated criminal trespass applies only when the person also intends or recklessly causes fear for someone's safety, or damages barriers or property:

Stalking and Harassment

Using recording as a tool for stalking or harassment carries more serious penalties under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-17-315:

Wiretapping

If audio recording in a public setting crosses into illegal wiretapping territory, penalties under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-13-602 apply: Class D felony, 2 to 12 years imprisonment, and fines up to $5,000.

Tennessee Recording Laws by Topic

Phone Call Recording | Audio Recording | Video Recording | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras

Back to Tennessee Recording Laws

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to record in public in Tennessee?

Generally yes. Tennessee has no law prohibiting ordinary video or audio recording in public places. Filming someone's intimate areas without consent for sexual gratification, in a way they would find offensive or embarrassing, is a felony under Tenn. Code Ann. section 39-13-605 even in public, and upskirting can be too. You can film on public streets, sidewalks, parks, and at public events. Tennessee's one-party consent law also lets you record conversations you take part in. Recording police is less settled in Tennessee, so keep your distance and follow lawful orders.

Can I record someone in a store or restaurant in Tennessee?

You can record in a business open to the public, but the property owner can ask you to stop. If you refuse to stop recording and refuse to leave when asked, you could face trespassing charges. The business sets the rules on its own private property.

Do I need permission to record audio in a public place in Tennessee?

Generally no. Tennessee's wiretapping law only protects oral communications where the speaker has a reasonable expectation of privacy. In most public settings, there is no such expectation, so audio recording does not require consent from anyone.

Can I record public government meetings in Tennessee?

Yes. The Tennessee Open Meetings Act requires most government body meetings to be open to the public. The Act does not itself mention recording by attendees. Recording open meetings such as city council and school board meetings is common and generally lawful, but a public body may set reasonable rules, so check its policy.

Can someone sue me for recording them in public in Tennessee?

It is unlikely if the recording was made in a public place where the person had no reasonable expectation of privacy. However, if you use someone's likeness for commercial purposes without consent, you may face a claim under Tennessee's Personal Rights Protection Act. Recording that constitutes stalking or harassment can also lead to legal action.