§ 55-3-101 — Motor vehicles subject to registration and certificate of title provisions - Exceptions - Definition of off-highway motor vehicle

(a) Every motor vehicle or motorized bicycle, as defined in chapter 8 of this title, and every trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer, when driven or moved upon a highway, and every mobile home or house trailer, when occupied, shall be subject to the registration and certificate of title provisions of chapters 1-6 of this title, except: (1) Vehicles driven or moved upon a highway in conformance with chapters 1-6 of this title relating to manufacturers, transporters, dealers, lienholders, or nonresidents; (2) Vehicles that are driven or moved upon a highway only for the purpose of crossing the highway from one (1) property to another; (3) Any implement of husbandry; (4) Any special mobile equipment; (5) No certificate of title need be obtained for any vehicle of a type subject to registration owned by the government of the United States; (6) No certificate of title need be obtained for a foreign vehicle that is subject to the registration provisions of this state, if the nonresident owner has a valid foreign certificate of title and certificate of registration and if the vehicle is to remain registered in the foreign state as well as in this state; (7) Subject to the approval of the commissioner, no certificate of title need be obtained for a vehicle that is part of a proportionally registered fleet in this state if the owner has a valid certificate of title in another state and the vehicle is engaged in interstate commerce; (8) Motorized bicycles, except when voluntarily registered under § 55-4-101 ; and (9) No certificate of title need be obtained or maintained where the manufactured home is affixed to real property in accordance with § 55-3-128 . (b) The owner of a vehicle excepted in subsection (a) from the requirement for titling and registering may, subject to the approval of the commissioner, apply for a certificate of title without applying for its registration. The commissioner shall by regulation provide for the manner in which single applications are to be made and the conditions under which they may be allowed; however, this subsection (b) shall not be construed as granting authority to issue certificates of ownership on any basis other than upon documentation or summary of ownership as required in this chapter. (c) (1) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, off-highway motor vehicles purchased after June 1, 1983, shall be subject to the certificate of title and special identification device provisions of this chapter and § 55-6-101 , when the off-highway motor vehicles are operated on lands, other than a highway, in this state; except, that this subdivision (c)(1) does not apply to Class I and Class II off-highway vehicles. (2) For purposes of this chapter and chapter 52 of this title, "off-highway motor vehicle," "Class I off-highway vehicle," and "Class II off-highway vehicle" have the same meanings as defined in § 55-8-101 . (d) Class I and Class II off-highway vehicles as defined in § 55-8-101 may be registered with the department of revenue in accordance with chapter 4, part 7 of this title and operated on county roads in accordance with § 55-8-203 .

Legislative History

Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 790, Secs.s 1, s 10 eff. 1/1/2017. Acts 1951, ch. 70, § 28 (Williams, § 5538.128); Acts 1963, ch. 143, § 3; 1968, ch. 403, § 1; 1972, ch. 518, § 4; 1972, ch. 535, § 1; 1979, ch. 247, § 2; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 59-301; Acts 1982, ch. 749, § 1; 1983, ch. 22, § 1; 1983, ch. 102, § 1; 1986, ch. 598, § 6; 1986, ch. 791, § 4; 1988, ch. 817, § 1; 2003 , ch. 76, § 3; 2008 , ch. 1007, § 7.