Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (2026)
Definition of terms used in code
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) As used in this code, unless the context otherwise requires:
- (1) "Age of majority" means eighteen (18) years of age or older; except that when purchasing, consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages, wine or beer as those terms are defined in title 57, "age of majority" means twenty-one (21) years of age. This subdivision (1) shall not be construed as prohibiting any person eighteen (18) years of age or older from selling, transporting, possessing or dispensing alcoholic beverages, wine or beer in the course of employment;
- (2)
- (A) "Agriculture" means:
- (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock;
- (ii) The activity carried on in connection with the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock;
- (iii) Recreational and educational activities on land used for the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock; and
- (iv) Entertainment activities conducted in conjunction with, but secondary to, commercial production of farm products and nursery stock, when such activities occur on land used for the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock;
- (B) As used in this definition of agriculture, the term "farm products" means forage and sod crops; grains and feed crops; dairy and dairy products; poultry and poultry products; livestock, including breeding and grazing; fruits; vegetables; flowers; seeds; grasses; forestry products; fish and other aquatic animals used for food; bees; equine; and all other plants and animals that produce food, feed, fiber or fur;
- (C) As used in this definition of agriculture, the term "nursery stock" means all trees, shrubs, or other plants, or parts of such trees, shrubs or other plants, grown or kept for, or capable of, propagation, distribution or sale on a commercial basis;
- (A) "Agriculture" means:
- (3) "Code" includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code;
- (4) "Collector" includes any person entrusted with the collection of public revenue;
- (5) "Constable," or other word used for an executive or ministerial officer, includes any person performing the duties of such officer, either generally or in special cases;
- (6) "Coroner," or other word used for an executive or ministerial officer, includes any person performing the duties of such officer, either generally or in special cases;
- (7) "County executive" means and includes "county mayor" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise;
- (8) "County mayor" means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise;
- (9) "Executor" includes an administrator, where the subject matter applies to an administrator;
- (10) "Federal census," "federal census of population," or references to the federal decennial census, are deemed to be references to the federal decennial censuses of population as defined in § 1-3-116, and contained in the "Tables" volume of this code, Volume 13, or its replacement volume;
- (11) "Funeral and burial expenses" includes, but is not limited to, the cost of preparing the body for burial or other disposition, the funeral service, any funeral merchandise, flowers, honoraria, acknowledgment cards, postage, transporting the body to the place of burial or disposition, the burial space, crypt, mausoleum or other final resting place, the opening and closing thereof and any marker;
- (12) "Highway" includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way," "county road" or "state road";
- (13) "Insane" includes all persons of unsound mind;
- (14) "Lands" includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal;
- (15) "Livestock" means all equine as well as animals that are being raised primarily for use as food or fiber for human utilization or consumption including, but not limited to, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and poultry;
- (16) "Minor" means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age; except that where used in title 57 with respect to purchasing, consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages, wine or beer, "minor" means any person who has not attained twenty-one (21) years of age. This subdivision (16) shall not be construed as prohibiting any person eighteen (18) years of age or older from selling, transporting, possessing or dispensing alcoholic beverages, wine or beer in the course of employment;
- (17) "Month" means a calendar month;
- (18) "Oath" includes affirmation;
- (19) "Person" includes a corporation, firm, company or association;
- (20) "Personal property" includes money, goods, chattels, things in action, and evidences of debt;
- (21) "Personal representative," when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees;
- (22) "Probate court" means the court having jurisdiction over the administration of the estates of decedents;
- (23) "Property" includes both personal and real property;
- (24) "Real estate" and "real property" include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal;
- (25) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form;
- (26) "Representative," when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees;
- (27) "Road" includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way," "county road" or "state road";
- (28) "Savings and loan association" includes a building and loan association, a federal or state savings and loan association, a federal savings bank, and any other financial institution, the accounts of which are insured by the [former] federal savings and loan insurance corporation (FSLIC) or any successor [repealed] of such corporation;
- (29) "Sheriff," or other word used for an executive or ministerial officer, includes any person performing the duties of such officer, either generally or in special cases;
- (30) "Signature" or "signed" includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed;
- (31) "State," when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States;
- (32) "Subscription" includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed;
- (33) "Tennessean" denotes a permanent resident of the state, and such spelling is the recognized spelling of the word;
- (34) "Tennessee-based business enterprise" means a sole proprietorship, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability corporation, limited partnership or any other business entity having any:
- (A) Place of business permanently located within this state;
- (B) Employees permanently assigned to work stations or areas located within this state; or
- (C) Tangible assets permanently located within this state;
- (35) "United States" includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States;
- (36) "Writing" or "written" includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters; and
- (37) "Year" means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; but "year," in reference to any appropriation from the state treasury, means fiscal year, unless otherwise expressed or implied.
- (b) As used in this code, undefined words shall be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest.
- (c) As used in this code, unless the context otherwise requires, "sex" means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. As used in this subsection (c), "evidence of a person's biological sex" includes, but is not limited to, a government-issued identification document that accurately reflects a person's sex listed on the person's original birth certificate.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 486, s 1, eff. 7/1/2023.
Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 302, s 1, eff. 5/5/2017.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 581, s 1, eff. 3/28/2014.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 568, s 1, eff. 3/21/2014.
Code 1858, §§ 50-52, 54-57, 59; Shan., §§ 62-64, 65-68, 70; Code 1932, §§ 14-16, 18-21, 23-25; C. Supp. 1950, §27.2; modified; Acts 1969, ch. 76, § 1; 1972, ch. 612, § 1; 1972, ch. 740, §2; 1979, ch. 413, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 1-305; Acts 1983, ch. 304, § 1; 1984, ch. 705, § 1; 1984, ch. 1006, § 1; 1985, ch. 134, § 1; 1985, ch. 140, § 2; 1990, ch. 655, § 1; 1992, ch. 951, §1; 1997 , ch. 272, § 1; 2001, ch. 215, §1; 2003 , ch. 90, § 2; 2005, ch. 19, §1; 2011 , ch. 47, § 1.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 30
cases (7 in the last 5 years), 1980–2025 · leading case: Velda J. Shore v. Maple Lane Farms, LLC, 411 S.W.3d 405 (Tenn. 2013).
Velda J. Shore v. Maple Lane Farms, LLC, 411 S.W.3d 405 (Tenn. 2013). “However, because the General Assembly did not undertake to amend the definition of “agriculture” when it enacted the agritourism statutes in 2009, we must interpret and apply Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 1-3-105(2) and 43-l-113(b) according to *430 their plain language.”
In Re: Est. of Martha M. Tanner, 295 S.W.3d 610 (Tenn. 2009). “” Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (22) (Supp. 2008).”
Cardwell v. Bechtol, 724 S.W.2d 739 (Tenn. 1987). “T.C.A. §§ 1-3-105(1) and l-3-113(a) now establish the age of majority in this State as 18 years old, except for the purpose of the purchase of alcoholic beverages.”
Brookins v. the Round Table, Inc., 624 S.W.2d 547 (Tenn. 1981). “413 § 1, codified in T.C.A. § 1-3-105(29).”
Nichols v. Atnip, 844 S.W.2d 655 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1992). “Since he was not a minor at the time of the accident, his parents cannot be held liable for his conduct under Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-10-103(a) as a matter of law.”
The Metro. Gov't of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., Tennessee v. The Bd. of Zoning Appeals Of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., Tennessee, 477 S.W.3d 750 (Tenn. 2015). “See Tenn.Code Ann. § 1-3-105(19) (2014), Metro is a public corporation, formed pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 6-3703 (now codified at section 7-1103 (2011)).”
In Re Est. of Thomas Grady Chastain, 401 S.W.3d 612 (Tenn. 2012). “” Tenn.Code Ann. § 1-3-105(31) (Supp.2012).”
Kayla Gore v. William Lee, 107 F.4th 548 (6th Cir. 2024). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (c). As a result of this statute, Tennessee ended its practice of allowing transgender individuals to update their driver’s licenses and voter identification cards to reflect their gender identity.”
State v. Gardner, 626 S.W.2d 721 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1981). “TCA § 1-3-105(29), TCA § 1-3-113. At the time of complete emancipation, the parents’ legal duty to support the child is terminated.”
Friends of George's, Inc. v. Steven Mulroy, 108 F.4th 431 (6th Cir. 2024). “Although Tennessee law says that a minor is anyone under the age of 18, Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (16), Mulroy contends that a minor is a “reasonable 17-year-old.”
First Nat'l Bank of Gatlinburg v. Charles Blalock & Sons, Inc. (In Re Just for the Fun of It of Tennessee, Inc.), 7 B.R. 166 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 1980). ““Person” is defined, however, in T.C.A. 1-3-105(14) to include a corporation, firm, company, or association.”
James Farmer v. State of Florida, 268 So. 3d 1009 (Fla. 1st DCA 2019). “Codified Laws §§ 26-1-2 , 53-2-2 (2018); Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (2018); Tex. Fam.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(1) — 3 cases
Cardwell v. Bechtol, 724 S.W.2d 739 (Tenn. 1987). “T.C.A. §§ 1-3-105(1) and l-3-113(a) now establish the age of majority in this State as 18 years old, except for the purpose of the purchase of alcoholic beverages.”
Nichols v. Atnip, 844 S.W.2d 655 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1992). “Since he was not a minor at the time of the accident, his parents cannot be held liable for his conduct under Tenn.Code Ann. § 37-10-103(a) as a matter of law.”
State of Tennessee v. Tolbert Cates Kail (Tenn. Crim. App. 2013).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(14) — 2 cases
First Nat'l Bank of Gatlinburg v. Charles Blalock & Sons, Inc. (In Re Just for the Fun of It of Tennessee, Inc.), 7 B.R. 166 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 1980). ““Person” is defined, however, in T.C.A. 1-3-105(14) to include a corporation, firm, company, or association.”
Metro. Gov't v. Ashland Oil, Inc., 535 F. Supp. 328 (M.D. Tenn. 1982).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(19) — 1 case
The Metro. Gov't of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., Tennessee v. The Bd. of Zoning Appeals Of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., Tennessee, 477 S.W.3d 750 (Tenn. 2015). “See Tenn.Code Ann. § 1-3-105(19) (2014), Metro is a public corporation, formed pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 6-3703 (now codified at section 7-1103 (2011)).”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(2) — 1 case
Velda J. Shore v. Maple Lane Farms, LLC, 411 S.W.3d 405 (Tenn. 2013). “However, because the General Assembly did not undertake to amend the definition of “agriculture” when it enacted the agritourism statutes in 2009, we must interpret and apply Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 1-3-105(2) and 43-l-113(b) according to *430 their plain language.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(2)(A) — 2 cases
Jefferson Cnty., Tennessee v. Wilmoth Fam. Props., LLC (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021).
Velda J. Shore v. Maple Lane Farms, LLC (Tenn. Ct. App. 2012).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(2)(A)(iii) — 1 case
Velda J. Shore v. Maple Lane Farms, LLC, 411 S.W.3d 405 (Tenn. 2013). “However, because the General Assembly did not undertake to amend the definition of “agriculture” when it enacted the agritourism statutes in 2009, we must interpret and apply Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 1-3-105(2) and 43-l-113(b) according to *430 their plain language.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(22) — 1 case
In Re: Est. of Martha M. Tanner, 295 S.W.3d 610 (Tenn. 2009). “” Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105 (22) (Supp. 2008).”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(29) — 2 cases
Brookins v. the Round Table, Inc., 624 S.W.2d 547 (Tenn. 1981). “413 § 1, codified in T.C.A. § 1-3-105(29).”
State v. Gardner, 626 S.W.2d 721 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1981). “TCA § 1-3-105(29), TCA § 1-3-113. At the time of complete emancipation, the parents’ legal duty to support the child is terminated.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(30) — 1 case
In Re Est. of Martha Maxine Childress (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(31) — 1 case
In Re Est. of Thomas Grady Chastain, 401 S.W.3d 612 (Tenn. 2012). “” Tenn.Code Ann. § 1-3-105(31) (Supp.2012).”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-105(5) — 1 case
Brenda Faye Brewington v. State of Tennessee, 414 S.W.3d 126 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2013).
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