Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-7-119 (2026)
Strip searches restricted
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) As used in this section, "strip search" means having an arrested person remove or arrange some or all of the person's clothing so as to permit a visual inspection of the genitals, buttocks, anus, female breasts or undergarments of the arrested person.
- (b) No person arrested for a traffic, regulatory or misdemeanor offense, except in cases involving weapons, a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue, shall be strip searched unless there is reasonable belief that the individual is concealing a weapon, a controlled substance, a controlled substance analogue or other contraband.
Acts 1982, ch. 759, § 1; T.C.A., § 40-828; Acts 2012, ch. 848, § 28.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3
cases, 1992–2012 · leading case: Florence v. Bd. of Chosen Freeholders of Cnty. of Burlington, 132 S. Ct. 1510 (2012).
Florence v. Bd. of Chosen Freeholders of Cnty. of Burlington, 132 S. Ct. 1510 (2012). “3 :120, §3(l)(b) (2011) (similar); Tenn. Code Ann. §40-7-119 (2006) (similar); Colo.”
Timberlake by Timberlake v. Benton, 786 F. Supp. 676 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “The City of Springfield’s official policy governing strip searches is taken directly from the Tennessee statutory policy located at T.C.A. 40-7-119. That policy provides as follows: (a) As used in this section, “strip search” means having an arrested person remove or arrange…”
State of Tennessee v. Carrie D. Young (Tenn. Crim. App. 2011). “3 Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-7-119 provides the following rule regarding strip searches: (a) As used in this section, “strip search” means having an arrested person remove or arrange some or all of the person’s clothing so as to permit a visual inspection of the…”
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