Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-204 (2026)
Records to be kept by department - Fee for furnishing copies
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) The department of safety shall file every application for a license received by it and shall maintain suitable indicies containing in alphabetical order:
- (1) All applications denied, and on each thereof note the reasons for the denial;
- (2) All applications granted; and
- (3) The name of every licensee whose license has been suspended or revoked by the department, and after each name note the reasons for this action.
- (b) The department shall also file all accident reports, abstracts of court records of convictions and driver education or improvement course completion certification received by it under the laws of this state, and, in connection therewith, maintain convenient records or make suitable notations in order that an individual record of each licensee showing the convictions of such licensee and the traffic accidents in which the licensee has been involved and the driver education or improvement courses the licensee has completed shall be readily ascertainable and available for the consideration of the department upon any application for renewal of license and at other suitable times.
- (c)
- (1) The department shall record and maintain as part of the driver history of persons holding or required to hold commercial driver licenses all convictions, disqualifications and other licensing actions for violations of any state or local law relating to motor vehicle traffic control, other than a parking violation, committed in any type of vehicle, in this state or any other state.
- (2) The department shall make driver history information required by this subsection (c) available to the users designated in subdivision (c)(4) or to their authorized agent within ten (10) days of:
- (A) Receiving the conviction or disqualification information from another state; or
- (B) The date of the conviction, if it occurred in the same state.
- (3) The department shall retain on the driver history record all convictions, disqualifications and other licensing actions for violations for at least three (3) years or longer as required under 49 CFR 384.231(d).
- (4) Only the following users or their authorized agents may receive the designated information:
- (A) States: All information on all driver records;
- (B) The secretary of transportation: All information on all driver records;
- (C) The driver: Only information related to that driver's record; and
- (D) A motor carrier or prospective motor carrier: After notification to a driver, all information related to that driver's or prospective driver's record.
- (d)
- (1) The department shall charge and collect a fee of five dollars ($5.00) for preparing and furnishing copies of the records. All fees so collected shall constitute expendable receipts of the department.
- (2) The department shall not include the social security number of any person who has been issued a driver license in this state, including a commercial driver license, in copies of the records sold pursuant to this section.
- (3) The department shall maintain information concerning the completion of a driver education or improvement course for administrative purposes or court use only. The department shall not include information concerning the completion of a driver education or improvement course in copies of records sold pursuant to this section.
- (e) The department shall maintain a copy of all licenses as issued.
- (f) This section is also applicable when the department issues a photo identification license, intermediate driver license, learner permit, temporary driver license, temporary learner permit, temporary intermediate driver license, or temporary photo identification license.
Acts 1937, ch. 90, § 10; impl. am. Acts 1939, ch. 205, §§ 2, 3; C. Supp. 1950, § 2715.18 (Williams, § 2715.23); Acts 1961, ch. 94, § 1; 1967, ch. 102, § 1; 1969, ch. 213, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 59-711; Acts 1980, ch. 817, § 2; 1988, ch. 584, § 10; T.C.A. §§ 55-7-111, 55-7-204; Acts 1999, ch. 44, § 3; 2007 , ch. 194, § 4; 2008 , ch. 1181, §§ 3, 4; 2009 , ch. 321, § 15.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5
cases, 1992–2017 · leading case: State v. Baker, 842 S.W.2d 261 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1992).
State v. Baker, 842 S.W.2d 261 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1992). “In addition, T.C.A. § 55-50-204(a)(3) states that the Department of Safety must maintain records with the name of every individual whose Tennessee driver’s license has been suspended or revoked, and T.”
State of Tennessee v. Pascasio Martinez (2017). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-204 (b). The department of safety will prepare and furnish copies of a person’s official driver record for a small fee.”
State of Tennessee v. Jesse James Johnson (Tenn. Crim. App. 2005). “At trial, the State introduced a “State of Tennessee Department of Safety Certification as to Status of Operator’s License Pursuant to T.C.A. 55-50-204,” which indicated that as of June 30, 2002, the appellant’s driver’s license was revoked and his status was that of “Motor…”
State of Tennessee v. Don Woody McGowan (Tenn. Crim. App. 2003). “Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-50-204 requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to maintain records of certain driving license information, including the revocation or suspension of licenses.”
State v. Donnie Sisk (Tenn. Crim. App. 1999). “Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-50-204 requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to maintain records of certain driving license information, including the revocation or suspension of licenses.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-204(a)(3) — 1 case
State v. Baker, 842 S.W.2d 261 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1992). “In addition, T.C.A. § 55-50-204(a)(3) states that the Department of Safety must maintain records with the name of every individual whose Tennessee driver’s license has been suspended or revoked, and T.”
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