Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-301 (2026)
License required - Requirements - Exception - Applicability to temporary licenses and permits
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) Every person applying for an original or renewal driver license shall be required to comply with and be issued a classified driver license meeting the following requirements:
- (1) No person, except those expressly exempted in this section, shall drive any motor vehicle upon a highway in this state unless the person has a valid driver license under this chapter for the type or class of vehicle being driven;
- (2) No person, except those expressly exempted in this section, shall steer or, while within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, exercise any degree of physical control of a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle upon a highway in this state unless the person has a valid driver license under this chapter for the type or class of vehicle being towed;
- (3) No person shall receive a driver license unless and until the person surrenders to the department all valid licenses in the person's possession, issued to that person by this or any other jurisdiction. All surrendered licenses issued by another jurisdiction shall be returned, together with information that the person is licensed in this state. No person shall be permitted to have more than one (1) valid driver license at any time; and
- (4) Any person licensed as a driver may exercise the privilege granted upon all streets and highways in this state and shall not be required to obtain any other license to exercise the privilege by any county, municipal or local board, or body having authority to adopt local police regulations.
- (b) This section is applicable to the issuance of temporary driver licenses and permits.
- (c) A Class M license shall not be required for the operation of an autocycle.
Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1015,s 10, eff. 7/1/2016.
Acts 1937, ch. 90, § 3; C. Supp. 1950, § 2715.11 (Williams, § 2715.16); Acts 1955, ch. 114, § 2; 1957, ch. 199, §§ 1, 2; 1957, ch. 209, § 1; 1959, ch. 272, § 1; 1967, ch. 238, § 1; impl. am. Acts 1971, ch. 162, § 3; Acts 1972, ch. 467, § 1; 1974, ch. 444, §§ 1, 2; 1975, ch. 82, § 1; 1976, ch. 841, § 1; 1977, ch. 90, § 1; 1977, ch. 189, § 2; 1978, ch. 643, §§ 1, 2; 1979, ch. 247, §§ 5, 8; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 59-704; Acts 1986, ch. 804, § 7; 1987, ch. 446, § 11; 1988, ch. 584, § 4; T.C.A., §§ 55-7-104, 55-7-301; Acts 2000, ch. 606, § 6; 2007, ch. 194, § 5.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1991–2025 · leading case: Bankston v. State, 815 S.W.2d 213 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1991).
Bankston v. State, 815 S.W.2d 213 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1991). “It is as uniquely a separate substantive offense as many others which may be committed by operation of a motor vehicle including: operation of a motor vehicle without a driver license (T.C.A. § 55-50-301); driving while license revoked (T.”
Thomas v. Haslam, 303 F. Supp. 3d 585 (M.D. Tenn. 2018). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-301 (a)(1). That licensure scheme is administered by the TDSHS pursuant to Tennessee's Uniform Classified and Commercial Driver License Act, Tenn.”
Thomas v. Haslam, 329 F. Supp. 3d 475 (M.D. Tenn. 2018). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-301 (a)(1). That licensure scheme is administered by the TDSHS pursuant to Tennessee's Uniform Classified and Commercial Driver License Act, Tenn.”
Rimer v. City of Collegedale, 835 S.W.2d 22 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1992). “DISCUSSION As to the first issue, we have reviewed T.C.A. § 55-50-301 and observe that its provisions are the general requirements of law that all operators of motor vehicles upon the highways in this state are required to be appropriately licensed.”
State v. Banks, 875 S.W.2d 303 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1993). “T.C.A. § 55-50-301; See Compiler’s Notes to T.”
State of Tennessee v. Frederick J. Schmitz, Jr. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2015). “In this appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to impose the conviction, that Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-50-301 is unconstitutional, and that various procedural errors occurred attendant to his conviction.”
State of Tennessee v. Garet Myers (Tenn. Crim. App. 2022). “See T.C.A. §§ 55-50-301(a)(1), -603. We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to support the verdicts.”
Mashek v. Halsey (E.D. Tenn. 2025). “Plaintiff was arrested for two offenses: (i) Driving Without a License in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-50-301 and (ii) Resisting Arrest in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-16-602.”
Marie Hawks v. Michael Greene, Comm. Dept of Saf. (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999). “We begin with the basic requirement that, in order to drive a motor vehicle on the highways in the state, a person must have a valid driver license issued by the Department.”
State v. Robert Booher (Tenn. Crim. App. 1997). “See Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-301 . The jury found the Defenda nt guilty of both offenses .”
State of Tennessee v. Anthony Antonio Cole (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “The sole issue raised by the Defendant on appeal with respect to those convictions is the sufficiency of the evidence regarding his identity as the driver of the blue Chevrolet.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-301(a)(1) — 2 cases
State of Tennessee v. Garet Myers (Tenn. Crim. App. 2022). “See T.C.A. §§ 55-50-301(a)(1), -603. We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to support the verdicts.”
State of Tennessee v. Frederick J. Schmitz, Jr. (Tenn. Crim. App. 2015). “In this appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to impose the conviction, that Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-50-301 is unconstitutional, and that various procedural errors occurred attendant to his conviction.”
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