Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-5-305 (2026)

• (a) Every person not previously licensed in this state as a funeral director, desiring to engage in the practice or business of funeral directing, shall make application to the board, along with a nonrefundable fee as set by the board.

• (b) The application shall contain the name of the applicant, showing that the applicant:
  • (1) Has attained eighteen (18) years of age;
  • (2) Is a citizen of the United States or an individual enumerated in 8 U.S.C. § 1622(b);
  • (3) Is of good moral character;
  • (4) Is properly protected against communicable diseases, either through immunization or education;
  • (5) Has graduated from a high school or has earned a high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education;
  • (6) Has successfully completed a program of study in funeral service education consisting of no less than thirty (30) semester hours, forty-five (45) quarter hours or the equivalent from a school accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education and evidenced by an official transcript; and
  • (7) Has completed two (2) years of apprenticeship in the presence of and under the direction and supervision of a licensed funeral director. An associate's degree from a college accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education may be substituted for one (1) year of apprenticeship.

Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 114,s 42, eff. 7/1/2023.

Amended by 2020 Tenn. Acts, ch. 625, s 2, eff. 3/25/2020.

Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 838, s 9, eff. 7/1/2016.

Acts 1951, ch. 13, § 8 (Williams, § 7140.8); Acts 1971, ch. 161, § 2; 1973, ch. 35, § 1; 1980, ch. 554, § 6; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 62-512; Acts 1985, ch. 354, § 7; 1989, ch. 523, § 150; 2001, ch. 188, §§ 5 - 8; 2007 , ch. 297, § 2.