Tennessee Bicycle Laws

Required under age

Required under age 16

Applies to passengers

Yes

Standard

CPSC

Penalty

TCA § 55-52-105 requires every person under 16 to wear a properly fitted and fastened approved bicycle helmet whenever operating or riding as a passenger on a bicycle on any public road, sidewalk, or bike path. Penalties are de minimis - the violation is not punishable by a fine - but the law is intended to support helmet education and parental responsibility.

Statute

¹

See our find your helmet size and kids bike sizing guide.

Statewide rule

Defers to local rules

Notes

Tennessee has no statewide statute on sidewalk cycling; municipalities regulate it under their general traffic-ordinance authority. Nashville prohibits bicycle riding on sidewalks in the central business district; Memphis and Knoxville restrict it in their downtown core but permit it elsewhere. Always check the municipal code before riding the sidewalk.

Statute

—

See our commuter bike sizing guide and bike fitting guide.

Applies to bicycles

No

Separate cycling DUI statute

No

BAC limit

—

Penalty

Tennessee's DUI statute (TCA § 55-10-401) applies only to a person who drives or is in physical control of an 'automobile, automobile truck, motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, self-propelled vehicle, or any other motor-driven vehicle.' Because a bicycle is human-powered, the DUI statute does not reach bicycle riders. An impaired cyclist may still be cited under public-intoxication statutes.

Statute

¹

— Not yet researched.

Front light required

Yes

Front spec

Lamp on the front emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front.

Rear requirement

Rear reflector or light

Rear spec

Red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the Department of Safety, visible from 50 to 300 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper-beam headlamps. A red rear lamp visible from 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the reflector.

Side reflectors

—

Pedal reflectors

—

When required

Darkness

Statute

¹

See our bike lights that meet the law and winter and low-light cycling setup.

— Not yet researched.

Two abreast allowed

Yes

Conditions

TCA § 55-8-175(c) permits riding no more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast on a laned roadway shall ride within a single lane and shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.

Statute

¹

Rule

—

Statute

—

— Not yet researched.

Bicycle registration required

No

Operator license required

No

Interstates

Prohibited

Notes

Bicycles are prohibited on Interstate highways in Tennessee under TDOT policy governing controlled-access facilities. I-24, I-40, I-65, I-75 and I-81 are signed closed to bicycle traffic at on-ramps; cyclists must route on parallel US and state routes.