Tennessee now has a public registry for certain people with repeat convictions involving domestic abuse victims.
Known as the Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry, the registry was created by Savanna’s Law and became effective January 1, 2026. It is maintained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and is available for public inquiry online.
The law was amended again in 2026. Effective July 1, 2026, Tennessee clarified which offenses can qualify, what information is provided to the TBI, and how a court identifies prior convictions used to determine a person’s registration period.
One of the most important points is that the Tennessee domestic violence offender registry is not limited to repeat convictions labeled “domestic assault.” Theft, vandalism, harassment, stalking, violations of certain protective or no-contact orders, and other offenses can qualify when the statutory requirements are met.
For someone facing an allegation involving a spouse, former spouse, dating partner, household member, family member, or another person covered by Tennessee’s domestic-abuse statutes, understanding the criminal charge and the relationship involved can be important. More information about these cases is available on our Tennessee domestic violence defense page.
What Is Tennessee’s Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry?
Savanna’s Law created the Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry within the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The relevant provisions are found in Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-39-401 and 40-39-402.
The TBI maintains the registry using information supplied by court clerks and information available from the Tennessee Department of Correction and local law enforcement agencies. Tennessee law requires the registry to be available for public inquiry on the internet.
For a defendant, however, the important question is not simply whether a previous case involved an argument or allegation between family members.
Registration depends on specific statutory requirements involving the current conviction, the person’s qualifying prior record, the nature of the offense, and the relationship to the victim.
Who Is a Persistent Domestic Violence Offender in Tennessee?
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-401 defines a persistent domestic violence offender as a person who:
- Has been convicted in Tennessee of an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim; and
- Has at least one qualifying prior conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim.
For purposes of Savanna’s Law, a conviction includes a guilty verdict by a judge or jury, a guilty plea, a plea of nolo contendere, and a best-interest plea accepted by the court.
A pending allegation or arrest does not by itself place someone on the registry. The registration requirement depends on a qualifying conviction together with a qualifying prior conviction.
The current qualifying conviction must also be a Tennessee conviction. That distinction can become important when someone’s criminal history includes a conviction from another state.
What Counts as a “Prior Conviction” Under Savanna’s Law?
This part of the law requires more care than simply counting convictions on a criminal history report.
Savanna’s Law provides that “prior conviction” has the same meaning as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-106.
That statutory cross-reference makes the sequence and procedural history of an earlier case relevant.
Questions may include:
- When the earlier offense occurred;
- When the earlier conviction was entered;
- Whether the offense involved a domestic abuse victim;
- Whether the earlier offense is one recognized by the registry law; and
- Whether the earlier conviction satisfies the incorporated statutory definition of a prior conviction.
For that reason, someone with an earlier domestic-violence-related case should not assume that a prior conviction automatically does—or does not—qualify without reviewing the actual record.
The January 1, 2026 Date Matters
Savanna’s Law applies to a qualifying offense committed on or after January 1, 2026.
The date of the alleged conduct matters, not merely the date on which a conviction is entered.
For example, suppose a person is convicted in February 2026 for conduct that occurred in December 2025. That conviction would not fall within the new registry provision solely because the conviction occurred after January 1.
A qualifying prior conviction, however, does not have to arise from conduct occurring in 2026 or later.
The statute expressly provides that a prior conviction is not required to have occurred on or after January 1, 2026.
For example, suppose a person received a qualifying conviction involving a former spouse in 2023. If that conviction satisfies the statutory requirements for a prior conviction and the person later commits another qualifying offense against a domestic abuse victim after January 1, 2026, the fact that the earlier conviction predates Savanna’s Law does not by itself prevent it from being considered.
Which Offenses Can Lead to Registration in 2026?
Tennessee made an important change to the registry law effective July 1, 2026.
Public Chapter 921 amended Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-402 to define an “offense committed against a domestic abuse victim.”
The law therefore reaches beyond domestic assault.
When the required domestic-abuse-victim relationship exists, qualifying offenses include:
- Domestic assault under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-111;
- Violating an order of protection, restraining order, or no-contact order under § 39-13-113;
- Theft of property under § 39-14-103;
- Vandalism under § 39-14-408;
- Abuse of an elderly or vulnerable adult under § 39-15-510;
- Aggravated abuse of an elderly or vulnerable adult under § 39-15-511;
- Sexual exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable adult under § 39-15-512;
- Harassment under § 39-17-308;
- Stalking under § 39-17-315;
- Sexual exploitation of a minor under § 39-17-1003;
- Aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor under § 39-17-1004;
- Especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor under § 39-17-1005; and
- A felony conviction under Title 39, Chapter 13 of the Tennessee Code.
The relationship requirement remains critical.
A theft or vandalism conviction does not become a qualifying registry offense simply because theft or vandalism appears on this list. The offense must meet the statute’s requirement that it was committed against a domestic abuse victim.
The name appearing on a charging document therefore does not answer the registry question by itself.
Who Counts as a Domestic Abuse Victim in Tennessee?
Savanna’s Law incorporates Tennessee’s definition of a domestic abuse victim under Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-3-601.
The definition extends beyond married couples.
It includes specified relationships involving:
- Current or former spouses;
- People who live together or previously lived together;
- People who are dating or previously dated;
- People who have or previously had a sexual relationship;
- People related by blood or adoption;
- People related or formerly related by marriage; and
- Certain children of people within those covered relationships.
The statute’s definition of dating does not include two people whose interaction is limited to an ordinary business or social association.
The nature of the relationship between the accused person and the alleged victim can therefore be just as important to the registry analysis as the criminal charge.
Do the Current and Prior Cases Have to Involve the Same Victim?
No.
Savanna’s Law does not require the current offense and the prior qualifying offense to involve the same domestic abuse victim.
A qualifying prior conviction involving one domestic abuse victim can be relevant to a later qualifying conviction involving a different domestic abuse victim if the remaining statutory requirements are met.
This is another reason a defendant’s prior criminal record should be reviewed carefully rather than evaluated only by looking for repeated charges involving the same person.
Can an Out-of-State Conviction Count?
An out-of-state case can be relevant, but an important distinction applies.
The statutory definition of a persistent domestic violence offender requires the current qualifying conviction to be in Tennessee.
The 2026 amendment separately addresses offenses committed in another state when determining whether an offense qualifies as one committed against a domestic abuse victim.
An out-of-state offense can qualify when it would constitute one of Tennessee’s listed offenses and the required domestic-abuse-victim relationship exists.
When the offense from another jurisdiction is not identified by the same offense designation, Tennessee law provides for a comparison of its elements with those of the comparable Tennessee offense.
An out-of-state conviction should therefore not be treated as automatically qualifying or automatically irrelevant. The particular offense, statutory elements, judgment, victim relationship, and role of that conviction in the person’s history must be considered.
What Happens When the Registration Requirements Are Met?
If a person is convicted of a qualifying offense and there is proof of at least one qualifying prior conviction committed against a domestic abuse victim, Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-402 directs the court to order registration as a persistent domestic violence offender.
Registration also requires the victim’s consent. The court will not order registration unless the domestic abuse victim in the current case agrees to it, or is unavailable for that determination.
The 2026 amendment added another requirement.
When ordering registration, the court must identify the number of prior qualifying convictions.
If the court does not specify the number of prior convictions in the registration order, the registration period defaults to the period applicable to one prior conviction.
That number matters because it directly determines how long the person’s identifying information remains on the public registry.
How Long Does Someone Stay on the Tennessee Domestic Violence Registry?
Savanna’s Law establishes different removal periods based on the number of qualifying prior convictions.
| Prior Qualifying Convictions | Registry Period |
| 1 prior conviction | 5 years |
| 2 prior convictions | 7 years |
| 3 prior convictions | 10 years |
| 4 or more prior convictions | 20 years |
The applicable period runs from the date of the person’s most recent conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim.
The difference between one, two, three, and four qualifying prior convictions can therefore significantly change the length of the public-registry consequence.
What Information Appears on Tennessee’s Domestic Violence Registry?
The 2026 amendments also addressed the information maintained through the registry.
The registry includes the offender’s:
- Name;
- Date of birth;
- Conviction date;
- County or counties of conviction;
- Photograph; and
- Other identifying information the TBI determines is necessary to identify the offender properly and exclude innocent people.
The public registry cannot display the person’s:
- Address;
- Social Security number;
- Driver’s license number; or
- Other state or federal identification number.
The registry is publicly searchable through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
What Does the Court Clerk Send to the TBI?
When a court orders a defendant to register, the court clerk must forward a copy of the final judgment to the TBI.
After the July 2026 amendment, the information must be forwarded within seven days from the date the clerk receives a final judgment signed by the judge.
The amendment also removed the earlier requirement that the clerk send the TBI a copy of the person’s driver’s license or another state or federal identification document after reasonable inquiry.
Is There a Registration Fee?
Yes.
A defendant required to register is assessed a $150 registration fee in addition to other punishment imposed for the underlying offense.
Under the amended law, the fee is paid to the clerk of the sentencing court at the time of conviction.
Of that amount:
- $50 is retained for administration of the registry provisions; and
- $100 is sent to the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration’s Office of Criminal Justice Programs for grants supporting family-violence prevention and intervention services.
Why Prior Cases Need to Be Reviewed Carefully
A person’s criminal history may appear simple on a background report while raising more complicated questions under Savanna’s Law.
The analysis may require determining whether an earlier disposition legally qualifies as a conviction, whether it satisfies the incorporated definition of a prior conviction under Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-106, whether the victim in the earlier case qualified as a domestic abuse victim, and whether the current offense is one covered by the registry statute.
Previous allegations and case outcomes can also affect how a new case is evaluated. Our article about domestic violence accusations in Tennessee discusses additional issues that can arise after an accusation is made.
The number of qualifying prior convictions matters as well because it determines whether the registration period is five, seven, ten, or twenty years.
Why the Registry Can Matter When Evaluating a Criminal Case
A person evaluating a plea offer or preparing a defense should consider more than possible incarceration, probation, fines, and other sentencing terms.
When a pending charge involves a domestic abuse victim and the defendant has a potentially qualifying prior conviction, the possibility that a conviction could trigger the Tennessee Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry should also be examined.
This is especially important because the law reaches beyond domestic assault.
Depending on the offense and relationship involved, harassment, stalking, theft, vandalism, certain order violations, and other offenses identified by the statute can be relevant.
A charge alone does not establish that someone must register. Whether Savanna’s Law applies depends on the resulting conviction, the nature of the current offense, the relationship to the victim, the defendant’s qualifying prior record, and the statutory timing requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennessee’s Domestic Violence Offender Registry
Does the victim have to agree to the registration?
Yes. The court will not order registration unless the domestic abuse victim agrees to it, or is unavailable for the determination.
Does one domestic assault conviction put someone on the registry?
One qualifying conviction by itself does not meet the statutory definition of a persistent domestic violence offender.
The law requires a qualifying current Tennessee conviction and at least one qualifying prior conviction.
Do both convictions have to occur after January 1, 2026?
No.
The qualifying current offense must have been committed on or after January 1, 2026. A qualifying prior conviction is not required to have occurred after that date.
Does the new conviction have to be for domestic assault?
No.
Since July 1, 2026, Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-402 identifies several additional offenses that can qualify when committed against a domestic abuse victim.
Can an old conviction count?
An older conviction can count even if it predates January 1, 2026, provided it satisfies the applicable statutory requirements.
Savanna’s Law incorporates the meaning of “prior conviction” from Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-106, so the history and sequence of the earlier case can matter.
Can an out-of-state conviction count?
An out-of-state offense can potentially qualify under the provisions of Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-402.
The current conviction necessary to satisfy the statutory definition of a persistent domestic violence offender, however, must be a Tennessee conviction.
Does the prior case have to involve the same victim?
No.
Savanna’s Law does not require the current offense and qualifying prior conviction to involve the same domestic abuse victim.
Is the Tennessee domestic violence offender registry public?
Yes.
Tennessee law requires the TBI to make the registry available for public inquiry online.
How long does someone remain on the registry?
The statutory periods are:
- Five years for one qualifying prior conviction;
- Seven years for two;
- Ten years for three; and
- Twenty years for four or more.
The period is measured from the person’s most recent qualifying conviction.
Facing a Domestic-Violence-Related Charge in Tennessee?
Tennessee’s Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry creates an additional consequence for certain people convicted of repeat domestic-violence-related offenses.
For someone with a prior criminal record, determining whether Savanna’s Law applies can require examining much more than the name of the previous charge. The offense dates, judgments, victim relationships, statutes involved, and sequence of prior convictions can all matter.
Davis & Hoss represents people facing criminal allegations in Chattanooga and throughout Tennessee. If you are concerned about how a previous conviction could affect a new criminal case, learn more about our broader criminal defense services.