Can you record a phone call in Tennessee?
You can record a call you take part in without asking the others. Tennessee's wiretap law only forbids it when the purpose is a crime or a civil wrong.
- Phone calls
- Tennessee Code section 39-13-601 bans intercepting calls and other electronic communications. Subsection (b)(5) allows it when you are a party to the call or one party agreed in advance, unless the purpose is a crime or a civil wrong under Tennessee law. Cellphone calls also need only one party's consent (section 39-13-604).
- Business calls
- Tennessee sets no notice rule for a participant who records; for callers in all-party states, announce the recording. A 2024 amendment says the wiretap law does not stop a business from choosing vendors and sharing communications with them in the normal course of business. The Tennessee Information Protection Act (since July 2025) covers businesses with over $25 million in revenue and data on 175,000 Tennessee consumers.
- What counts as consent
- As a participant, your own consent is enough. Tennessee requires no beep or announcement. For a call you are not part of, one participant must agree before the recording starts.
- Penalties
- Illegal interception is a Class D felony: 2-12 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. Since May 2024 the state wiretap law gives no right to sue, but federal law does (18 U.S.C. 2520).
Say this at the start
Telling everyone and asking is the safe habit everywhere.
- English
Before we start: I record my calls so I can keep accurate notes. Is that OK with you?
Worth knowing
- Public Chapter 1045 of 2024 repealed the state civil damages section (39-13-603) from 28 May 2024 and added the business vendor clause. Older guides still describe the repealed section.
- In-person conversations follow the same one-party rule where the speaker expects privacy. Talk in open public places can be recorded.
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026. A plain summary of the law, not legal advice.
- Tennessee Public Chapter No. 1045 (2024), Tennessee Secretary of Statestatute
- SB 2221 / HB 1658 bill history, 113th General Assembly (Tennessee General Assembly)statute
- Tenn. Code Ann. 39-13-601, FindLaw copy current to January 2024guide
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Tennessee recording guide (2020, predates the 2024 repeal)guide
- Tennessee data privacy laws (RecordingLaw, reviewed August 2026)guide
Other states
More free tools
Questions
Is Tennessee a one-party consent state?
Yes. You can record a call you take part in without asking the others. Tennessee's wiretap law only forbids it when the purpose is a crime or a civil wrong.
Can a business record calls in Tennessee?
Tennessee sets no notice rule for a participant who records; for callers in all-party states, announce the recording. A 2024 amendment says the wiretap law does not stop a business from choosing vendors and sharing communications with them in the normal course of business. The Tennessee Information Protection Act (since July 2025) covers businesses with over $25 million in revenue and data on 175,000 Tennessee consumers.
What counts as consent in Tennessee?
As a participant, your own consent is enough. Tennessee requires no beep or announcement. For a call you are not part of, one participant must agree before the recording starts.
What happens if you record a call illegally in Tennessee?
Illegal interception is a Class D felony: 2-12 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. Since May 2024 the state wiretap law gives no right to sue, but federal law does (18 U.S.C. 2520).
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
