Title 11, Natural Areas and Recreation

(a) Unless otherwise agreed in writing, an owner of land leased to the state or any agency thereof, or any county or municipality or agency thereof, for recreational purposes, owes no duty of care to keep that land safe for entry or use by others or to give warning to persons ent…

(a) An owner of any land, which is subject to a conservation easement or public use easement, granted to or acquired and held by the state or any agency thereof, owes no duty of care to keep that land safe for entry or use by others or to give warning to any person entering or go…

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as limiting in any way any liability which otherwise exists:(1) For willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous or hazardous condition, use, structure, or activity; or(2) For injury suffered in any case where th…

(a) An owner of any land, which is subject to a conservation easement, whether such easement contains or does not contain a public use clause granted to or acquired and held by the state or any agency thereof, or any county or municipality or agency thereof, or an owner of any la…

(a) An owner of land who enters into a cooperative agreement with a public utility owned by the federal government for the use of the public utility's land in conjunction with the owner's land of at least one hundred (100) acres that is made available to the public as a park for …

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Trails System Act.”

(a) In order to provide for the ever increasing outdoor recreation needs of an expanded population and in order to promote public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the outdoor, natural and remote areas of the state, trails should be established:(1) In na…

(1) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Commissioner” means the commissioner of environment and conservation;(2) “Conservation easement” means a conservation easement as defined in § 66-9-303;(3) “Department” means the department of environment and…

(1) The system shall be composed of:(1) State scenic trails, which will be extended trails so located as to provide maximum potential for the appreciation of natural areas and for the conservation and enjoyment of the significant scenic, historic, natural, ecological, geological …

(1) Criteria for establishing the different classes of trails named in § 11-11-104 shall be as follows:(1) State scenic trails shall traverse mostly scenic and natural areas and shall be of sufficient length that they cannot be traveled in one (1) day or less. Scenic trails shall…

(1) The following trails shall be included as an initial component of the Tennessee trails system, as a state scenic trail:(1) The Appalachian Trail, that portion as recorded in the federal register, running descriptively from the Virginia state line southeast to U. S. Route 19E …

(a) State scenic trails shall be authorized and designated only by an act of the general assembly. (b) The department may establish and designate state recreation trails on lands administered by the department; and/or on lands under the jurisdiction of a state department, politic…

The commissioner shall study and, from time to time, submit to the governor and to the general assembly proposals for additions to the state scenic trails system, as well as reports on state recreation trails that have been designated by the department, regarding rights-of-way th…

(1) The process of locating routes of trails initially included in, as well as trails to be added to, the system shall be as follows:(1) For state scenic trails, the department shall select a route. The selected route shall be compatible with preservation or enhancement of the en…

All state agencies shall, promptly upon enactment of this chapter, inform the commissioner of any proceedings, studies, or other activities within their jurisdiction, and regardless of by whom requested, which are now in progress and which affect or may affect any of the trails s…

The department shall review all formal declarations of railroad right-of-way abandonments by the interstate commerce commission, for possible inclusion into the state trails system. The commissioner shall, within three (3) years after the route of a trail or trail segment include…

(a) Within the exterior boundaries of the right-of-way, the commissioner may acquire, on behalf of the state of Tennessee, lands in fee title, or interest in land in the form of conservation easements or cooperative agreements. Acquisition of land or of interest therein may be by…

(a) Within the external boundaries of the right-of-way, the natural vegetation shall be kept undisturbed except for any clearing required for construction of the trail, occasional vistas, or trail-use facilities described in § 11-11-117. The department shall make every effort to …

(a) The use of motorized vehicles by the general public within the right-of-way of any state scenic or recreation trail shall be prohibited, and nothing in this chapter shall be construed as authorizing the use of motorized vehicles in these rights-of-way. (b) The department shal…

Any component of the system that is or shall become a part of any state park, recreation area, wildlife management area, or similar area shall be subject to this chapter and the laws under which the other areas are administered, and, in the case of conflict between these laws, th…

The department, in consultation with appropriate governmental agencies, and public and private organizations shall establish a uniform marker for trails contained in the system. An additional appropriate symbol characterizing specific trails may be included on the marker. The mar…

(a) The Tennessee trail system shall be administered by the department according to the policies and criteria set forth in this chapter. (b) The department shall, in addition, have or designate the responsibility for maintaining the trails, building bridges, campsites, shelters, …

(a) Segments of the state trails may be relocated when such relocation is deemed necessary to preserve or enhance the values for which the trail was established. (b) Relocation may be accomplished by the department after consultation with other governmental agencies involved, and…

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall preclude a component of the state trails system from becoming a part of the national trails system. (b) The commissioner shall coordinate the state trails system with the national trails system and is directed to encourage and assist any federal …

(a) Whoever violates, fails, neglects or refuses to obey any provision of this chapter, or regulation or order of the commissioner may be compelled to comply with or obey the same by injunction, mandamus, or other appropriate remedy. (b) Whoever violates, fails, neglects, or refu…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Adventure Tourism and Rural Development Act of 2011.”

The department of economic and community development, in cooperation with the department of environment and conservation, is directed to study and develop a plan for the promotion and development of adventure tourism and other recreational and economic development activities in r…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Adventure tourism” means outdoor recreational opportunities such as equine and motorized trail riding, white water rafting and kayaking, rappelling, road biking, rock climbing, hang-gliding, spelunking, shooting…

(a) A local governing body may, by a two-thirds (⅔) vote authorize the creation of a district within the boundaries of such governing body as an adventure tourism district by developing an adventure tourism district plan. Alternatively, one (1) or more counties or one (1) or more…

(a) Unless an adventure tourism professional or business acts intentionally or with gross negligence or is in violation of this part, or any other laws, ordinances, resolutions, rules or regulations pertaining to adventure tourism, which intentional or grossly negligent act or om…

The department of environment and conservation and the department of tourist development may work together to provide assistance as deemed appropriate by the departments to encourage the development of adventure tourism within those regions of the state designated as suitable for…

(a) Whenever the state or a political subdivision thereof owns or regulates a right-of-way it is considering abandoning, such political entity shall conduct a study to determine the feasibility of converting such right-of-way into a hiking-bicycle trail. (b) The results of the st…

This part only applies in those counties with a metropolitan form of government and in those counties with a population according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census of: not less than nor more than 11,65011,67523,46023,48535,45035,47550,67550,700250,000300…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Jogging Act of 1980.”

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Commissioner” means the commissioner of health, who shall administer this part;(2) “Jogging trail” means any trail at least one (1) mile in length; and(3) “State land” includes any land owned, operated, or under…

(a) Each agency of state government shall forward to the commissioner a survey of any state land under its control or supervision. The survey shall contain the following information:(1) The location of any tract or parcel of land sufficient in size to contain a jogging trail;(2) …

Any citizens' group or organization interested in running or jogging may recommend to the commissioner the use of any state land for designation as a jogging trail. Upon the recommendation of any citizens' group or organization to designate any existing highway as a jogging trail…

The commissioner shall review the land surveys prepared by each department or agency, together with the recommendations of any interested citizens group, and shall designate such lands as the commissioner deems suitable as a jogging trail. In designating lands as jogging trails, …

(a) All lands designated by the commissioner for use as jogging trails shall be posted as such and shall be open to the public for jogging or running at all times unless the commissioner, in cooperation with the department or agency, shall exclude certain periods because of safet…

Any department or agency may appeal to the governor to remove any state land under its control or supervision from the designation as a jogging trail.

Any expenditures required under this part shall be from departmental appropriations made in the general appropriations act.

(a) This chapter shall be known by the title “The Tennessee Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.” (b) The general assembly finds that certain rivers of Tennessee possess outstanding scenic, recreational, geological, fish and wildlife, botanical, historical, archaeological and other scienti…

(1) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Conservation easement” means a conservation easement as defined in § 66-9-303. No conservation easement obtained pursuant to this chapter shall grant a right of physical access to the public;(2) “Free flowing…

The following types of rivers are eligible for inclusion in the state scenic rivers system in which they will be administered in general accord with the criteria hereinafter set forth:Classes of Scenic River AreasClass I Natural river areasClass II Pastoral river areasClass III P…

The rivers or segments of rivers to be initially included in this system, being classified by the above-stated criteria, are as follows:Class I Natural River Areas Blackburn Fork — That segment of the stream from the county road at Cummings Mill downstream one and one-half (1½) m…

The commissioner of environment and conservation shall study and from time to time submit to the governor and to the general assembly proposals for the addition to the state scenic rivers system of rivers and sections of rivers which, in the commissioner's judgment, fall within o…