Tennessee Posting Laws: How to Post Land

What the law asks for on signs

The trespass statute, 39-14-405, has no owner-name rule. The hunting section, 70-4-106(b), is different: a 'Hunting By Written Permission Only' sign must bear the name of the landowner or person in possession or control. The statute does not mention an address. No letter height is given, and the sign size is not in the statute because the wildlife agency signs off on them.

Spacing and placement

Trespass signs must be visible at all major points of ingress. Hunting signs under 70-4-106(b) follow the same idea, or may add fluorescent markings every 50 yards around the perimeter. The statute sets no 100-yard sign spacing, so think about gates, roads and trail heads rather than counting steps.

Purple paint marks

Section 39-14-405(c)(2) allows purple paint on trees or posts as vertical lines not less than 8 in long and not less than 1 in wide, with the bottom 3 to 5 ft from the ground. There is no foot spacing, but marks must be where they are reasonably likely to come to the attention of someone entering.

One condition matters a great deal: you need at least one sign at a major point of ingress stating that purple paint signifies 'no trespassing'. In other words, paint alone is not enough, and the sign is what tells a visitor what the marks mean.

Hunting land and what we could not confirm

The statute text we read says all hunters need permission on private land, posted or not, and that agency-authorized written-permission signs make written permission mandatory. Penalties and later amendments of 39-14-405 were not checked, and the text of 70-4-106 was not read directly. Please read both statutes yourself before relying on this page.

Questions about posting land in Tennessee