A new Tennessee law creating a registry of “persistent domestic violence offenders” within the Tennessee Bureau of investigation (TBI) to be available for public inquiry on the internet, similar to the state’s sex offender registry already in use, is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Passed unanimously by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bill Lee earlier this year, the bill creating the registry was named “Savanna’s Law” in honor of 22-year old Robertson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Savanna Puckett who was shot inside her Springfield home in January 2022 by a man with a known history of domestic assault.
The man also suffocated Puckett’s dog before setting her home on fire.
Savanna’s Law requires the domestic violence offender registry to consist of the offender’s name, date of birth, conviction date, county or counties of convictions, and a current photograph of the offender.
Under the new law, a person convicted of a domestic abuse offense with at least one prior conviction for a similar offense is classified as a persistent domestic violence offender and must register as one.
Further, offenders must pay a $150 registration fee: $50 which is retained by the court for administration and $100 which goes to fund family violence prevention and intervention services through state grants.
The length of time an offender remains on the public registry depends on how many prior convictions they have for offenses against domestic abuse victims under Savanna’s Law.
If the offender has one prior conviction, they will be eligible for removal from the registry five years after their most recent conviction. If they have two prior convictions, they must remain on the registry for seven years after their most recent offense. Those with three prior convictions will be listed for 10 years, and individuals with four or more prior convictions must remain on the registry for 20 years after their latest conviction.
The Robertson County Sheriff’s Office has said Puckett’s legacy “lives on in protecting domestic violence victims for the state of Tennessee” through Savanna’s Law.
For a complete list of new Tennessee laws set to take effect in the new year, click here.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
