Tenn. Code Ann. § 70-2-222
This is the official text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 70-2-222, part of Tennessee’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Tennessee, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
[See the Compiler's Notes.] Freshwater mussels - Purchase - Payment - Penalty
Official statutory text
(a) Any person, firm or corporation that purchases or otherwise obtains freshwater mussels taken from Tennessee waters shall pay to the Tennessee wildlife resources agency the amount equal to $0.0145 per pound of mussel shells or $0.0124 per pound of mussels, shell with meat, purchased or obtained. (b) The payment to the agency shall be calculated from receipts filled out by the buyer for each transaction. A copy of each receipt will be given to the seller and a copy retained by the buyer, and shall be made available by the buyer for inspection by agents of the agency or the office of the comptroller of the treasury for a period of two (2) years. When mussels are sold without first going through a buyer, the method of payment shall be as described in proclamations promulgated by the fish and wildlife commission. For purposes of this section, a "buyer" is any person, firm or corporation that buys or otherwise obtains mussels from mussel harvesters or other mussel buyers, either for use within the state or for exporting from Tennessee. (c) Payments from buyers shall be made monthly, and must be received by the agency no later than the fifteenth day of the following month. (d) Revenue from this section shall be used for mussel management, research, and enforcement. However, no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total revenue shall be spent on enforcement. (e) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor. Acts 1991, ch. 522, § 1; 1994, ch. 727, §§ 2-4; 2012 , ch. 993, § 13.
(a) Any person, firm or corporation that purchases or otherwise obtains freshwater mussels taken from Tennessee waters shall pay to the Tennessee wildlife resources agency the amount equal to $0.0145 per pound of mussel shells or $0.0124 per pound of mussels, shell with meat, purchased or obtained.
(b) The payment to the agency shall be calculated from receipts filled out by the buyer for each transaction. A copy of each receipt will be given to the seller and a copy retained by the buyer, and shall be made available by the buyer for inspection by agents of the agency or the office of the comptroller of the treasury for a period of two (2) years. When mussels are sold without first going through a buyer, the method of payment shall be as described in proclamations promulgated by the fish and wildlife commission. For purposes of this section, a "buyer" is any person, firm or corporation that buys or otherwise obtains mussels from mussel harvesters or other mussel buyers, either for use within the state or for exporting from Tennessee.
(c) Payments from buyers shall be made monthly, and must be received by the agency no later than the fifteenth day of the following month.
(d) Revenue from this section shall be used for mussel management, research, and enforcement. However, no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total revenue shall be spent on enforcement.
(e) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
Acts 1991, ch. 522, § 1; 1994, ch. 727, §§ 2-4; 2012 , ch. 993, § 13.
(a) Any person, firm or corporation that purchases or otherwise obtains freshwater mussels taken from Tennessee waters shall pay to the Tennessee wildlife resources agency the amount equal to $0.0145 per pound of mussel shells or $0.0124 per pound of mussels, shell with meat, purchased or obtained.
(b) The payment to the agency shall be calculated from receipts filled out by the buyer for each transaction. A copy of each receipt will be given to the seller and a copy retained by the buyer, and shall be made available by the buyer for inspection by agents of the agency or the office of the comptroller of the treasury for a period of two (2) years. When mussels are sold without first going through a buyer, the method of payment shall be as described in proclamations promulgated by the fish and wildlife commission. For purposes of this section, a "buyer" is any person, firm or corporation that buys or otherwise obtains mussels from mussel harvesters or other mussel buyers, either for use within the state or for exporting from Tennessee.
(c) Payments from buyers shall be made monthly, and must be received by the agency no later than the fifteenth day of the following month.
(d) Revenue from this section shall be used for mussel management, research, and enforcement. However, no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total revenue shall be spent on enforcement.
(e) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
Acts 1991, ch. 522, § 1; 1994, ch. 727, §§ 2-4; 2012 , ch. 993, § 13.
Status: in_force
Need a lawyer in Tennessee?
Find a Tennessee lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.