{"data":{"id":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-40-39-102","jurisdiction":"us-tn","citation":"Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-102","heading":"Part definitions","body":"As used in this part: (1) \"Abuser\" or \"animal abuser\" means a person who has been convicted in this state of committing an animal abuse offense; (2) \"Animal\" means a companion animal, and a \"non-livestock animal\", as defined in § 39-14-201 . \"Animal\" does not mean \"livestock\", as defined in § 39-14-201 , or \"wildlife\", as defined in § 70-1-101 ; (3) \"Animal abuse offense\" means: (A) Aggravated cruelty to animals, under § 39-14-212 ; (B) Animal fighting, under § 39-14-203 , where the defendant's act constitutes a felony; and (C) A criminal offense against animals, under § 39-14-214 ; (4) \"Companion animal\" means any dog, defined as any live dog of the species Canis familiaris, or cat, defined as any live cat of the species Felis catus; (5) \"Conviction\" means a judgment entered by a Tennessee court upon a plea of guilty, a plea of nolo contendere, or a finding of guilt by a jury or the court, notwithstanding any pending appeal or habeas corpus proceeding arising from the judgment. Conviction includes a disposition of pretrial diversion under § 40-15-105 , a disposition of judicial diversion under § 40-35-313 , or the equivalent dispositions from other jurisdictions; (6) \"Director\" means the director of the TBI; and (7) \"TBI\" means the Tennessee bureau of investigation. Acts 2015, ch. 413, § 1.\nAs used in this part:\n(1) \"Abuser\" or \"animal abuser\" means a person who has been convicted in this state of committing an animal abuse offense;\n(2) \"Animal\" means a companion animal, and a \"non-livestock animal\", as defined in § 39-14-201 . \"Animal\" does not mean \"livestock\", as defined in § 39-14-201 , or \"wildlife\", as defined in § 70-1-101 ;\n(3) \"Animal abuse offense\" means: (A) Aggravated cruelty to animals, under § 39-14-212 ; (B) Animal fighting, under § 39-14-203 , where the defendant's act constitutes a felony; and (C) A criminal offense against animals, under § 39-14-214 ;\n(A) Aggravated cruelty to animals, under § 39-14-212 ;\n(B) Animal fighting, under § 39-14-203 , where the defendant's act constitutes a felony; and\n(C) A criminal offense against animals, under § 39-14-214 ;\n(4) \"Companion animal\" means any dog, defined as any live dog of the species Canis familiaris, or cat, defined as any live cat of the species Felis catus;\n(5) \"Conviction\" means a judgment entered by a Tennessee court upon a plea of guilty, a plea of nolo contendere, or a finding of guilt by a jury or the court, notwithstanding any pending appeal or habeas corpus proceeding arising from the judgment. Conviction includes a disposition of pretrial diversion under § 40-15-105 , a disposition of judicial diversion under § 40-35-313 , or the equivalent dispositions from other jurisdictions;\n(6) \"Director\" means the director of the TBI; and\n(7) \"TBI\" means the Tennessee bureau of investigation.","path":["TN Code","Title 40","Chapter 39"],"source_url":"https://oss-data-us.vaquill.ai/v2026.08/us_tn_statutes.parquet","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:26Z","sha256":"30d7e473a54860e645b5c2365a0e5fef56460d487b68d49440e7063015440a06","source_id":"us-tn","stale":false,"prev":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-40-39-101","next":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-40-39-103"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}