Tennessee House Bill HB2171

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 46 and Title 62, Chapter 5, relative to cemeteries.

Impact

The implementation of HB2171 is expected to have a significant impact on how cemeteries in Tennessee manage and maintain their burial records. By mandating the inclusion of precise geographic coordinates, the bill aims to enhance the accuracy of cemetery record-keeping, which could facilitate better management of cemetery spaces and provide families with more reliable information about burial locations. Moreover, this standardization may also help in addressing historical discrepancies in burial record-keeping across different cemetery properties.

Summary

House Bill 2171 is an act intended to amend Tennessee law regarding the requirements for burial records maintained by cemetery companies. This bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining detailed records for each burial, mandating that such records include not only the date and name of the deceased but also the exact geographical location of the burial site. The specifics of geographic data are to be documented through the use of both latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, thereby improving the precision of burial records in Tennessee's cemeteries.

Contention

One notable point of contention surrounding this bill may involve the logistical challenges that cemetery companies could face in transitioning to this more rigorous documentation standard. There are concerns that smaller cemeteries, particularly those lacking in resources, might struggle to comply with the new requirements. Additionally, questions may arise about how the new record-keeping obligations could affect existing practices within cemeteries, particularly concerning privacy issues for families related to the disclosure of geographical data.