Pre-trip check · AR → TN
Driving from Arkansas to Tennessee?
The law changes the moment you cross the line — what's legal to carry, light, or do in Arkansas can be a violation in Tennessee. Every status below is live from LawLert's database, dated, and linked to its official source.
Laws change at the state line.The free LawLert iPhone app alerts you when you cross into a state where a law you track differs: firearms, cannabis, alcohol, fireworks and 9 more. No account.Get the appWhat changes for you (8)
Tennessee requires all drivers to go hands-free: it is unlawful to physically hold or support a wireless device while driving (TCA 55-8-199).
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jul 30, 2026
From Oct 15–May 15, anyone burning open-air within 500 ft of forest, grassland, or woodland must by law get a free debris-burn permit from the Division of Forestry. Burning without one is a Class C misdemeanor.…
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
Cannabis is illegal in Tennessee, which has no recreational program and no operational medical program. The only allowance is a narrow one for low-THC CBD oil (under 0.9% THC) for qualifying patients. Marijuana (more…
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jul 16, 2026
Prohibited: no commercial or tribal casinos, card rooms, or racinos. Legal in-person gambling is limited to the state lottery and certain charitable raffles.
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Tennessee requires minimum 500 sq in of daylight fluorescent orange on upper body and head, visible front and back, for big-game hunting; archery-only and turkey are exempt.
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
In Tennessee, consumer fireworks are legal with no personal purchase permit. Retailers must hold a State Fire Marshal permit and buy through licensed Tennessee dealers; display operators are licensed separately.
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jun 7, 2026
In Tennessee, last call is 3 a.m. statewide, though some counties are dry.
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified Jun 5, 2026
No state individual income tax — 0% on wages and investment income (the Hall tax on interest/dividends was fully repealed in 2021).
Full Tennessee rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Same status
Matching status ≠ identical law — details, limits and penalties can still differ.
Carrying with a permit? Whether Arkansas permits are honored in Tennessee is its own map — check Tennessee concealed-carry reciprocity. And federal land (national parks, forests) plays by federal rules in both states — see the federal-land guide.
Also from Arkansas: AR → LA · AR → MS · AR → MO · AR → OK · AR → TX · reverse (TN → AR)
Arkansas to Tennessee: common questions
- Do the laws change when you drive from Arkansas to Tennessee?
- Yes — 8 of the 13 categories LawLert tracks have a different status in Tennessee than in Arkansas: driving, burn bans, cannabis, gambling, hunting, fireworks, alcohol, taxes. Each is listed on this page with its current status, the official source it came from, and the date it was last verified.
- What are the driving laws in Tennessee if I'm coming from Arkansas?
- Tennessee: Restricted — Tennessee requires all drivers to go hands-free: it is unlawful to physically hold or support a wireless device while driving (TCA 55-8-199). In Arkansas the same category is Conditional.
- What are the burn bans laws in Tennessee if I'm coming from Arkansas?
- Tennessee: Restricted — From Oct 15–May 15, anyone burning open-air within 500 ft of forest, grassland, or woodland must by law get a free debris-burn permit from the Division of Forestry. Burning without one is a Class C misdemeanor.… In Arkansas the same category is Conditional.
- What are the cannabis laws in Tennessee if I'm coming from Arkansas?
- Tennessee: Restricted — Cannabis is illegal in Tennessee, which has no recreational program and no operational medical program. The only allowance is a narrow one for low-THC CBD oil (under 0.9% THC) for qualifying patients. Marijuana (more… In Arkansas the same category is Conditional.
- Is my Arkansas concealed carry permit honored in Tennessee?
- Permit reciprocity is decided separately from the firearms status shown on this page, so it is not answered here. LawLert publishes Tennessee's recognition list, with the statute or agency page behind it, at lawlertapp.com/firearms/TN/reciprocity. Permitless carry, where a state allows it, is a different question again — it does not make an out-of-state permit valid.
- How current is this Arkansas to Tennessee comparison?
- Every rule on this page stores the date it was last checked against its source; the oldest on this comparison is 2026-05-31. Every rule LawLert publishes carries a source URL, and every correction it has made is public at lawlertapp.com/how-we-verify. Laws change — confirm anything consequential against the linked source.