(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 39-17-316

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Government: means the state or any political subdivision of the state, and includes any branch or agency of the state, a county, municipality or other political subdivision. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Owner: means a person, other than the defendant, who has possession of or any interest other than a mortgage, deed of trust or security interest in property, even though that possession or interest is unlawful and without whose consent the defendant has no authority to exert control over the property. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: includes the singular and the plural and means and includes any individual, firm, partnership, copartnership, association, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, or other organization or other legal entity, or any agent or servant thereof. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Property: means anything of value, including, but not limited to, money, real estate, tangible or intangible personal property, including anything severed from land, library material, contract rights, choses-in-action, interests in or claims to wealth, credit, admission or transportation tickets, captured or domestic animals, food and drink, electric or other power. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Road: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) “Local unit of government” means a county, municipality, metropolitan government, or other entity of local government;
(2) “Person” means an individual, proprietorship, partnership, corporation, club, or other legal entity; and
(3) “Sport shooting range” or “range” means an area designed and operated for the use of rifles, shotguns, pistols, silhouettes, skeet, trap, black powder, archery, or any other shooting activity.
(b)

(1) A person who operates or uses a sport shooting range is not subject to civil or criminal liability for noise or noise pollution, nuisance or any other claim not involving physical injury to another human, resulting from the operation or use of the sport shooting range as a sport shooting range if the sport shooting range is in compliance with any applicable noise control laws, resolutions, ordinances or regulations issued by a unit of local government, that applied to the range at the time that the range began operation.
(2) A person or entity that operates or uses a sport shooting range is not subject to an action for nuisance, abatement, or any other type of action or proceeding which would have the effect of limiting, reducing, eliminating or enjoining the use or operation of the sport shooting range as a sport shooting range if the sport shooting range is in compliance with any applicable noise control laws, resolutions, ordinances or regulations issued by a unit of local government, that applied to the range and its operation at the time that the range began operation.
(3) A person who subsequently acquires title to or who owns real property adversely affected by the use of property with a sport shooting range shall not maintain any action against the owner of the range to restrain, enjoin, or impede the use of the range except to the extent allowed by this section.
(4) Rules or regulations adopted by any state department or agency for limiting levels of noise in terms of decibel level that may occur in the outdoor atmosphere shall not apply to a sport shooting range exempted from liability under this section.
(5) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit civil liability for compensatory damage arising from physical injury to another human, physical injury to tangible personal property, or physical injury to fixtures or structures placed on real property.
(c) To the extent that any sport shooting range has been issued permission, whether by special exception, variance, or otherwise, by any entity having zoning or zoning appeal authority to operate as a range, the right to operate as a range shall not be amended, restricted, or terminated due to a change of circumstances regarding the use of adjacent or surrounding properties. Further, with respect to any sport shooting range that is open to the public and was in continuous operation for at least thirty (30) years immediately preceding December 16, 2008, the right to operate as a shooting range shall not be amended, restricted or terminated due to any land use planning or zoning applicable to the shooting range’s location if:

(1) The shooting positions operate no closer than:

(A) One hundred fifty feet (150′) from any adjoining boundary line or county road that extends from the southeast corner to the southwest corner;
(B) One hundred eighty feet (180′) from any adjoining boundary line that extends from the southwest corner to the northwest corner;
(C) One hundred eighty feet (180′) from any adjoining boundary line that extends from the northwest corner to the northeast corner;
(D) One hundred eighty feet (180′) from any adjoining boundary line or county road that extends from the northeast corner to the southeast corner; and
(E) One hundred eighty feet (180′) from any adjoining residential property boundary line, notwithstanding subdivisions (c)(1)(A)-(D); and
(2) Any vegetation between the appropriate distance requirement described in subdivision (c)(1) and the adjoining boundary line or county road remains undisturbed.
(d) With respect to any range that is open to the public and that begins operation after July 1, 2004, and for which there are no local zoning resolutions, ordinances or regulations affecting its establishment as a sport shooting range as of the date it began operation, the range shall not be protected by the exemptions from nuisance actions contained herein until one (1) year after the date the sport shooting range begins operation.
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