(a) The possession of a municipal or county traffic control sign erected upon any municipal or county street, road or highway by any person who is not an employee of a municipal or county highway department, or who has not entered into a contract with a municipality or county for the sale or erection of a traffic control sign, is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine only of no more than five hundred dollars ($500). The possession of each traffic control sign in violation of this section shall be considered a separate offense.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 54-10-112

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Department: means the department of transportation. See Tennessee Code 54-5-103
  • Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • 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
(b) This section shall only apply to a municipal or county traffic control sign that contains markings or other form of identification on the traffic control sign indicating the municipality or county that erected or caused to be erected the sign, and the date the sign was acquired or erected by the municipality or county.
(c) In addition to the fine provided for in subsection (a), any person convicted of a violation of this section shall also be required to pay restitution to the highway department that erected or caused to be erected the traffic control sign, for the costs of replacing the sign. The highway department shall submit information documenting the costs of replacement for the judge to review. After review, the judge shall order the appropriate amount of restitution, which shall be distributed directly to the highway department.
(d) This section shall only apply to municipal or county traffic control signs that are acquired or erected after July 1, 1998.
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