DIFFICULT DESTINATIONS SERIES

Florida update #4 – Yes you can visit Florida, but just make it quick!

From the 50 state visitor guide :

Fla. Stat. 2019; Fla. Stat. §§775.21, 775.215; Fla. Stat. §§943.043 through 943.0435; Fla. Stat. §§944.606 through 944.607;  Fla. Stat. §947.1405, §985.481

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residence” means either (1) a place where one spends 3 or more consecutive days, (2) a place where one spends 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or (3) a county in which one is present for 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  In all cases, 3rd day triggers registry obligation.

Registrants must appear to register with law enforcement w/in 48 hours of establishing a residence, and must appear to provide any updates within 48 hours.

Transient registrants update every 30 days.

NOTE: "Day" will now be defined in Florida's SOR law to mean "any part of a day" except that your day of arrival doesn't count. Updated 3/2024.

Registrants must also appear to register with the driver’s license office of the FL DMV within 48 hours of registration to obtain a driver’s license or ID card labeled either “SEXUAL PREDATOR” or “943.0435, F.S.”

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  May not reside within 1,000 ft. of school, child care facility, park, NEW IN 2026: “public” swimming pool (the definition includes some pools that aren’t actually public), or playground under certain circumstances. §775.215.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements upwards of 3000 feet.

Presence restriction: Registrants with conviction involving a minor cannot be within 300 feet “of place where children are congregating,” NEW IN 2026: “public” swimming pool (the definition includes some pools that aren’t actually public), and face restrictions on ability to be present in schools and parks.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements.  Fla. Stat. §856.022

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime.  Petition: 25 years.  “Predators” and certain others update quarterly.  All others update every 6 months.

Florida’s restrictions on registrants are particularly onerous and should be carefully consulted before visiting the state.

Every major national or state registrant advocacy group – including NARSOL, ACSOL, Florida Action Committee (FAC) – strongly recommends that you avoid visiting Florida if at all possible.  To this I add my own voice.  Florida’s registry is lifetime for all offenses, no matter how minor.  Florida has no tiered registry – only “sex offenders” and “sexual predators.”  Furthermore, Florida is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state. 

Because of that, of the about 80,000 Florida registrants less than 35,000 actually live in Florida (not counting incarcerated registrants)! All the rest – which is to say the majority of Florida registrants – DO NOT actually live in Florida. Since I moved my primary residence to Iowa, I am now included in that number.

And it just so happens that May 2026 became the third year in a row that I  have I found myself in a position similar to what I have heard many times: I was an out of state registrant who needed to go to Florida to attend to family business but did not want to be there long enough to trigger any registry obligation in Florida – in my case because I had enough to do in a short time and no time to go down and screw around with registry office.

This year my side trip to Florida was just that – I happened to be traveling through AL & GA, so if I had not told my ex-wife and lifelong BFF that I would be happy to swing by and help her out with a couple of little projects, she would have been disappointed with that and I never want that.  Everything went swimmingly and I was in and out of FL in plenty of time.

Therefore I’m going to re-post here my 2025 story, which is much more illustrative of the problems you might face in making your quick trip to Florida.

Using my state’s registry software “Comments” field to overcome a thorny registry concern

Although my May 2025 road trip was mainly to the US Northeast, it began with a quick trip to Tallahassee, FL to attend my granddaughter’s high school graduation.  In that way this leg of the trip was much like the stories I hear from people who need to go to Florida for family reasons.  Also, there was other business for me to take care of while I was in Tallahassee and that was much like others whose family obligations pile on when you go to your mom’s funeral and there’s nobody else to take care of those things.

So for this trip I was bound, just like other out of state visitors, to Florida’s three-days-aggregate-per-calendar-year-but-your-day-of-arrival-doesn’t-count visitor rule.

However, I also faced a problem in reporting this travel at my local Iowa sheriff’s office.  Iowa’s registry reporting software is so crappy, and whoever developed this software was so inept and ignorant of either the state’s or it’s registrants’ likely reporting needs that they included no box for providing an end date for travel.  That me ant that when I went to report my travel the lady behind the bulletproof glass would only be able to enter the start date for my Florida visit, NOT the end date.

Graduation

Iowa registry offices have a work-around for this where they enter the end date somewhere when you get back, and that has always served well enough in the past, but on this trip I was concerned that Iowa might report my travel to Florida with no end date, and then try to report an end date after I got back two weeks later.  I was concerned that Florida might misinterpret Iowa’s report as a permanent move to Florida, and whether I did or didn’t go try to fix that while I was in Florida they might consider it a registry violation.

I didn’t want to risk that, but I also wanted my travel intentions to be clear on my registry sheet in case any little question came up while I was traveling (or afterward).  So I briefly explained my concern to the lady behind the bulletproof glass who I deal with frequently, and asked her if, instead of listing Tallahassee in the destination field where it would be reported to the state of Florida, would she please describe my trip to Florida in the Comments field (some states might call this the Notes field) including the start and end dates, where it would NOT be reported to Florida? 

She went along with that, and I gave her my brother’s address in Rhode Island as the official destination for my road trip (which in fact it was).  By doing this I properly reported everything without ever letting Florida know I was coming.  Even if any question had come up while I was in Florida, all the answers were there on my Iowa sheet in my glove compartment.

Just get everything done in three days (including partial days)

Florida is among the stingiest states when it comes to its visitors’ grace period.  You get just three days aggregate per calendar year, partial days count and the third aggregate day triggers your obligation to register.  However, in an uncommon act of generosity, last year they decided your day of arrival doesn’t count.  That means you could zoom in and out in a single calendar day with no penalty, or it means that if you are staying you get three actual days (including partial days).  After that you’d better be gone.

My granddaughter’s graduation was on a Tuesday evening, and I decided to drive into Tallahassee as early on Monday (Day 1) as possible (mid-afternoon).  That way I could check on the status of my latest project there – I had purchased a duplex that I intend to convert into an Assisted Living Facility that meets every registry and zoning requirement and will allow PFR’s as clients (including me of course). 

Then I’d have all of Tuesday (Day 2) free to pick my brother up at the airport and run errands for my family etc. and be the proudest grandpa ever that evening.  After dropping my brother off at the airport Wednesday morning (Day 3) I’d continue on my road trip, surely leaving Florida by mid-morning.

Unfortunately, a few days before arriving I learned that a very important property regrading project which the sellers were required to pay for but only if it gets done by July 31, 2025 … that project was completely stalled and I was going to have to somehow rescue it while I was in town.  So this aspect of my visit became like what I have heard from other PFR’s who find that once they get roped into whatever family obligation brings them to Florida other obligations and duties begin to pile on. 

Sure enough, when I arrived on that afternoon of Day 1 the situation seemed hopeless.  In addition to any family obligations I had, I would have to fire the grading crew, find and hire a new grading crew, and ensure that the work was actually underway and wouldn’t stall again as soon as I left town … all before the end of Day 3.

My purpose here is not to bore you with the details but to illustrate what I have heard many times, that isn’t there some way to work around the three day limit so you can take care of all of your obligations there?  Answer – No.  And remember – because it’s 3 days aggregate per calendar year, no you cannot leave the state and return to restart the clock.

Very fortunately, by the afternoon of Day 2 I was able to find a new grading crew and told them the deal wasn’t final until I saw a big pile of dirt in my yard no later than the morning of Day 3.  Then I took off for the graduation, cheered and yelled my head off and had a great time (see me beaming with pride).

Dirt

After congratulating my granddaughter one more time the next morning and saying goodbye for now to my family, I dropped my brother off at the airport the morning of Day 3 and scurried over to my house … only to discover the dirt was delayed!  Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!!  It finally arrived at about 2:00 pm, and as I write this I am happy to report the dirt is nicely smoothed out across my property, but things could have gone south very easily and this whole episode just shows how carefully you have to choreograph your quick visit to Florida.

Regional restaurant chain you should know about:

Sonny’s BBQ – Yes they’ve gone national but they started out as just a really good Southern regional BBQ chain, and I still think of them that way.

 Alabama

Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma AL

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Code of Alabama 2019 §13A-11-204, §§15-20A-1 through 15-20A-48

Ala. Admin Code. 760-X-1-.21

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration and updates to registration info must be done “immediately,” defined as 3 days. §§15-20A-10, 15-20A-14.

“Reside” means “to be habitually or systematically present at a place,” and includes 4 or more hours at a place per day for a duration of:

(a) 3 or more consecutive days, or

(b) 10 or more days in a calendar month.

Because 4 or more hours at a place constitutes a day, overnights are not required to establish a residence.  §15-20A-4(20).

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 2,000 ft. of school, child care facility, resident camp facility, victim or victim’s immediate family; exceptions apply. §15-20A-11.  Additional restrictions apply to residence with any minor.

Employment restriction: 2,000 ft. of school or childcare facility; 500 ft. of playground, park, athletic field or facility, or child-focused business or facility.  §15-20A-13.

Presence restriction:  For conviction involving minor, “loitering” 500 ft. of school, child care facility, playground, park, athletic field or facility, school bus stop, college or university, or any child-focused business; registrant must be asked to leave by an “authorized person.” §15-20A-17.

Travel regulations:   Registrants in AL must notify law enforcement whenever traveling for 3 or more consecutive days; travel without this notification will be deemed a change of residence.  §15-20A-15.

Relief from certain residency and employment restrictions is available.

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Life.  Homeless registrants report once every 7 calendar days.  §15-20A-12.

All others quarterly.  §15-20A-10.

Most recent visit: May 2026

Alabama has become notorious for having among the harshest and most inhumane registry laws in the U.S., but for visitors to this state it is not quite the worst.  Those distinctions belong to Illinois (third day aggregate per calendar year triggers registration, and it’s lifetime for out-of-state offenders) and of course my home state of Florida (third day aggregate per calendar year triggers registration, lifetime for all offenders including out-of-state, and you will never be removed when you return to your home state).

Instead, in Alabama the third consecutive day triggers registration (including partial days), or ten or more days per calendar month.  Furthermore, “Reside” is defined by statute to mean “to be habitually or systematically present at a place,” and includes 4 or more hours at a place per day.  Therefore overnights are not required to establish a residence.  §15-20A-4(20).

This over-definition of the word “reside” could mean, in theory, that if you arrive at your Alabama destination after 8:01 PM one evening that day would not count, you could stay there for the next two calendar days, then make sure to skedaddle by 3:59 AM the following morning and you’d be okay.  That remains just a theory, however, and I have no intention of ever testing it.

Alabama also has a long list of residency, presence and employment restrictions and yes they will all apply to you as a visitor even before you are required to register.  The 2000 ft. residence restriction is among the nation’s worst but the list of the places you can’t reside near is relatively short - schools, child care facilities, resident camp facilities, victim or victim’s immediate family.

The term “resident camp facility” is, as usual, undefined, but “residence” is and it takes you right back to the 3 day rule. So in theory that means a summer camp like where kids go for a week or two; however, I assume law enforcement would interpret it as broadly as they can get away with. That means in AL, all private campgrounds and RV parks are OUT.

Even more troubling are the presence restrictions – for convictions involving a minor, “loitering” within 500 ft. of school, child care facility, playground, park, athletic field or facility, school bus stop, college or university, or any child-focused business. NOTE colleges and universities. So no, unfortunately, you won’t be able to attend your loved one’s college commencement!

However … as bad as all this is, Alabama law also has a unique provision which states: “An adult sex offender does not violate this subsection unless he or she has first been asked to leave a prohibited location by a person authorized to exclude the adult sex offender from the premises” §15-20A-17, with a list of authorized people. So in theory you have not violated the law until and unless you don’t leave when one of those authorized people tells you to.  Hmmmm … and if you’re stupid enough to refuse to leave when a university security tells you to, you kinda deserve what you get.

In May 2026 I passed through Alabama as part of my 2026 Southern Tour. This trip wasn’t nearly as ambitious as my 2022 visit (see below), I was just passing through on my way from Tupelo, MS to my home in Tallahassee, FL.  In northern AL I visited the same 2 natural wonders as I had last time – Dismal's Canyon and Natural Bridge – before proceeding to camp at the one new place I wanted to check out, Tuskegee National Forest. 

Dismal's Canyon

You can still camp at national parks and forests in Alabama because even here they are “out of AL’s jurisdiction.” Tuskegee Nat. Forest is kind of by itself in east central Alabama and has no designated campgrounds (Chewacla St. Pk. is nearby but you can’t go there). However, dispersed camping is allowed and I found a secluded picnic area with a vault toilet to bed down for the night.

When I stopped at a Forest Ranger Station the next morning to pick up a map, the Ranger confirmed that “Oh yeah, no problem.” Then it was off to Florida. On the way I tried to stop at Alabama Pioneer Museum in Troy, but just as on my 2022 visit (see below) I showed up on the wrong day (Tuesday again!).

Previous visit: March and April 2022

As part of my 2022 Deep South Tour I passed through Alabama not once but twice. But I did so in two separate calendar months, which meant I could count my consecutive days and days per month separately on each pass.  Because the third consecutive day would trigger registration I made sure to be in state no more than two days each way. 

The only other option to lengthen my stay in Alabama without triggering registration would have been to leave the state not just for one night but two consecutive nights and then return for two days. Why? Because if I were to leave the state for just one night and then return, that first partial day back of four hours or more would automatically become the third consecutive day, and I didn’t want that!

Early one morning in late March I entered the state from Florida.  Traveling up US 231 I intended to stop at the Alabama Pioneer Museum in Troy, but OOPS, that was on a Tuesday and it’s only open Thursday-Saturday.  Oh well, I continued on to Montgomery where I visited the Rosa Parks Museum and the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Yikes! Who knew that church is within site of the Alabama state capital building?! Must’ve been a scary place to organize a bus boycott!

From Montgomery I travelled the Montgomery March Highway to Selma, walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge which links the Selma Interpretive Center (which was open) with the National Voting Rights Museum (which was closed).  After a fabulous barbeque dinner I bedded down at a Talladega National Forest campground, equipped with a nice heated shower house.  The next morning I slept in, then cruised westward toward the Mississippi state line.

On the return leg of my Deep South Tour, in early April, I entered Alabama from Tupelo on I-22.  That afternoon I stopped at two natural wonders, Dismal Canyon and Natural Bridge, before settling in for the night at a Bankhead National Forest campground.  The big stop on my second day was the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Very cool! Before leaving Alabama for Tennessee I stopped to see a couple of Alabama’s “famous covered bridges.”  Who knew?  But then it was on to Chattanooga.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville AL

Mississippi

Elvis's Birthplace, Tupelo MS

From the 50 state visitor guide :

Miss. Code Ann. 2019 §§45-33-21 through 45-33-61

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration: 3 business days §45-33-27(1).  New residents must notify DPS 10 days before first residing in or returning to state and changes to address §45-33-29(1), then 3 business days to register with county sheriff §45-33-27(5) and 10 days to register at the “Driver’s License station.” 3 business days for most other changes. §45-33-29.

Visitors: “Temporary residence” defined as “resides for a period of 7 or more consecutive days.” §45-33-23(i).  However, per Mississippi SOR office, registration required for visits of 4 days in a month, whether or not consecutive, and 14 or more days in a calendar year. Also, SOR office claims to interpret “day” as beginning when you spend a night.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  3000 ft. of school; child care facility; “residential child-caring agency;” a children’s group home; or playground, ballpark, or other recreational facility used by children.  §45-33-25(4)(a).

Presence restriction: loitering w/in 500 ft. of school, and may not enter school without permission; exceptions apply to both. §45-33-26.

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition to remove – Tier 1 – 15 yrs; Tier 2 – 25 yrs.

Updates: Registrants who are electronically monitored – annually.  §45-33-31.  All others quarterly, in person at the Drivers’ License station to obtain a new “sex offender card.” §45-33-31.

Most recent visit: May 2026

Mississippi is a very tough state, both for registered citizens and for visitors.  Despite what its state law says, the friendly lady at the state SOR office informed me that if you stay four or more days (or partial days) in any calendar month, whether or not consecutive, you must register.  I’m sure that like me, you don’t want to have to do that! 

The only silver lining is that, at least according to that same friendly SOR lady, they only start counting the days when you spend a night.  However, like so many other states, you have to assume that once you spend that night you now have 2 partial days to count toward your maximum of three for that month (because the fourth day triggers the registration requirement).  So plan your trip carefully.

During your whopping three days in Mississippi you will have to contend with a long list of residence and presence restrictions.  Wherever you spend the night you’ll have to be at least 3000 feet from the usual ridiculous list of child centered establishments.  That’s over 1/2 mile!  That means that anywhere in Mississippi, really, you are limited to motels at isolated rural highway interchanges, where you can more readily verify there’s nothing nearby.

However, notice that state and local parks aren’t on either the list of residency or presence restrictions – but you can’t “reside” within 3000 ft of any playground, ballpark, or other recreational facility.  So you can visit any state or local park you like, but you can’t camp if there’s any play equipment within 1/2 mile.  Of course, I have noticed in the past that Mississippi state parks seem to have a lot of play equipment in them. *Sigh*

Delta Blues Museum ... closed on Sundays

Also, like most other states they consider national parks and forests to be “out of their jurisdiction.” They are under the jurisdiction of US Parks and Forest Service Rangers. Therefore you can go and camp there, and PS I almost never see playgrounds at National Forest campgrounds.

After leaving Memphis on my 2026 Southern Tour, I decided to follow the Great River Road south into the Mississippi Delta. It was a very pleasant drive but it was also Sunday so nothing was open in the black belt of Mississippi. By the time I was in Greenville it was time to turn east toward my intended destination of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Small Town Notes

Clarksdale – Very segregated. The white side is clean and leafy, the black side is a small town Mississippi ghetto.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Natchez Trace Parkway in Central Mississippi

The Natchez Trace Parkway is Mississippi (& Tennessee)’s answer to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of twisting through the Smoky Mountains, “The Trace” more or less follows the early pioneers trail of the same name from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. A few sections of the original Trace have been preserved as points of interest along the parkway.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is under the jurisdiction of the US Parks Service.  Therefore you can safely travel on this road, which traverses nearly the length of Mississippi, with reduced fear of local sheriffs departments. You can safely stay at either of the two campgrounds along its length, as I had on my previous visit in 2022 (see below). This time I had intended to stay at Jeff Busby, but in May 2026 a big chunk of the parkway was closed for repairs including the campground. Fortunately, as I was following the detour route I came across a private campground at a rock bottom price, so I camped there.

The next morning it was on to Alabama.

Previous visit: March & April 2022

Mississippi's Petrified Forest

As part of my 2022 Deep South Tour I passed through Mississippi not once but twice. But I did so in two separate calendar months, which meant I could count my days per month separately on each pass.  Early one morning in late March I entered the state from Alabama.  My first destination was the Mississippi Petrified Forest, just outside Jackson.  Yes there is such a thing, and it’s quite impressive!  It also turns out there are quite a few Indian Mounds in Mississippi, they are well marked and organized into a “Mississippi Indian Mound Trail” with brochures and little museums on site (but most of those are closed).

My second day on that trip I drove down part of the Great River Road (a state designated scenic highway), then tried to visit the BB King Museum (but it was closed that day). Then it was on to Arkansas.

On the return leg of my Deep South Tour, in early April, my first stop in Mississippi was the Museum of the Mississippi Delta which, while interesting, turned out not to be nearly as big a thing as the name implied.  The rest of that day I moseyed eastward until I came upon the Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi’s answer to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway (see description above).  I stayed the night at a National Forest campground off the parkway. 

The next morning I backtracked to the town of Vardaman, MS which bills itself as a the “Sweet Potato Capital of the World” (!) where there are stores specializing all sorts of sweet potato sweets and a festival the first weekend in November … oh well I missed that!

Next stop – Tupelo and Elvis Presley’s birthplace.  Worth the stop!  But it turns out you don’t actually have to make a separate trip to Tupelo to see this landmark.  Instead you can go to Graceland in Memphis, and get on the Graceland Excursions bus that will take you to Tupelo as a side trip. Now that I’ve been to Graceland I realize just how outrageously expensive that would be!

  DIFFICULT DESTINATIONS SERIES

Tennessee/Nashville/Memphis

2026 Update - The TN legislature just made your visit even more difficult

Tennessee - From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Tenn. Code Ann. 2019  §§40-39-201 through 40-39-306

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

48 hours for initial reg. and updates, but “within 48 hours” is defined to not include weekends and holidays.  §40-39-202(32). 

Visitors must register “within 48 hours” of entering state. Per Tenn. SOR office, the 48 hour clock starts upon crossing the state line but will be interrupted from midnight to midnight on weekends and holidays. Also, per SOR office there is no limit on number of repeat visits per week, month or year.

“Primary residence” established after 5 consecutive days. “Secondary residence” means any residence for 14 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or 4 or more days in a month.  “Residence” means physical presence. §§40-39-202, 40-39-203.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence & Employment Restriction:  1,000 ft. from school, day care center, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field, or the offender’s victim or victim’s family. §40-39-211.  In 2019 TN applied new restrictions to residence with any minor; these restrictions are under a Temporary

Restraining Order pending trial (see NARSOL Digest 8/19 p. 5).

Residence restriction:  Violent offenders and those with convictions against minors may not reside in on-campus housing of any institution of higher education.

Presence restriction: 1,000 ft. from school, day care center, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field, with exceptions. §40-39-211.  Tennessee libraries have authority to restrict access by Registrants.  §40-39-216.

Per Tenn. SOR office, these restrictions DO apply to visitors during the 48 hour grace period.

Duration & updates:

Life.  Petition to remove – 10 years from end of probation.  §163A.125.

Violent offenders update quarterly; all others annually.  §40-39-207

Kentucky – From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

K.R.S. 2019  §§17.500 through 17.580.  502 K.A.R. 31:020

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

K.R.S. §17.510 states 5 working days for initial registration and updates.  Registrants employed in the state must register if present for a period of 14 consecutive days or 30 days in a calendar year.  Per Kentucky SOR office, visitors are not required to register unless present for 14 consecutive days, or 30 days in a calendar year.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 1,000 ft. of schools, day care facilities, and publicly owned playgrounds; must move out of residence within 90 days if a new facility opens.  §17.545.  The state notes that the Kentucky Supreme Court forbid retroactive application of this law to those who committed offenses prior to July 12, 2006 and states “The Kentucky State Police do not evaluate or approve particular locations for compliance with sex offender residence restrictions. If you have any questions concerning whether you are subject to the residence restrictions in KRS 17.545 or whether you may legally reside at a particular location you may wish to consult an attorney.”

Presence restriction:  May not be present on grounds of school or daycare without advanced written permission.  K.R.S. §17.545.  Registrants are prohibited from using certain social media and chat rooms, and are forbidden to photograph or videotape minors without parental consent.  §17.546.

Per Kentucky SOR office, a procedure is available for removal from registry after departure.

Duration & updates:

20 years or lifetime, depending on offense. §17.520. Updates annual or every 90 days, depending on offense. §17.520. No tiers.

Travel Advisory: Now you can’t camp at private campgrounds

Technically, this law “only” requires that you disclose your registry status to the campground operator, but you and I both know that’s an invitation to kick you off the property. Plus, now it’s a felony to not disclose this, so there’s that.

Tennessee has never allowed registrants to be present at, or even be within 1000 ft. of, state and local parks.  This new law also takes Army Corps campgrounds at reservoirs off the table because they are within the jurisdiction of county law enforcement, not federal park rangers.  However, that still leaves National Parks, Forests & Recreation areas.  I stayed at Land Between the Lakers NRA on my recent 2026 Southern Tour and will report on that soon.

Here is the new law (provided by Derek Logue – thanks!):

SENATE BILL 2030

By Lowe

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-39-211, is amended by adding the following new subsection:

(1)  While mandated to comply with the requirements of this part, a sexual offender or violent sexual offender must notify the owner or operator of any campground on which the offender intends to stay overnight of the offender's status as a sexual offender or violent sexual offender prior to beginning the stay. A person who knowingly stays overnight at a campground without providing the notice required by this subsection ( ) commits an offense, which is punishable as provided in subsections (f) and (g).

(2)  SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.

How can I go to my business/vacation/family obligation in Tennessee/Nashville without inadvertently committing a registry violation?

(For travel guidance on Great Smokey Mtns. Nat. Park and Land Between the Lakes Nat. Rec. Area, use my search box to find separate blog entries).

I am sometimes asked by worried registrants if they should be concerned about an upcoming business, vacation or family obligation in Tennessee (often Nashville). 

Tennessee is a very tough state if you get caught up in their registry.  As noted above, they have a long list of residency, employment and presence restrictions.  If you do end up on their registry it’s lifetime, although you can petition to be removed starting ten years from the end of your probation.  I don’t know about you, but when they say you can petition, I hear they can turn you down.  I don’t like that.

According to the SOR office, a procedure is available for removal from the public registry after departure, but it’s cumbersome & time consuming.  Once you’ve returned to your home state, you write or email them providing documentation that you’re back home and why you shouldn’t be on their registry – and supposedly they’ll take you off.  But the nice lady at the SOR office pointed out that your request for removal has to go through their attorney – which sounds to me like a place where your request can get indefinitely delayed or turned down.  Better to avoid getting on in the first place!

Forty-eight hours is a very short time period to be allowed in any state.  Per the Tennessee SOR office, the 48 hour clock starts upon crossing the state line but will be interrupted from midnight to midnight on weekends and holidays.  So pay attention to your time, keep receipts to prove your whereabouts if you get pulled over, and if you plan to linger long enough to visit the Smokies, Dollywood, Opryland or Graceland, my advice would be to arrive on a Friday and leave on a Monday – or Tuesday if your weekend includes a holiday.  Be careful of local sheriffs & police departments!

However, per the Tennessee SOR office there is no limit on number of repeat visits per week, month or year. Supposedly you could hop in & out of Tennessee, overnighting in surrounding states having much longer visitor periods, e.g. Kentucky, North Carolina or Georgia.  Of course in doing that you’d have to keep track of your days or partial days in those surrounding states too.  Then cross back into Tennessee and start the 48-hour clock all over again. 

In this blog post I’m going to suggest you avoid confusing either Tennessee or your own local registry office, especially in the case of Nashville or Memphis, by establishing a single out of state “temporary residence” and commuting daily into the city.

Also, regarding all those onerous residency, employment and presence restrictions, in 2021 the man who I talked to at the Tennessee SOR office said yeah, actually they DO apply to visitors.  No schools, state or local public parks, playgrounds, recreation centers or athletic fields for you, registered visitor!  And you’d better stay 1000 feet away from them too!  If you think about it, that’s not going to be easy in cities like Nashville and Memphis.

Therefore my advice is to be extra careful if your travel plans take you to Tennessee.

Where to “reside” (Nashville): I-65 Kentucky Exit 2 (Franklin)

The good news about Tennessee is that it’s long and skinny, and Nashville is a lot closer to Kentucky than to any other state.  I-65 KY Exit 2 is 35 miles north of downtown Nashville, which is a long commute but doable.  In October 2025 while returning to Iowa from the NARSOL Conference I decided to make a reconnaissance mission to report what this commute is like and what services are available at Exit 2.

This sign shows only about half the motels at Exit 2.  

There's also plenty of food & gas.

Answer: Exit 2 has as much of everything as you could ask for.  However, be advised that Nashville traffic is a nightmare even on a good day. The NARSOL conference ended Sunday morning, so I was passing through downtown Nashville on a Sunday afternoon.  Even so it took 45 minutes to go the 35 miles to Exit 2, including a bear of a construction zone.

Nevertheless, I recommend commuting from Exit 2 instead of trying to find anyplace in Tennessee for several reasons:

1. Tennessee’s residence and presence restrictions are so egregious that it would be difficult to know for sure if any lodging you might find would be registry compliant.  You do not want to report any such “temporary address” to your local registry office because they will send that address to TN.  There is at least anecdotal evidence that some local police have come to speak to noncompliant visitors.  You don’t want that.

2. Kentucky’s residency and presence restrictions are, only by comparison of course, relatively humane, and after scoping out Exit 2 I am happy to report no schools, day care facilities, or publicly owned playgrounds in sight.

3. By establishing your “temporary residence” in a place that puts your mind more at ease you will be better able to focus on the many presence restrictions you face as you go about your business in Nashville. These include staying at least 1,000 ft. from any school, day care center, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field.  This can’t be easy in an urban area like Nashville or Memphis.  Tennesseans that I have spoken to say you just have to stay mindful and do the best you can.

4. When you report your travel at your local registry office, the destination address you will give them is your hotel in Kentucky, NOT anyplace in Tennessee.  Therefore only Kentucky gets notified that you’re coming.  Your main concern while making your daily commute to Nashville is to follow the rules and stay safe in case something bizarre happens.

Where you can and cannot go in Tennessee/Nashville

In May 2026 I spent less than 48 hours passing through TN on the return leg of a “Southern Tour.”  Entering on I-40 from NC on a Tuesday evening I found a motel room at one of the first few TN exits, which are in fairly remote places unlikely to be near anything problematic. Still, I took a spin around the vicinity just to be sure.

My destination for the next evening was Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. That left me most of that afternoon to field check Nashville so I can report on it now. I decided to focus on Downtown Nashville.

Places you CAN’T go or be within 1000 ft. of in Downtown Nashville

Riverfront Park – Nashville is reputed to have a very nice long riverfront park but I can’t confirm that.

Riverboat cruises – because they all are based in the Riverfront Park.

Nissan Stadium !! (Titans) – Sorry, but it abuts the Riverfront Park so it’s definitely within 1000 ft.

Historic Second Ave. Saloon District – which runs parallel to and less than 1000 ft. from the Riverfront Park. However, there is a silver lining to this:

Places you CAN go in Downtown Nashville

Broadway Saloon District – Screw Second Ave! Broadway is perpendicular to the river, the saloon district goes for several blocks and includes big name honky tonks like Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams Jr. Go have fun!

 

Broadway                           Bridgestone Arena

Bridgestone Arena – While on Broadway please don’t be concerned about Bridgestone Arena. Tennessee’s SOR law says, “public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field.” Emphasis on public. Bridgestone Arena is not a public recreation center.  No citizen of TN can take their family there like it’s a neighborhood basketball court. Same principle applies to:

Country Music Hall of Fame

Music City Center

Ryland Auditorium

Grand Old Opry, which is out in the suburbs

Stay out of TN on Wednesdays – Go see Mammoth Cave instead

Now let’s see how your Tennessee/Nashville trip lays out if you follow my advice.  Because you are “residing” at KY Exit 2, you will never be in Tennessee nearly long enough to exceed their 48 hour limit. Every morning you restart TN’s clock, and according to the SOR office you can do that as many times as you like.  Weekends and holidays are included free.

Still, I would never recommend putting all of your reliance on this system.  I don’t trust local police enough to think that if they figured out what you’re doing they wouldn’t accuse you of cheating.  Therefore I suggest that you stay out of Tennessee on Wednesdays.  That way each week of your forays into TN is divided into two groups, Mon-Tues & Thurs-Fri, each of which is less than 48 hours even if you add them together.

As for Wednesday, Mammoth Cave is nearly the same distance from Exit 2 as Nashville, so go enjoy one of the world’s great natural wonders.

Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway is Tennessee & Mississippi’s answer to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of twisting through the Smoky Mountains, “The Trace” more or less follows the early pioneers trail of the same name from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. A few sections of the original Trace have been preserved as points of interest along the parkway.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is under the jurisdiction of the US Parks Service.  Therefore you can safely travel on this road with reduced fear of local sheriffs departments. You can also safely stay at the Meriwether Lewis Campground, perhaps the only public campground still available in south central Tennessee.

How can I go to my business/vacation/family obligation in Tennessee/Memphis without inadvertently committing a registry violation?

Arkansas – From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

A.C.A. 2019 §§ 5-14-128 through 5-14-134, §9-27-356, §§ 12-12-901 through

12-12-926, §12-12-1513, 004 00 C.A.R.R. 002, 172 00 C.A.R.R. 014.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residency” includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  §12-12-903(10) & state policy. If relocating within state, register 10 days before or 3 business days after an eviction or natural disaster.  Homeless registrants report every 30 days. §§12-12-904, 12-12-909.

Sexually Violent Offenders report every 3 mo. All others report every 6 mo. §§12-12-909, 12-12-919.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of elementary or secondary school, public park, day care center, youth center, also 2,000 ft. of victim.

L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of a church.

Presence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: may not knowingly enter a swimming area, water park, or playground in a state park. §15-14-134.  May not enter schools in certain circumstances. §§5-14-132 through 5-14-134.

NOTE: Per Arkansas SOR office, visitors aren’t bound by these restrictions until required to register – because that’s when they will assign an offense level.

NOTE: Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED. (per Rolfe Survey and confirmed by state SOR office). $250 one time registry fee.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition after 15 yrs. except SVP

Where to “reside” (Memphis): first West Memphis, AR, then Mississippi

You’ll need to be careful about your “temporary residence” in Arkansas because you only get five days aggregate per calendar year before you have to register. Furthermore, if you re-read the language above you’ll see that it says “‘residency’ includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.” In other words, the 5th day triggers the registration requirement, so you really only get four days, and that includes weekends and holidays. And as always, one should always assume that partial days will count toward the total.

The silver lining is that, because Arkansas’ onerous presence and residency requirements apply only to “Level 3 & 4” registrants, and because these tier levels are only assigned after registration, they can’t very well apply them to you as a short term (four days or less) visitor, now can they? This was also confirmed for me by the nice lady at the SOR office.

Therefore, if visiting Memphis, your first choice for a “temporary residence” should be nearby West Memphis, AR where there are plenty of motels to choose from, and this should be the address you should report to your local registry office – but if your trip lasts more than four calendar days you will have to move yourself to Mississippi.

Stage yourself in SE Missouri? – In May 2026 I traveled from Iowa to Memphis to do field research on how to safely extend your available time in the Tennessee/Memphis area.  To illustrate how to avoid using up one of your precious Arkansas days on the night before Memphis, I searched for motels along I-55 in far southeastern Missouri – see photo. The closest one to the state line is at Exit 8 (Steele) which is 80 miles Memphis, but you won’t enter AR until the next morning, thereby saving a day there.

Layover in Tennessee? Try the I-40 Exit 25 Hotel Court – You might want to consider stretching your visit by less than 48 continuous hours by “residing” for one night at one of the motels at the I-40 Exit 25 Hotel Court (see photo of Exit 25 sign) before proceeding from AR to MS. It occupies the southeast quadrant of the I-269 interchange. Secluded, far from problematic uses yet an easy commute to Memphis.  It’s there if you need it!

Services available at the I-40 Exit 25 hotel court

If you do so I suggest that you NOT report this as a “temporary address” to your local registry office.  You are not required to report every stop on your journey.  Only report the AK and MS addresses.

Places you CAN’T go or be within 1000 ft. of in Memphis

Mississippi riverfront parks

Memphis Zoo, Shelby Farms Park, Memphis Botanic Garden, etc. etc.

Places you CAN go in Memphis

Graceland – I went there in May 2026

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel – Went there too.

 

Graceland                                                                National Civil Rights Museum

Stax Museum of American Soul

Sun Studio, Orpheum Theater, etc.

Beale Street – two notes about Beale Street:

1. No need to worry about being within 1000 ft. of Fedex Arena.  As with Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, it’s not a public recreation facility.

2. HOWEVER – Church Park is just 1/2 block away from the east end of the Beale Street District – see photo.  For that reason you should avoid the east end of Beale Street just to be safe.

Photo of the east end of Beale Street.  Below the letters BLU in HOME of the BLUES you will see some trees in the background.  That's Church Park, so where I was standing to take this photo is about as close as you're allowed to be from the park.

Mississippi – From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Miss. Code Ann. 2019 §§45-33-21 through 45-33-61

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration: 3 business days §45-33-27(1).  New residents must notify DPS 10 days before first residing in or returning to state and changes to address §45-33-29(1), then 3 business days to register with county sheriff §45-33-27(5) and 10 days to register at the “Driver’s License station.” 3 business days for most other changes. §45-33-29.

Visitors: “Temporary residence” defined as “resides for a period of 7 or more consecutive days.” §45-33-23(i).  However, per Mississippi SOR office, registration required for visits of 4 days in a month, whether or not consecutive, and 14 or more days in a calendar year. Also, SOR office claims to interpret “day” as beginning when you spend a night.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  3000 ft. of school; child care facility; “residential child-caring agency;” a children’s group home; or playground, ballpark, or other recreational facility used by children.  §45-33-25(4)(a).

Presence restriction: loitering w/in 500 ft. of school, and may not enter school without permission; exceptions apply to both. §45-33-26.

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition to remove – Tier 1 – 15 yrs; Tier 2 – 25 yrs.

Updates: Registrants who are electronically monitored – annually.  §45-33-31.  All others quarterly, in person at the Drivers’ License station to obtain a new “sex offender card.” §45-33-31.

"Residing" in Mississippi

The problem with extending your Memphis visit by staying in Mississippi is that their registry rules are at least as horrible as Tennessee!  And despite what its state law says, the friendly lady at the state SOR office informed me that if you stay four or more days (including partial days) in any calendar month, whether or not consecutive, you must register.  I’m sure that like me, you don’t want to have to do that!  Since the SOR lady says “four or more days,” that means you only get three.

During your whopping three days in Mississippi you will have to contend with a long list of residence and presence restrictions.  Wherever you spend the night you’ll have to be at least 3000 feet from the usual ridiculous list of child centered establishments.  That’s over 1/2 mile!  That means that when I did my field research of potential “temporary residences” in May 2026 I had to reject two hotel courts in Olive Branch and Hernando because they are in developed urbanized areas.  A 3000 ft. radius is much to long to have any confidence there’s not something adverse in an urban area.

That means that anywhere in Mississippi, really, you are limited to motels at isolated rural highway interchanges, where you can more readily verify there’s nothing nearby.  I found two such motels within commuting distance of Memphis. Oddly, they are both America’s Best Value motels (this is not a brand endorsement). One is off I-22 at the Byhalia exit, and the other is off US 61 in Robinsville, at the entrance to a big Mississippi River gambling resort.  Which one works better for you may depend on where in Memphis your business or family obligation is.

Again, stay out of Tennessee on Wednesdays – As I said above about Nashville, because you are “residing” in AR & MS, you will never be in Tennessee nearly long enough to exceed their 48 hour limit. Every morning you restart TN’s clock.

But as with Nashville, I can’t recommend putting all of your reliance on this system.  I don’t trust local police enough to think that if they figured out what you’re doing they wouldn’t accuse you of cheating.  Therefore I again suggest that you stay out of Tennessee on Wednesdays, which divides your forays into Memphis into two groups, Mon-Tues & Thurs-Fri, each of which is less than 48 hours even if you add them together.

This is a particularly difficult recommendation for Memphis because unlike in Nashville, staying away chews up one of your precious AR or MS days. Sorry about that.

Another layover in Tennessee? – If you have exhausted your allowable days in both AK and MS and your first TN layover, but still need more time, you can extend your visit by up to another two nights and one day but less than 48 continuous hours by “residing” at the same Tennessee I-40 Exit 25 hotel court as on your previous layover.  That’s because TN does allow return visits that restart their clock. If you do so I again suggest that you NOT report this as a “temporary address” to your local registry office.  Treat it as just another stop on your way home from your AK and MS destination(s).

Just remember! – However you get back to your home state is up to you – but you can’t stay overnight in either AK or MS at this point because you’ve already used up all the days you’re allowed! Maybe you could go back to SE Missouri as I did on the night before my first day in Memphis (see above).

So how many days is that?

Now let’s total up the number of days you can squeeze out of this assemblage of temporary residences:

AR              4 days (including partial days)

TN  #1        0 days (your 48 hours starts on the morning you enter Memphis on AR                                             Partial Day 4. You stay one night at the I-40 hotel court. The                                             following afternoon you leave TN and head for your MS hotel so                                       you don’t exceed 48 hours all together in TN)

MS              2 days (unfortunately, when you enter from TN in the afternoon                                                         that becomes MS Partial Day 1)

TN  #2        1 1/2 days (because you’ll have to leave TN early enough in the day to                                                 get somewhere other than AK or MS)

TOTAL       7 1/2 days

BUT !!        If you schedule your stay(s) in Tennessee so as to include weekends, you                                             can add up to four more days that TN won’t count.

Do not become “employed” in Tennessee/Nashville/Memphis

If you have to report employment information in your home state you already know that being “employed” in a place will land you on the registry as surely as “residing” there. 

You can compliantly go to Tennessee/Nashville/Memphis to perform a business obligation without becoming “employed” there.  I knew a guy whose job was to maintain and repair the asphalt furnaces his company manufactured for road building projects across America.  He had to stay for days at a time to get those things fixed but his employer was in Florida.  That’s where the paychecks came from so that’s where he was “employed.”  You can receive payment for services but just make sure you never receive anything that looks like a paycheck from an employer with a Tennessee address.

Previous Tennessee visit: April 2022

With all those precautions in mind, my 2022 Deep South Tour included an opportunity not only to visit southeastern Tennessee but to take advantage of their rule which excludes weekend days from the 48 hour visitors’ time clock.  Entering the state from Alabama at mid-morning on a Sunday, I was able to visit some of Chattanooga’s sights that day and find a National Forest campground before the 48 hour clock started at 12:01 AM Monday.

Tennessee Aquarium with a farmers market going on in front.

As a retired city planner, I consider downtown Chattanooga to be one of America’s best small city downtown revitalization success stories.  There was a farmer’s market in full swing right outside the Tennessee Aquarium – one of the Southeast’s best.  However, be careful not to go near the riverfront park or the beautiful pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River because – that’s right, they are public parks and you’re not invited.  Just outside the city are Rock City, Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain, all of which private attractions.  I have been to all of them in the past and love them, but on this trip I wanted to try something new.

Of the downtown attractions, my least favorite is the Chattanooga Choo-Choo which is hokey tourist trap.  However, just a few miles east of the city is an actual historic train ride, the Tennessee Valley Railroad, where I managed to snag the last ride of the afternoon before proceeding to my campsite. 

Tennessee Valley Railroad

The good news is that, like a lot of other states where registered visitors cannot go to public parks, Tennessee has numerous national forests and they by definition aren’t parks.  Plus they are under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Service, not the state, so they are a safe refuge.  My campground was in Cherokee National Forest and was well equipped with hot water showers.

As the 48 hour clock ticked away on my second day in Tennessee I drove the mountainous country roads of the national forest, stopping to see Tuckaleechee Caverns and the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center.  The Heritage Center was well worth the stop.  It includes a Heritage Village with like houses, barns, blacksmith shop, grocery store, church, etc. all of which are authentic in the sense that they aren’t reconstructions, but the original buildings which were moved from their former locations to become part of this village at the Heritage Center.

Afterwards I doubled back and stayed at the same national forest campground as the night before.  The next morning I slept in but, with the time clock still ticking, decided to take no chances and continue on my way into Georgia.