Tennessee
Tennessee has one of the longer driving restrictions in the South; a full year seizure-free is the standard, though a six-month path exists through the Medical Review Board.
There's no Seizure Safe Schools law, and there's no immunity for doctors who voluntarily report you. Here's what living with epilepsy in Tennessee actually means.
epresentation
Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator (R-TN) | (202) 224-3344
Bill Hagerty, U.S. Senator (R-TN) | (202) 224-5444
Go Here To Find Your Congressional Representative
Driving Laws
Tennessee's laws are stricter than most.
Tennessee law states that the state shall suspend and/or not issue a driver's license to anyone with uncontrolled epilepsy until the driver has remained seizure-free for one year, and then only upon receipt of a favorable medical statement from the driver's licensed medical professional.
There is one path to a shorter wait: if your condition has been controlled for six months, you may be approved for driving privileges if the Department receives a favorable medical report from your physician and the Department's Medical Review Board approves the issuance. This is a two-signature exception, not a default — both your doctor and the Board have to agree.
There is no law in Tennessee requiring physicians to report patients with epilepsy to a central state agency. Reporting is voluntary, and here's the structural problem: Tennessee also provides no statutory immunity to physicians who do report. That means a doctor who voluntarily reports a patient and that patient later has an accident involving a seizure could theoretically face civil liability. That structural gap makes Tennessee doctors more likely to stay quiet and leave the reporting to you.
Confirm current requirements with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and the Epilepsy Foundation's Tennessee driving law page.
School Laws
As of August 2026, the Epilepsy Foundation lists no enacted Seizure Safe Schools law for Tennessee. That means Tennessee families are operating entirely on Section 504 and IDEA, both federal. Put requests in writing, ask which staff have seizure training, and ask for a written Seizure Action Plan. Federal law requires it even when the state hasn't acted.
Support
Epilepsy Foundation of Southeast Tennessee and Epilepsy Foundation of Tennessee serve different parts of the state - check the national directory for the affiliate nearest you.
Vanderbilt's comprehensive epilepsy program runs patient support resources and education events alongside its clinical program.
Epilepsy Care
If your seizures aren't controlled after 12 months with a general neurologist — or after two medications have failed — national guidelines say you should be at a Level 3 or Level 4 center. Most people who meet that bar were never told it existed.
Check out the NAEC to find a Level 3 or4 Epilepsy Center near you.
Confirmed NAEC Level 4 centers include Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, one of the Southeast's flagship academic epilepsy programs, with comprehensive adult and pediatric programs.
Additional Level 3 and Level 4 centers operate in the Memphis and Knoxville areas. Verify current accreditation in the NAEC directory.
Tennessee is geographically wide — if you're in the eastern end of the state, the University of Virginia and Duke University are both Level 4 programs that serve regional patients.
Use the comments section to add additional resources for Tennessee or review the resources listed above.