Tennessee Code Title 65. Public Utilities and Carriers § 65-15-201

Any corporation, partnership, person or other entity that owns or operates a motor vehicle domiciled in Tennessee and under the jurisdiction of the department and not subject to the inspection fee prescribed in § 65-15-112, may request an on-site inspection by department enforcement officers for the purpose of conducting a safety management audit and for the purpose of inspecting all vehicles subject to the department's jurisdiction. This request shall be in writing and sent certified mail, return receipt requested. The cost of such inspection shall be four dollars ($4.00) per vehicle. All vehicles which pass inspection shall be issued a safety sticker which shall be valid for that quarter of the year in which the sticker was issued. During the on-site inspection, no criminal citation shall be issued except for flagrant safety management violations about which the violator has previously been warned by the department. If the department fails to send an enforcement officer for the purposes of conducting this inspection within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the letter requesting same, the entity requesting the inspection shall be exempt from penalties for mechanical defects, and no citations may be issued for mechanical defects until the on-site inspection has been performed.