Tennessee · all 47 Driver Services Centers
Tennessee DMV, in one trip.
Office hours, what to bring, and whether you can skip the line and do it online. In plain English.
Step 1 · Your state
Tennessee
Step 2 · What do you need?
Or find an office near you
- Free, no sign-up
- Every rule cites Tennessee Driver Services, the Department of Revenue or the Tennessee driver manual
- We never charge state fees
Start with the task
What are you here to do?
Renew a driver's license
$28 for 8 years, online, at a kiosk or at a county clerk. A new photo in person every other renewal. 2 questions.
Fee $28 for 8 years ($4 more at a county clerk) · 10 min online, or 1 visit
Check in 2 questionsReplace a lost or stolen license
$8 online or at a kiosk if you have the DD number from your license. $12 for a second replacement.
Plan itGet a learner permit
From 15. A vision screening and the knowledge test, which teens can take online at home. $10.50 under 18.
Plan itTake the road test
At full-service Driver Services Centers, by appointment. Teens hold the permit 180 days and log 50 hours first.
Plan itChange your address
Within 10 days of moving. Free online or at a kiosk; a new card is optional.
Plan itMoving to Tennessee
A Tennessee license within 30 days at a full-service center, and your car registered with the county clerk within 30 days.
Plan itGet a REAL ID
Optional, and no extra fee: $28 at renewal, otherwise the duplicate fee. A star in the corner means you have one.
Check my card
Your car
Registration, titles and inspections
Renew car registration
Every year, online, at a kiosk, by mail or at your county clerk. $29 plus your county's wheel tax. 2 questions.
Plan itBuy or sell a car
Title and register before you drive it. 7% state sales tax plus a little local tax, paid at the county clerk. The seller keeps the plates. 3 questions.
Plan itEmissions test
Tennessee ended emissions testing in 2022, and has no safety inspection. Nothing to do before you renew.
Plan itEvery fee in one place
Licenses, IDs, registration, titles and inspections, each linked to its official source.
See Tennessee fees
Who does what
How the DMV works in Tennessee
In Tennessee, there's no DMV by that name. The Department of Safety's Driver Services Centers handle licenses, permits, IDs and tests, walk-in or by appointment, and many renewals happen online, at a kiosk or at a county clerk. Car titles, plates and registration are done by the county clerk where you live. There's no emissions test. Here's how it works.
Driver Services Centers
Licenses, permits, IDs and tests
Run by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Walk in or book ahead; open weekdays 8:30 to 5, local time. Self-service kiosks and some county clerks renew and replace licenses too.
Tennessee Driver Services: locationsCounty clerks
Titles, plates and registration
Each county's clerk does this for the Department of Revenue; you use the clerk in the county where you live. Renew registration online on tncountyclerk.com or your county's site.
Tennessee Revenue: county clerk officesWhy people come back
No more second trips.
Most wasted DMV visits come down to a missing paper or the wrong office. We fix both before you leave home.
- 01
Answer a few questions
We tell you if you can do it online and skip the trip entirely.
- 02
Get your checklist
Only the papers your situation needs. Tick them off as you pack.
- 03
Go at the right time
Status based on published hours, and a straight link to book.
Near Downtown Nashville
Driver Services Centers around Downtown Nashville
Downtown Express Driver Service Center
Tennessee Driver Services · Nashville · 0.2 mi
Hart Lane Driver Service Center
Tennessee Driver Services · Nashville · 4.3 mi
Hickory Hollow Driver Service Center
Tennessee Driver Services · Antioch · 10.9 mi
Offices by city
All citiesTennessee rules worth knowing
- New residents: 30 days
- Get a Tennessee license at a full-service center and register your car with your county clerk within 30 days.
- $28 for 8 years
- Renew online, at a kiosk or at a county clerk; a new photo in person every other renewal.
- Teens: permit at 15
- Hold it 180 days with 50 hours of practice (10 at night) before the road test at 16.
- No phone for teen drivers
- Permit and intermediate drivers can't use a phone at all; everyone else must be hands-free.
- Address changes: 10 days
- Tell Driver Services within 10 days of moving. It's free online, and a new card is optional.
- No emissions test
- Testing ended in 2022. Registration is $29 plus your county's wheel tax.
Permit test practice
Pass the knowledge test the first time.
Real Tennessee rules, a clear explanation after every answer, and your weak topics called out at the end.
Sample question · Signs
A red, eight-sided sign always means you must:
- ASlow down and yield if traffic is coming
- BStop only if a police officer is present
- CCome to a complete stop
Straight answers
Questions people ask
Still stuck? How Tennessee Driver Services appointments work, or see how we check facts.
Tennessee center, county clerk and kiosk locations from Driver Services' own list. County clerks for titles and registration from the Department of Revenue's list.