Cockfighting Laws in Tennessee: What Owners, Spectators, and Breeders Need to Know
October 14, 2026
Tennessee is one of a shrinking number of states that still treats cockfighting involving a bird as a misdemeanor rather than a felony, even as lawmakers have tried repeatedly to change that. If you raise gamefowl, show chickens, or just heard about a raid in your county and want to know where the legal lines sit, the statute covering this conduct is Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-203.
This guide walks through what counts as illegal cockfighting in Tennessee, how the penalties break down by offense, what federal law adds on top of state charges, and where legitimate gamefowl ownership still fits within the law.
Is Cockfighting Illegal in Tennessee?
Yes. It is unlawful for any person to own, possess, keep, use or train any bull, bear, dog, cock, swine or other animal, for the purpose of fighting, baiting or injuring another such animal, for amusement, sport or gain, under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-203. The same section also makes it illegal to cause an animal to fight for sport or gain, or to permit that conduct on property you control.
The law carves out one notable exception. It is the legislative intent that this section shall not apply to the training or use of hunting dogs for sport or to the training or use of dogs for law enforcement purposes. That exemption covers dogs used for legitimate field sports, not gamefowl, so it has no bearing on rooster fighting specifically. If you’re trying to sort out what other animal-related activity is protected in Tennessee, the state’s hunting laws explain how that carve-out works in practice.
Important Note: The statute’s broad language means cockfighting sits inside a single “cock and animal fighting” law that also covers dogfighting, bull baiting, and similar conduct. Tennessee does not have a separate, standalone cockfighting statute.
Is Cockfighting a Felony or a Misdemeanor in Tennessee?
This is where Tennessee law gets unusual. For most animals covered by the statute, owning, causing, or permitting a fight is a serious felony. Except for any offense involving a cock, an offense under subdivisions (a)(1)-(3) is a Class E felony.
Cockfighting is carved out from that felony tier. An offense involving a cock under subdivisions (a)(1)-(3) is a Class A misdemeanor. In practical terms, that means owning, training, or causing a rooster to fight in Tennessee carries a lower legal classification than doing the same thing with a dog, bull, or bear under the identical statute.
Lawmakers have tried to close that gap more than once. A 2024 fiscal note on proposed legislation confirmed that Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-203(a)(1)-(3) establishes it is a Class A misdemeanor for a person to own, possess, keep, use or train a cock for the purpose of fighting, and that the proposed legislation enhances the penalty to a Class E felony. That bill, along with earlier companion legislation, did not change the underlying classification — the 2024 Tennessee Code still lists cock-specific offenses as Class A misdemeanors.
Important Note: State budget analysts found that there has been an average of zero Class A misdemeanor convictions of animal cruelty involving a cock in each of the last five years, according to a 2024 Tennessee General Assembly fiscal review. That doesn’t mean cockfighting doesn’t happen — it suggests prosecutions are rare even where it’s documented.
| Conduct | Animal Involved | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Owning, training, or causing a fight | Dog, bull, bear, swine, other animal | Class E felony |
| Owning, training, or causing a fight | Cock (rooster) | Class A misdemeanor |
| Knowing spectator presence | Any covered animal | Class A misdemeanor |
| Possessing cockfighting paraphernalia with intent | Cock (rooster) | Class A misdemeanor |
Is It a Crime to Watch a Cockfight or Bring a Child to One in Tennessee?
Simply being present carries legal risk. The statute makes it a crime to be knowingly present, as a spectator, at any place or building where preparations are being made for an exhibition for the fighting, baiting or injuring of any animal, with the intent to be present at the exhibition, and separately to knowingly cause a person under eighteen years of age to attend an animal fight.
Both the spectator provision and the paraphernalia provision share the same penalty level. A violation of subdivision (a)(4) or (a)(6) is a Class A misdemeanor. That means watching a cockfight carries the same classification as owning or training the birds involved, which is a notable departure from how many other states treat bystanders.
An earlier version of proposed reform legislation would have raised the stakes considerably for spectators. That bill called for a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $2,500 for the offense of being a spectator at a cock fight, tied to a felony reclassification that ultimately did not become law. Under current law, a spectator conviction instead falls under the standard Class A misdemeanor penalty structure.
Owning, Breeding, Training, or Selling Roosters for Fighting in Tennessee
The law targets purpose and intent, not just the act of fighting itself. Owning, breeding, or training a rooster becomes illegal the moment it’s done for the purpose of fighting, baiting or injuring another such animal, for amusement, sport or gain — meaning intent is central to how prosecutors build these cases. Someone who keeps roosters purely for eggs, shows, or breeding standard poultry breeds isn’t committing an offense under this section.
Tennessee does build in a narrow commercial exemption. It is not an offense to own, possess or keep cocks, or aid or abet the ownership, possession or keeping of cocks, for the sole purpose of selling or transporting cocks to a location in which possession or keeping of cocks is legal, as long as it does not violate any other part of this section or federal law. This matters for breeders who sell birds across state lines, which is also worth reviewing alongside Tennessee’s transporting livestock laws before shipping any poultry out of state.
Pro Tip: Keep records of sales and buyer locations if you breed gamefowl commercially. The “sole purpose of selling or transporting” exemption only protects you if you can show the birds were headed somewhere fighting-related ownership is actually legal.
Breeding operations that cross into large-scale, poorly regulated commercial breeding raise separate welfare concerns that show up in Tennessee’s broader animal law, including the state’s puppy mill laws, which illustrate how the state approaches high-volume breeding oversight for other species.
Possessing Gaffs, Knives, and Other Cockfighting Implements in Tennessee
Tennessee separately criminalizes the tools used in cockfighting, not just the fight itself. It’s unlawful to possess, own, buy, sell, transfer, or manufacture cock fighting paraphernalia with the intent that the paraphernalia be used in promoting, facilitating, training for, or furthering cock fighting.
The statute defines exactly what counts. “Cock fighting paraphernalia” means gaffs, slashers, heels, or any other sharp implement designed to be attached in place of the natural spur of a cock or game fowl. Common items that fall under this definition include:
- Gaffs (curved, spur-like blades)
- Slashers (longer, knife-style blades)
- Artificial heels designed to replace a bird’s natural spur
- Any sharp implement built specifically to attach where a natural spur would be
This offense was added to Tennessee law through legislation that originally proposed covering “animal fighting paraphernalia” broadly. The introduced bill would have amended the code by adding the following language as a new subdivision (6): Possess, own, buy, sell, transfer, or manufacture animal fighting paraphernalia with the intent that the paraphernalia be used in promoting, facilitating, training for, or furthering animal fighting or baiting. Lawmakers later narrowed the final version specifically to cockfighting equipment, per the enacted 2019 legislation. As with the spectator offense, a violation of subdivision (a)(4) or (a)(6) is a Class A misdemeanor.
Hosting a Cockfight or Allowing One on Your Property in Tennessee
Property owners face liability even if they never touch a bird. The law makes it illegal to permit any acts stated in subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2) to be done on any premises under the person’s charge or control, or aid or abet those acts. That means a landowner who knows cockfighting is happening on their property — and does nothing to stop it — can face the same charges as someone actively running the fight.
This exposure extends to landlords, tenants with control over outbuildings, and anyone who allows a barn, shed, or pit to be used for organized fights. Allowing cockfighting on rural property raises the same enforcement questions that come up under Tennessee’s right-to-farm laws, which protect legitimate agricultural activity but do not extend protection to criminal conduct.
Important Note: “Charge or control” doesn’t require ownership. Renters, farm managers, and anyone with practical authority over a piece of land can be charged under this provision if they knowingly permit cockfighting there.
Penalties for Cockfighting Offenses in Tennessee: Fines, Jail or Prison, and Repeat Convictions
Tennessee’s general sentencing schedule, set out in Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111, applies to cockfighting offenses based on their classification. A Class A misdemeanor carries up to 11 months, 29 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, while a Class E felony carries one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.
Because most cock-specific offenses are Class A misdemeanors rather than felonies, defendants convicted of owning, training, or causing a rooster to fight typically face the misdemeanor range rather than prison time. Felony-level penalties apply only when the fighting offense involves a different animal, such as a dog or bull, under the same statute.
One penalty applies regardless of the animal involved. Notwithstanding § 40-35-111, in addition to any other penalty imposed, the court shall prohibit the defendant from having custody of any companion animal for a period of at least two years from the date of conviction and may impose a lifetime prohibition. This custody prohibition mirrors concepts used in other Tennessee animal proceedings, including the standards discussed in the state’s pet custody laws. Repeat offenders face stricter consequences: a second or subsequent felony-tier conviction under the statute triggers an extended ban on future animal custody.
| Offense Tier | Jail or Prison | Maximum Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class A misdemeanor (cockfighting, spectator, paraphernalia) | Up to 11 months, 29 days | Up to $2,500 |
| Class E felony (dog, bull, bear, swine fighting) | 1–6 years | Up to $3,000 |
| Federal animal fighting venture (sponsoring/exhibiting) | Up to 5 years | Up to $250,000 |
Seizure of Birds, Forfeiture, and Related Gambling Charges in Tennessee
When law enforcement raids a cockfighting operation, the birds themselves are typically seized as evidence, and courts have authority to order forfeiture of animals used in violation of the statute along with any paraphernalia recovered at the scene. Seized roosters are often held by animal control or a partnering humane organization while the case proceeds, and a conviction can result in permanent forfeiture rather than the birds being returned to the owner.
Cockfighting operations are frequently tied to illegal gambling, since spectators commonly wager on match outcomes. Tennessee’s general gambling statutes can apply alongside the animal fighting charges when betting is documented at a raided site, meaning a single operation can generate animal cruelty charges, paraphernalia charges, and gambling charges simultaneously against different participants.
Federal Animal Fighting Law That Applies Alongside Tennessee Law
State charges aren’t the only exposure. The Animal Welfare Act prohibits animal fighting, including dogfighting and cockfighting, under 7 U.S.C. § 2156, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Federal penalties are considerably steeper than Tennessee’s misdemeanor classification for cock-specific offenses.
- Sponsoring or exhibiting an animal in a fight: federal felony, up to five years in prison
- Attending a fight as a spectator: federal misdemeanor, up to one year in prison and fines
- Bringing a minor under 16 to a fight: federal felony, up to three years in prison and fines
These spectator and minor-related provisions came from the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which closed what advocates called a loophole. As one federal policy summary explains, when a fight is raided, the organizers, promoters, trainers, and owners are able to disperse and blend into the crowd to escape arrest — the law closes this loophole, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alabama confirmed the practical effect once the law took hold: it became a felony to knowingly bring a child under the age of 16 to an animal fight and a misdemeanor to knowingly attend an animal fight, according to a Department of Justice press release.
Because state and federal law operate independently, a single Tennessee cockfighting raid can produce charges at both levels, particularly when birds, equipment, or money crossed state lines as part of the operation.
Legal Rooster and Gamefowl Ownership in Tennessee: Shows, Breeding, and Exemptions
None of this means owning a rooster in Tennessee is risky by default. Keeping gamefowl breeds, showing birds at poultry exhibitions, and raising roosters for eggs, meat, or breed preservation all fall outside the statute entirely, because the law targets fighting intent, not the breed or appearance of the bird. Many gamefowl varieties prized for their coloring and conformation are shown competitively with no connection to fighting.
The commercial exemption also protects legitimate breeders. As noted earlier, it’s not an offense to own, possess or keep cocks for the sole purpose of selling or transporting cocks to a location in which possession or keeping of cocks is legal. Homeowners considering backyard flocks should also check local ordinances, since municipal rules on rooster ownership vary even where state law allows it — Tennessee’s backyard chicken laws cover the municipal layer that sits on top of the state statute.
Pro Tip: If you breed or show gamefowl, keep your flock’s purpose documented and visible — separate housing for show birds, sale records, and absence of fighting implements on your property all help distinguish lawful ownership from a fighting operation during any inspection.
How to Report Suspected Cockfighting in Tennessee
If you suspect cockfighting activity, local law enforcement is the first call, since § 39-14-203 is a criminal statute enforced primarily by county sheriffs and municipal police rather than a wildlife or agriculture agency. Follow these steps when reporting a suspected operation:
- Note the location, dates, times, and any vehicle or license plate details without approaching the property yourself.
- Contact your county sheriff’s department or local police non-emergency line, or call 911 if an event appears to be actively underway.
- Report to your local animal control office, which can coordinate with law enforcement on seizure and sheltering of birds.
- Provide any documentation — photos, videos, or recordings of spectators or equipment — if you can do so safely and legally.
- Follow up with the district attorney’s office if you’re a material witness and want updates on whether charges were filed.
Tips can also be routed through state animal cruelty hotlines or humane organizations that work with Tennessee law enforcement on these cases. Because cockfighting often overlaps with other property and nuisance complaints, it’s also worth reviewing Tennessee’s nuisance wildlife laws if you’re unsure whether a reported disturbance falls under animal fighting statutes or a different enforcement category.
Important Note: This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If you are facing charges under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-203 or a related federal statute, consult a licensed Tennessee criminal defense attorney about your specific situation.