(a) As used in this section:(1) 'Addressee' means the person to whom a piece of mail is addressed;(2) 'Curtilage' has the same meaning as defined in § 39-11-611; and(3) 'Mail' means a letter, postal card, package, bag, or other sealed article that: (A) Is delivered by a common carrier or delivery service and not yet received by the addressee; or(B) Has been left to be collected for delivery by a common carrier or delivery service.(b) It is an offense to take mail from a residential mailbox or from the curtilage of a dwelling without the consent of the addressee and with the intent to deprive the addressee of the mail.(c)(1) A first offense of mail theft is punished as theft under § 39-14-105, after determining value under § 39-11-106.(2) A second or subsequent offense of mail theft is punished as theft under § 39-14-105, after determining value under § 39-11-106. However, in no event shall punishment for a second or subsequent offense of mail theft be less than a Class E felony.Added by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 364, s 1, eff. 7/1/2021.
Tennessee Legal Code