Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

Knoxville DUI lawyers help individuals charged with DUI in the East Tennessee area. Depending on the circumstances, an individual convicted of DUI in Tennessee must participate in litter removal. Many individuals have questions concerning the circumstances and conditions of litter removal.

If the offender is a resident of Tennessee, the litter removal portion of the sentence shall occur in the offender's county of residence according to Tennessee law. If the offender is not a resident of Tennessee, the litter removal portion of the sentence shall occur in the county where the violation occurred.

In order to reimburse the sheriff for costs related to the supervision of the offender while on a litter removal work crew, the offender shall pay to the sheriff a fee equivalent to the jailer's fee for misdemeanants for each day the offender participates in a litter removal program. The fee must be received by the sheriff before the sheriff certifies that the offender has completed this condition of probation.

Upon request, the sheriff shall provide the offender with a schedule of the times and dates when litter removal crews will be working. Crews shall only be scheduled to work during daylight hours and only on state route highways or state-aid highways. The sheriff should attempt to provide enough opportunities to work on a litter removal crew that an offender may complete the required three days of litter removal within a ninety-day period. Offenders may work with other prisoners on litter removal crews organized by the county or a municipality within the county.

The offender shall notify the sheriff not less than twenty-four hours in advance of a scheduled work date to indicate that the offender desires to participate. The sheriff, in the sheriff's discretion, may set a maximum number of participants on a work crew and allow participation on a first-come, first-serve basis. The offender is responsible for arranging transportation to and from the work site or other location where the sheriff directs offenders to report. Except for the vest discussed below, offenders are also responsible for furnishing their own clothing and food while engaged in litter removal.

Each offender ordered to remove litter shall be required to wear a blaze orange or other distinctively colored vest with the words "I AM A DRUNK DRIVER" stenciled or otherwise written on the back of the vest, in letters no less than four inches in height.

It shall be within the discretion of the sheriff to select the state route highways or state-aid highways from which offenders remove litter. If the highway selected is a state route highway, the department of transportation shall provide a truck or trucks to remove the litter removed by the offenders. If the highway selected is a state-aid highway, the appropriate county shall provide a truck or trucks to remove the litter removed by the offenders. Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-403 (2007).

If you have been charged with DUI in East Tennessee, contact a DUI lawyer. Our offices handle DUI charges in Knoxville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Newport, Maryville, and Loudon.