Does Tennessee require a license number in a real estate agent's email signature?

Chapter 1260-02 does not require a license number in advertising; the phrase does not appear in the chapter.

Does Tennessee's real estate advertising rule apply to email?

Paragraph (1) says all advertising “regardless of its nature and the medium in which it appears” that promotes a licensee or the sale or lease of real property must conform, and that advertising includes “sources of communication available to the public such as signs, flyers, letterheads, e-mail signatures, websites, social media communications.”

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Tennessee real estate email signature requirements

Tennessee's advertising rule, 1260-02-.12, names “e-mail signatures” in its definition of advertising. Advertising must list the firm name and firm telephone number as on file with the Commission, and the firm name must be at least as large as the name of a licensee or any team. We found no license-number requirement.

Regulator: Tennessee Real Estate Commission. Summarized from the rule text and official guidance linked below, as of October 15, 2026. Not legal advice.

Does the rule cover email?

Paragraph (1) says all advertising “regardless of its nature and the medium in which it appears” that promotes a licensee or the sale or lease of real property must conform, and that advertising includes “sources of communication available to the public such as signs, flyers, letterheads, e-mail signatures, websites, social media communications.”
Paragraph (1) says advertising does not include promotional materials such as hats, pens, notepads, t-shirts, name tags, business cards and sponsorship of charitable and community events.
The rule does not say how its “available to the public” wording applies to an individual's signature on a private email.

Is a license number required?

Chapter 1260-02 does not require a license number in advertising; the phrase does not appear in the chapter.
Paragraph (3)(c) requires advertising that refers to an individual licensee to list that licensee's name “as licensed with the Commission.”

Team names

Paragraph (3)(b) says the firm name must appear in letters the same size or larger than those spelling out the name of a licensee or the name of any team, group or similar entity.
Paragraph (3)(f)2 says it is false, misleading or deceptive for licensees who hold themselves out as a team, group or similar entity within a firm to advertise with terms such as “Real Estate,” “Real Estate Brokerage,” “Realty,” “Company,” “Corporation,” “LLC,” “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Associates,” or other similar terms that would lead the public to believe those licensees offer brokerage services independent of the firm and principal broker.
The rule does not require the word “team” or “group” in a team name.

Anything specific to signatures

Paragraph (3)(b) says all advertising shall be under the direct supervision of the principal broker and shall list the firm name and the firm telephone number as listed on file with the Commission.
Paragraph (2) defines “firm name” as the entire name of the firm as licensed with the Commission or its d/b/a name, if applicable.
Paragraph (3)(f)1 treats advertising that includes only the franchise name, without the firm name, as false, misleading or deceptive.
Paragraph (6)(b) allows the firm name and telephone number to be “no more than one click away” for social media advertising, and paragraph (5)(a) requires them to appear conspicuously on each page of a website. The rule states no one-click allowance for other advertising, including email signatures.
The Commission's Spring 2018 newsletter restates paragraphs (3)(b) and (3)(c) among the advertising rules it receives the most questions about.

A practical checklist

Our reading of the rules above, not language from any rule. Your broker-in-charge has the final say.

Show the firm name as licensed (or its d/b/a) and the firm's telephone number as on file with the Commission.
Make the firm name the same size or larger than your name and any team name.
Show your own name as licensed.
Do not use only a franchise name in place of the firm name.
Avoid “Realty,” “Associates,” “Inc.” and similar words in a team name.
Have your principal broker confirm the final wording.

What we could not confirm

We read the official Secretary of State PDF of Chapter 1260-02 marked “September, 2025 (Revised).” Its history note shows rule .12 was last amended effective April 22, 2021. We did not check for changes after September 2025.
The Commission newsletter is from Spring 2018 and is guidance, not rule text.
We did not find official Tennessee guidance beyond the rule that discusses email signatures.

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Sources (read October 15, 2026)

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