Deer tick
Ixodes scapularis
Established in Tennessee
- Size:
- Small, a sesame seed (nymph: a poppy seed)
- Look for:
- Reddish-orange body, solid dark shield, black legs, no pattern
- Carries:
- Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan
Tick Identification in Tennessee
The ticks you are most likely to find in Tennessee, with photos and the size, color, and markings that tell them apart. Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. Below the chart, see which types live in your county.
Carries Lyme
American dog tick
Dermacentor variabilis
Established in Tennessee
- Size:
- Larger, an apple seed
- Look for:
- Brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield
- Carries:
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rare)
Lone star tick
Amblyomma americanum
Established in Tennessee
- Size:
- Medium, rounded
- Look for:
- Reddish-brown; female has a single white dot on the back
- Carries:
- Ehrlichiosis, STARI, alpha-gal syndrome
Brown dog tick
Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Found nationwide, the one tick that infests homes and kennels indoors
- Size:
- Medium, narrow body that tapers toward the head
- Look for:
- Uniform reddish-brown, no ornate markings
- Carries:
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine diseases
Gulf Coast tick
Amblyomma maculatum
A southern tick spreading north into the mid-Atlantic
- Size:
- Large, bigger than a lone star
- Look for:
- Silvery ornate markings on the shield, no single dot
- Carries:
- Rickettsia parkeri spotted fever
Asian longhorned tick
Haemaphysalis longicornis
A newer arrival, established in the mid-Atlantic and spreading north
- Size:
- Small and plain, often found in large numbers
- Look for:
- Reddish-brown with no markings
- Carries:
- Mainly a livestock threat; human disease risk under study
Rocky Mountain wood tick
Dermacentor andersoni
Not established in Tennessee
- Size:
- Larger, an apple seed
- Look for:
- Brown with an ornate off-white and gray marbled shield
- Carries:
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia
Pacific Coast tick
Dermacentor occidentalis
Not established in Tennessee
- Size:
- Larger, an apple seed
- Look for:
- Brown with a marbled silvery-gray ornate shield
- Carries:
- Pacific Coast tick fever, tularemia
Tennessee establishment is shown for the three ticks CDC tracks by county; the others carry a regional range note. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025. County surveillance is coarse: “not established” is a lack of records, not proof a tick is absent.
Deer, dog and lone star ticks by Tennessee county
These are the three ticks CDC maps county by county, not the only ticks in Tennessee: the brown dog, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks are in the chart above. Tap a county for its daily tick-risk detail.
| County | Deer tick | American dog tick | Lone star tick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County | Established | Established | Established |
| Bedford County | Established | Reported | Established |
| Benton County | Reported | Not established | Established |
| Bledsoe County | Reported | Not established | Reported |
| Blount County | Not established | Established | Reported |
| Bradley County | Not established | Established | Reported |
| Campbell County | Established | Not established | Reported |
| Cannon County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Carroll County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Carter County | Established | Established | Not established |
| Cheatham County | Established | Established | Established |
| Chester County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Claiborne County | Established | Reported | Established |
| Clay County | Reported | Not established | Not established |
| Cocke County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Coffee County | Established | Reported | Established |
| Crockett County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Cumberland County | Established | Established | Established |
| Davidson County | Established | Established | Established |
| Decatur County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| DeKalb County | Established | Established | Established |
| Dickson County | Not established | Established | Established |
| Dyer County | Not established | Reported | Not established |
| Fayette County | Established | Established | Established |
| Fentress County | Reported | Not established | Reported |
| Franklin County | Established | Established | Established |
| Gibson County | Not established | Reported | Not established |
| Giles County | Reported | Established | Established |
| Grainger County | Reported | Reported | Not established |
| Greene County | Not established | Established | Not established |
| Grundy County | Not established | Not established | Not established |
| Hamblen County | Not established | Not established | Not established |
| Hamilton County | Established | Established | Established |
| Hancock County | Not established | Established | Not established |
| Hardeman County | Established | Established | Established |
| Hardin County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Hawkins County | Not established | Reported | Not established |
| Haywood County | Reported | Reported | Established |
| Henderson County | Established | Reported | Established |
| Henry County | Reported | Reported | Established |
| Hickman County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Houston County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Humphreys County | Reported | Reported | Established |
| Jackson County | Established | Not established | Reported |
| Jefferson County | Not established | Established | Not established |
| Johnson County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Knox County | Established | Established | Reported |
| Lake County | Reported | Not established | Not established |
| Lauderdale County | Reported | Reported | Not established |
| Lawrence County | Established | Not established | Reported |
| Lewis County | Not established | Established | Established |
| Lincoln County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Loudon County | Established | Established | Reported |
| Macon County | Not established | Reported | Not established |
| Madison County | Established | Established | Established |
| Marion County | Established | Not established | Established |
| Marshall County | Established | Not established | Established |
| Maury County | Reported | Established | Established |
| McMinn County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| McNairy County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Meigs County | Not established | Not established | Established |
| Monroe County | Not established | Established | Reported |
| Montgomery County | Established | Established | Established |
| Moore County | Not established | Reported | Not established |
| Morgan County | Reported | Reported | Reported |
| Obion County | Reported | Reported | Reported |
| Overton County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Perry County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Pickett County | Reported | Not established | Not established |
| Polk County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Putnam County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Rhea County | Established | Not established | Established |
| Roane County | Reported | Established | Established |
| Robertson County | Reported | Reported | Established |
| Rutherford County | Reported | Reported | Established |
| Scott County | Established | Established | Established |
| Sequatchie County | Reported | Not established | Established |
| Sevier County | Reported | Established | Established |
| Shelby County | Established | Established | Established |
| Smith County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Stewart County | Reported | Established | Established |
| Sullivan County | Not established | Established | Reported |
| Sumner County | Reported | Established | Established |
| Tipton County | Reported | Reported | Reported |
| Trousdale County | Not established | Reported | Reported |
| Unicoi County | Reported | Reported | Not established |
| Union County | Not established | Reported | Established |
| Van Buren County | Not established | Not established | Reported |
| Warren County | Reported | Not established | Reported |
| Washington County | Established | Established | Not established |
| Wayne County | Reported | Not established | Reported |
| Weakley County | Not established | Established | Reported |
| White County | Reported | Not established | Reported |
| Williamson County | Established | Reported | Established |
| Wilson County | Established | Reported | Established |
Lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome
The lone star tick is established in Tennessee in 45 of 95 counties (see the table above). Its bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.
Do not overlook the tiny ones
Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and cause most Lyme cases in Tennessee because they are so easy to miss. When you check for ticks, look for the small ones too, especially in June and July.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of ticks live in Tennessee?
- Tennessee has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease and is established across the state; the American dog tick, which is established; and the lone star tick, which is established and causes alpha-gal syndrome. County-level presence is shown in the table above.
- Which Tennessee tick carries Lyme disease?
- The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Tennessee. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme, though they can transmit other illnesses.
- Are there lone star ticks in Tennessee?
- Yes. The lone star tick is established in Tennessee, in 45 of the state's 95 counties (Anderson County, Bedford County, Benton County and more, listed in the table above). It causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy.
- How can I tell these ticks apart?
- Use size, color, and legs. The deer tick is small with a reddish-orange body, a solid dark shield, and black legs. The American dog tick is larger and brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield. The female lone star tick has a single white dot on her back. The chart above shows each one.