Vacohost

    Tennessee

    Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN short-term rental rules

    Overview

    Metro Nashville requires anyone wishing to rent a property on short-term rental property websites to obtain a permit from the Metro Codes Department before listing. The permit is tied to the property and the ordinance distinguishes owner-occupied from non-owner-occupied properties, with the latter restricted by zoning in much of the county. Metro also prohibits compensation for occupancy of less than twenty-four hours. Nashville's STR rules have been amended repeatedly by Metro Council; check the Codes Department page for the current state before you buy or list.

    Areas covered: Properties inside Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County · Last verified

    Verified requirements for Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN

    Each item below was read from the official document cited with it. Nothing here is generic guidance.

    1. minimumStay

      An STRP owner may not receive compensation to permit occupancy for less than 24 hours; the maximum stay for any guest is 30 consecutive days.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Short Term Rental Property (opens in a new tab) · §6.28.030 · Verified

    2. ownerOccupancy

      Nashville distinguishes Owner-Occupied (OO) permits, requiring proof of residency documents, from Not Owner Occupied (NOO) permits, which require documentation linking the applicant to the owning entity.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Apply for Short Term Rental Property Permit (opens in a new tab) · Step 1: Sensitive Information / Proof of Residency · Verified

    3. occupancyParking

      STRP permits are capped at a maximum of four sleeping rooms per property; properties with more than four bedrooms cannot be permitted as an STRP.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Apply for Short Term Rental Property Permit (opens in a new tab) · Floor Plan and Inspection · Verified

    4. inspections

      Single/two-family homes need certification from a licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector that the home meets code; multifamily structures require a Fire Marshal inspection.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Apply for Short Term Rental Property Permit (opens in a new tab) · Floor Plan and Inspection · Verified

    5. taxes

      STRP permit holders must remit business, sales, and hotel occupancy taxes to the city and state.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Short Term Rental Property (opens in a new tab) · Use and Occupancy Taxes (topic card) · Verified

    6. localContact

      STRP questions are directed to the Metro Codes Department via strpquestions@nashville.gov or 615-862-6500.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Short Term Rental Property (opens in a new tab) · Short Term Rental Property (intro) / Codes and Building Safety Contact Information · Verified

    7. enforcement

      Metro Nashville allows residents to file complaints reporting illegal Short Term Rental Properties, which are investigated by Codes.

      Source: Metro Nashville — Short Term Rental Property (opens in a new tab) · File a Complaint (topic card) · Verified

    8. occupancyParking

      Guests must abide by Metro noise restrictions and waste management provisions; the permit holder is responsible for guest activity.

      Source: Metro Nashville — STRP Operation Rules and Requirements (opens in a new tab) · Short Term Rental Property Operation Rules and Requirements · Verified

    9. advertising

      Any signage on an STRP property must comply with Metro Code Title 17, Chapter 32 sign regulations.

      Source: Metro Nashville — STRP Operation Rules and Requirements (opens in a new tab) · Short Term Rental Property Operation Rules and Requirements · Verified

    Regulation research score

    How far the short-term-rental rules we confirmed from cited official sources for Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN constrain an ordinary non-owner-occupied, whole-home short-term rental, expressed on a 0–100 burden scale built from 12 weighted criteria in two dimensions: market access and operating compliance. Higher means more constrained. It is not a legal conclusion, a permissiveness rating, a market rating, a measure of desirability, legality or profitability, and not investment advice.

    Moderate / structured· 56/100 (range 31–100)· Medium confidence, provisional

    Short-term rentals are generally viable but sit inside a real compliance framework: permitting, inspections, operating standards, or localised zoning verification. This can mean a clearer path to compliance; it is not a recommendation, a rating, or an investment view.

    No major market-access constraint is documented here. The rules we confirmed are operating and compliance requirements, which are capped at the top of Moderate / structured — a jurisdiction never becomes high-burden for having permits, inspections, a local contact, taxes or nuisance rules. Access sub-score 0, operating sub-score 68.

    Based on 67% evidence coverage. 4 criteria are unresolved, so this is an observed floor: the plausible interval reaches 100 of 100. A low observed score here means "little confirmed", not "lightly regulated".

    Market access and eligibility · 0 of 100

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residenceNo access effect (definitional or permissive) · 0

      Both owner-occupied and not-owner-occupied permits exist; occupancy is a permit class, not a requirement.

    • Minimum or maximum stayNo access effect (definitional or permissive) · 0

      A 24-hour floor and 30-day ceiling define the regulated use.

    Operating and compliance · 68 of 100

    • Inspection or life-safety certification16 pts
    • Occupancy and parking14 pts
    • Enforcement and penalties14 pts
    • Local responsible party12 pts
    • Advertising and listing rules7 pts
    • Lodging tax or fees5 pts

    Operating rules are weighted at 0.45, so compliance requirements alone cannot push a jurisdiction past Moderate / structured.

    Burden estimate
    56 of 100 · Moderate / structured
    Uncertainty interval
    31–100 of 100
    Evidence coverage
    67% · 8 of 12 criteria resolved
    Confidence
    Medium — provisional
    Last reviewed

    Medium confidence — provisional. Only 67% of the rubric is resolved against official sources. The observed estimate of 56 counts confirmed evidence only; unresolved criteria widen the interval upward to 100, a range that crosses more than one burden category. Treat it as indicative, not precise, and confirm directly with the jurisdiction.

    This range crosses more than one burden category (Lower regulatory burden, Moderate / structured, High access constraints, Very high / effectively restricted). The single estimate above is indicative only — do not read it as a precise measurement of this jurisdiction's rules.

    8 of 12 rubric criteria resolved against cited official sources.

    Why this score

    Market-access findings are graded severe, major, moderate or none from the cited official claim itself; the most severe finding scores in full and each additional finding adds a quarter of its points, so correlated restrictions are never double-counted. The operating sub-score is a weighted count out of 100 and is multiplied by 0.45, which is why routine permitting, inspection, contact, tax and enforcement rules alone cannot exceed the Moderate / structured band. An unresolved criterion is never recorded as 'not required' and never scored as zero: it enters the central estimate at a quarter of its worst case and reaches its full worst case at the top of the published interval, but it can never release the gates that open the high-access or effectively-restricted bands — those read confirmed findings only. Every result therefore ships as estimate, interval, evidence coverage and confidence together.

    • Prohibition or closed entry25.00 pts (range 0–100 of 100)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 100 access points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residence0.00 pts (range 0–0 of 100)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded no access effect (definitional or permissive) (0 access points). Both owner-occupied and not-owner-occupied permits exist; occupancy is a permit class, not a requirement.

    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing16.25 pts (range 0–65 of 65)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 65 access points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Minimum or maximum stay0.00 pts (range 0–0 of 35)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded no access effect (definitional or permissive) (0 access points). A 24-hour floor and 30-day ceiling define the regulated use.

    • Permit, licence, or registration5.50 pts (range 0–22 of 22)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 22 operating points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Inspection or life-safety certification16.00 pts (range 16–16 of 16)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 16 of 100 operating points.

    • Occupancy and parking14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Enforcement and penalties14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Local responsible party12.00 pts (range 12–12 of 12)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 12 of 100 operating points.

    • Renewal or transfer2.50 pts (range 0–10 of 10)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 10 operating points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Advertising and listing rules7.00 pts (range 7–7 of 7)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 7 of 100 operating points.

    • Lodging tax or fees5.00 pts (range 5–5 of 5)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 5 of 100 operating points.

    What we could not confirm — and what to ask

    We found no official source resolving these 4 criteria either way. They are not treated as “not required” and are not scored as zero. Confirm each one with the department listed below before you rely on it.

    • Prohibition or closed entry — unknown; could add 0–100 points.
    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing — unknown; could add 0–65 points.
    • Permit, licence, or registration — unknown; could add 0–22 points.
    • Renewal or transfer — unknown; could add 0–10 points.

    The rubric

    How the category is set on the 0–100 scale: 80+ reads very high / effectively restricted and requires a documented severe market-access trigger; 60–79 reads high access constraints and requires a documented major access constraint (or two moderate ones); 40–59 reads moderate / structured, which is the ceiling for jurisdictions whose confirmed rules are operating requirements only; 20–39 reads lower regulatory burden; below 20 reads minimal STR-specific burden located. A documented official-source search that resolves criteria and finds no short-term-rental-specific requirement reads “no local STR-specific regulation located in reviewed official sources” — which is not a statement that operating here is unrestricted, legal, or low-risk. Unconfirmed criteria never count as permissive. How to confirm the rest yourself.

    Who to ask in Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN

    Department-level contact details as published on the jurisdiction’s own website. We do not publish individual staff contact information.

    • Metro Codes Department – Short Term Rental Property Division

      Apply for, renew, or ask questions about the Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit required before listing a property in Nashville/Davidson County.

      615-862-6816 · strpquestions@nashville.gov

      Published at this official page · checked

    General research checklist (not Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN specific)

    These are the categories short-term rental owners check anywhere in the US. They are general prompts, not this jurisdiction’s ordinance.

    Occupancy limits
    Most jurisdictions tie maximum overnight occupancy to bedroom count, septic capacity, or a fixed cap. Confirm the current figure for your specific parcel with the Metro Nashville Codes Department before advertising a sleeping capacity.
    Parking
    On-site parking counts and prohibitions on street or shoulder parking are among the most commonly enforced short-term rental provisions. Verify the required count with the Metro Nashville Codes Department and state it plainly in your listing.
    Life-safety requirements
    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, egress, and posted evacuation information are typical requirements. Some jurisdictions inspect; others self-certify. Verify which applies.
    Local responsible party
    Many ordinances require a named local contact who can respond to the property within a set time. Confirm whether a contact is required, what response window applies, and how it must be filed with the Metro Nashville Codes Department.
    Renewal and enforcement
    Registrations and permits generally renew on a fixed cycle, and enforcement is usually complaint-driven with escalating penalties. Confirm the renewal date, fee, and enforcement process with the Metro Nashville Codes Department.
    Lodging and sales tax
    State and local lodging or occupancy taxes may be collected by the booking platform, by you, or split. Confirm current collection responsibility with both the taxing authority and your platform — platform collection agreements change.

    Confirm these directly — we could not verify them

    We publish gaps rather than guesses. The following were not confirmable from a current official source at our last review.

    • Whether your zoning district permits a non-owner-occupied short-term rental property, and whether a cap applies
    • Permit fees, renewal cadence, and the required neighbor notification steps
    • Metro hotel occupancy tax and Tennessee state sales tax obligations — confirm with Metro Finance and the Tennessee Department of Revenue
    • Whether an HOA or condo association separately restricts short-term rental

    Official sources

    Government sources only. If a link has moved, go to the jurisdiction’s main site and search for short-term or vacation rentals.

    Change log

    • — Entry published. Official source links checked; no jurisdiction-specific ordinance text confirmed.

    Operating a rental here?

    Compliance is the owner’s responsibility in every model, including ours. What a co-host can do is keep the listing, messaging, and pricing consistent with the rules you confirm.

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    Nearby jurisdictions

    Found a change in Metro Nashville & Davidson County, TN?

    Send the official link and we'll re-verify this entry. We'd rather correct it than leave a stale requirement up.

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