STR Rulebook
Cities / Nashville, TN

Nashville, TN short-term rental rules

Read from official city pages on 2026-10-23

Nashville issues two different permits: one for a home the owner lives in, one for a unit they do not, and the second is allowed only in certain commercial zones. Either costs $313 a year, with a 24-hour minimum stay against a 30-day maximum.

Can you run a short-term rental in Nashville, TN?
Yes, with a licence — only in your primary residence, with limits on how much you can rent.

1. Can you operate here?

Permit required
Yes[1]
Primary residence
Required for owner-occupied permits[2]Only the owner-occupied permit carries a residence test. It requires the owner to live at the property permanently and to be a natural person — LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships and joint ventures are ineligible. The non-owner-occupied permit exists, but only as a conditional use in listed commercial zoning districts.
Unit limit
One permit per lot in single-family and two-family zoning[2]
Night limits
Minimum stay 24 hours; maximum stay 30 consecutive days[1]
1 of the 10 figures above are not published by the city. Those rows say so instead of carrying an estimate, and the reference still points to the page that was checked. These are the figures the city publishes — not a determination that a particular property may operate. Zoning, building occupancy class, lease terms and HOA rules sit outside this page and can bar a rental that otherwise holds a licence.

2. What the licence takes

Licence
Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit[1]
Fee — new
$313[3]Due when the application is approved. Credit card payments add a 2.3% processing fee.
Fee — renewal
$313[3]Plus proof of current property insurance and proof of hotel occupancy tax payment.
Term
1 year, renewed annually[1]

3. What it costs

Occupancy tax
Not published[5]The Codes pages require business, sales and hotel occupancy taxes to be remitted to both the city and the state, and hand off to the Office of the Treasurer for the amounts. No rate is printed on the pages read, so none is quoted here.
If you operate without one
Citations, plus a one-year wait after operating unregistered[3]The permit can also be revoked on a determination of three violations of any ordinance or law of general application. No dollar amounts are published on the Codes pages read.

Other rules that apply

Two permit types

Owner-occupied covers the owner's residence; non-owner-occupied covers a unit the owner does not live in. Each has its own eligibility rules.[2]

Where a non-owner-occupied permit is allowed

New non-owner-occupied permits issue only as a conditional use in listed commercial and mixed-use districts. They are not permitted in AR2A, R, RS or RM zoning, and existing permits there cannot transfer on sale.[2]

Four documents for owner-occupation

Owner-occupied applicants must supply four documents proving owner-occupation, and the primary-residence address must match the recorded deed.[2]

Revocation

The permit may be revoked on a determination of three violations of any ordinance or law of general application.[4]

Compare this city with the others: can you operate · occupancy tax · licence cost.

Sources, and the wording behind the key figures

Each bracketed number above points to the entry below. Where a sentence is quoted it is the city's own wording — the exact text the figure was read from. Figures whose sentence is not reproduced here still carry a bracketed reference — follow it to the source page for the exact wording.

  1. 1Metro Nashville — Codes, Short Term Rental Propertyprimary
    In Nashville and Davidson County, the law requires that anyone wishing to rent a property on Short Term Rental Property (STRP) websites must receive a permit from the Metro Codes Department prior to listing.
    The Short Term Rental Property owner shall not receive any compensation or remuneration to permit occupancy of an Short Term Rental Property for a period of less than twenty-four hours. The maximum stay for any guest shall be thirty consecutive days.
    Short Term Rental Property permits must be renewed annually.
    Metro Short Term Rental Code of Law §6.28.030
  2. 2Metro Nashville — STRP permit typesprimary
    To qualify for an owner-occupied permit, the owner of the property must permanently reside at the property and be a natural person or persons. LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other entities are ineligible for owner-occupied permits.
    Only one permit shall be issued per lot in single-family and two-family zoning districts.
  3. 3Metro Nashville — STRP frequently asked questionsprimary
    The Short term rental permit fee is $313.00 due at the time your application is approved.
    A Short term rental permit may be renewed each year by submitting a $313.00 permit fee, proof of current property insurance, and proof of Hotel Occupancy Tax payment.
  4. 4Metro Nashville — STRP operation rules and requirementsprimary
  5. 5Metro Nashville — STRP use and occupancy taxesprimary
If a figure above differs from the page it cites, the official page is correct and this page is out of date. Report it to [email protected].

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