Nashville Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements: 2026 Owner's Guide

To operate a short-term rental in Metro Nashville and Davidson County, you need an active Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit from the Metro Codes Department before you list on any platform. Eligibility is determined first by zoning — new non-owner-occupied permits are banned across most residential zones. You'll need a floor plan, a safety certification or Fire Marshal inspection, proof of insurance, proof of neighbor notification, an HOA compliance statement, proof of taxes paid, a notarized affidavit, and a local responsible party within 25 miles. The permit fee is $313 and permits must be renewed annually.

In this article:

Step 1: Zoning eligibility (do this before anything else)
Step 2: Permit type
Step 3: Documents
Step 4: Safety requirements
Step 5: Application and inspection
Step 6: Taxes
Step 7: Operating rules
Step 8: Renewal and enforcement
The requirement that stops out-of-state owners

Step 1: Zoning eligibility — check this first

Zoning is the gate. Everything else is wasted effort if your property doesn't clear it.

New non-owner-occupied (NOO) permits are not issued in AR2A, R, RS, or RM zones — which covers the bulk of Nashville's residential land, including much of what people picture when they think of investing in East Nashville, Germantown, The Nations, Sylvan Park, or 12 South.

New NOO permits are issued as a use permitted with conditions only in specific commercial, mixed-use, and downtown districts: MUN, MUL, MUG, MUI (and their -A variants), OG, OR20 through OR40-A, ORI, CN, CL, CS, CA, CF, the DTC downtown districts, SCN, SCC, and SCR.

Additional NOO constraints:

100-foot distance rule. No new NOO permit within 100 feet of a religious institution, a school or its playground, a park, or a licensed daycare center or its playground — measured in a straight line, parcel line to parcel line. Council may exempt a property by resolution after a public hearing with 21 affirmative votes; the applicant pays the notice costs. Properties under active development in 2020 (valid master permit on file by September 1, 2020, or 50% construction complete as of that date) are exempt. § 6.28.030.B.2.d
SP and PUD properties. NOO is allowed only if the Specific Plan or Planned Unit Development expressly permits it. Confirm with Metro Planning.
Grandfathering. Existing NOO permit holders in residential zones may be able to renew, but those permits are not transferable — on sale or transfer, the permit is gone.

Owner-occupied (OO) permits are widely allowed across residential zones, with limited exceptions.

Use Metro's Parcel Viewer to confirm your zoning, and review the full zoning history — overlays are not zoning districts, so refer to the most recent underlying district.

Also check your HOA, condo bylaws, and covenants. Metro confirms that homeowners association rules may be more restrictive than Metro regulations, and they frequently ban short-term rentals outright regardless of zoning.

Step 2: Determine your permit type

Owner-Occupied (STRP-OO)

You permanently reside at the property as your primary residence
Ownership must be a natural person or persons — LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, and joint ventures are ineligible
Documentation of primary residence must match the deed as recorded with the Register of Deeds office
Only one permit per lot in single-family and two-family zoning districts
Two-family units cannot be divided in ownership: both units must be owned by the same person, with one as the owner's primary residence. This can include detached duplexes under a Horizontal Property Regime (HPR)

Not Owner-Occupied (STRP-NOO)

You don't live at the property — this covers most investors and out-of-state owners
Restricted to the zoning districts listed above; ownership information must match the deed as recorded with the Davidson County Clerk's office
Requires a local responsible party, since you're not on site

Both types: a hard cap of four sleeping rooms per permit. A home with five or more bedrooms cannot be permitted.

Step 3: Gather your documents

Floor plan of each floor showing all rooms, windows, doors, and smoke detector locations (official or hand-drawn is acceptable)
Safety certification — for single- and two-family dwellings, a certification from a state-licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector that the home complies with the applicable Metro Code sections. No permit is issued without it. Multifamily structures require a Fire Marshal inspection instead. The rough test: if there's a common hallway or walkway to enter the dwelling, expect the Fire Marshal route.
Proof of insurance evidencing homeowner's fire, hazard, and liability insurance, with liability limits not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence
Proof of notification to adjacent property owners — either an in-person conversation resulting in the property owner's signature, or mailed notification letters. Notify property owners, not residents. Use the Parcel Viewer to identify them.
HOA / covenant compliance statement confirming the STR won't violate any homeowners association agreement or bylaws, condominium agreement, co-op agreement, lease agreement, covenants, easements, codes and restrictions, or other governing agreement
Proof of residence (OO only) — four current documents showing the owner's name and address matching the property: two from Group A (TN driver's license, other valid TN ID, Davidson County voter registration, IRS W-2 or 1099, or current motor vehicle registration/title) and two from Group B (current auto insurance, life insurance, or homeowners' policy — wallet cards not accepted; paycheck stub; bank statement; or employer verification of address). Utility bills are not accepted.
Proof of payment of all taxes due — property taxes, and for renewals, all applicable room, occupancy, and sales taxes
Local responsible party information — name, phone number, address, and email of a responsible party within 25 miles
Notarized affidavit confirming all submitted information is accurate
Owner Authorization Form (notarized) — only if a third party will apply for or operate the permit on your behalf

Step 4: Safety requirements

Smoke alarms meeting UL 217 standards in all sleeping areas; in every room in the path of egress from the sleeping area to the door leading from the sleeping unit; and in each story within the sleeping unit, including basements
Carbon monoxide detectors where required
Fire extinguisher(s)
Compliance with all applicable state and local building and fire safety codes

Step 5: Application and inspection

Gather everything first. Applications are valid for only 90 calendar days from filing and expire if the process isn't completed in that window.
Contact the Short Term Rental Department at Metro Codes to begin — staff coordinate the application with you once your documents are ready.
Complete your inspection — licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector certification for single- and two-family dwellings; Fire Marshal inspection for multifamily.
Pay the $313 permit fee, due when your application is approved. Exact cash, check, or credit card (2.3% processing fee on cards); checks payable to "Metropolitan Government, Codes Department."
Receive your permit.

Do not operate or list before the permit is issued. Metro treats failure to register as operating without a permit: enforcement action, citations, and a mandatory one-year waiting period before you may apply.

Once permitted, every advertisement must prominently display the permit number, or include an image of the permit (or a link to one) with the number legible. Owner-occupied permits carry an extra restriction: you may not advertise availability of the entire/whole home, except for a legally permitted detached accessory dwelling unit, accessory apartment, or qualifying two-family unit. Airbnb and Vrbo also verify permit numbers at listing creation.

Step 6: Register for and remit taxes

Hotel occupancy tax: 7% of gross receipts, plus $2.50 per night
Sales tax: 9.25% total (7% state + 2.25% local)
Business tax: applies above the gross receipts threshold
Filing: occupancy tax returns due to Metro Collections by the 20th of each month

Airbnb and Vrbo automatically collect and remit Tennessee state and local sales and occupancy taxes for most bookings. You remain responsible for verification, business tax registration, and any direct bookings, which you file yourself.

Hotel occupancy tax is paid to the Metropolitan Collections Office (Finance, Division of Accounts) at 615-862-6215 — a separate office from Codes. The current 7% rate took effect July 1, 2023 under Ordinance BL2022-1529 (Metro Code 5.12.150).

Step 7: Operating rules

Local responsible party's name and phone posted conspicuously inside the unit, answering calls 24/7 during every rental period
Occupancy cap: twice the number of sleeping rooms plus four (with the four-room maximum, an effective ceiling of 12). The occupancy maximum must be posted conspicuously inside the unit, and advertising for more occupants than allowed is grounds for revocation
Principal renter must be at least 21
No simultaneous rentals to more than one party under separate contracts
Maximum stay 30 consecutive days; no compensation for occupancy under 24 hours
No food prepared for or served to guests by the permit holder
No RVs, buses, or trailers visible on the street or property in connection with the rental
Noise and waste ordinances apply — the permit holder is responsible for guest behavior

Step 8: Renewal and enforcement

Renewal

Permits expire 365 days after issuance unless renewed beforehand
Renewal requires: the renewal fee (currently $313), an affidavit that the application information is current and the property remains in full compliance including all taxes paid, proof of current property insurance, and proof of Hotel Occupancy Tax payment — unpaid occupancy tax blocks renewal
The grace period is conditional and complaint-dependent. A property with no documented complaints to Codes, police, or public works during the most recent permit period may be allowed a 30-day grace period after expiration, at the zoning administrator's discretion and only on a showing of reasonable explanation other than neglect or mistake. A property with documented complaints gets no grace period at all
Metro sends no reminders. Tracking expiration is entirely your responsibility
Permits are not transferable or assignable. Per MCO 6.28.030.A.5.k and B.5.k, a permit may not be transferred or assigned to another individual, person, entity, or address, and does not authorize anyone other than the person named on it to operate. On sale, the new owner must reapply under current rules

Enforcement

Complaint-driven through hubNashville and 311, and proactive — Codes scans Airbnb and Vrbo, including third-party monitoring for unpermitted listings
Over-occupancy advertising is actively policed, even when the listing only markets a higher headcount than allowed
Escalation runs from citation or abatement notice, through a short cure period, to escalating penalties, suspension, and revocation
Three violations of generally applicable Metro Code provisions arising directly from the STR's operation can result in revocation. Codes must give 15 days' written notice first, and denial or revocation may be appealed to the Short Term Rental Appeals Board under § 6.28.035.B. After revocation, no new permit issues for that property for one year
Operating without a permit: a $50 fine per day (each day a separate offense), plus a one-year eligibility wait after a zoning administrator determination — six months if the failure was not renewing an existing permit, and three years after a court finding
Enforcement history attaches to the property and is reviewed at renewal and on future applications

The requirement that stops out-of-state owners

Every step above is manageable remotely — except one.

Metro requires a local responsible party within 25 miles who answers calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during every guest stay, with their name and phone number posted inside the unit.

If you live out of state, you can't be that person. Historically that left two options: name a friend and hope the arrangement holds, or hand a property manager 15–30% of gross revenue for a full service when you only needed one line item solved.

HostDelegate is the third option. We serve as your named local contact of record — a named local agent within 25 miles listed on your permit, a dedicated property phone number answered 24/7 by our US-based team following your written instructions, a vetted local professional dispatched only when physical presence is genuinely required, and timestamped documentation of every call and dispatch.

We are not a property manager. No bookings, no guest messaging, no pricing, no cleaning coordination, no day-to-day operations. You keep self-managing everything. We solve the requirement you can't solve from out of state — for a flat annual fee, not a share of your revenue.

FAQ

Do I need a permit to rent my Nashville home short-term?

Yes. Any residential dwelling rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days in Davidson County requires an STRP permit before listing.

How much does a Nashville STR permit cost?

$313, due when your application is approved, with a 2.3% processing fee on card payments. Budget separately for the required safety certification or inspection and for property insurance.

How long does the permit process take?

Typically several weeks, depending on application completeness and current volume. Gathering every document in advance is the single biggest time saver.

Can an LLC hold a Nashville STR permit?

An LLC cannot hold an owner-occupied permit — those require a natural person. Non-owner-occupied permits are the path for entity-owned investment properties, subject to zoning restrictions.

Can I get a new non-owner-occupied permit in a residential neighborhood?

Generally no. New NOO permits are not issued in AR2A, R, RS, or RM zones. Check your zoning on the Parcel Viewer before purchasing a property intended for STR use.

What happens if I list before getting my permit?

You can be made ineligible to apply for one year.

Do permits transfer when I sell?

No. The new owner must reapply under the rules in effect at that time.

Get the complete checklist

→ Download the free Nashville STR Compliance Checklist — every requirement above in a single printable page, in the order you need to do them.

→ Join the Nashville waitlist. HostDelegate is launching in Nashville soon. Waitlist members get early-access pricing and first availability.

Governing law: Metropolitan Code of Laws § 6.28.030, amended through Ordinance BL2024-478 (2024). Verified against the codified text (Supp. No. 53). This article is general information based on Metro Nashville & Davidson County primary sources as of July 2026, and is not legal or tax advice. Requirements change and individual properties vary — confirm current rules with the Metro Codes Department at 615-862-6500 before acting.

Nashville Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements: A 2026 Owner's Guide