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/STAY · LOCAL RULES · NASHVILLE, TN

Nashville short-term rental rules

Every short-term rental in Metro Nashville needs a short-term rental property (STRP) permit, renewed every year. Which kind you can get depends on whether you live there and on the zoning.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

A yearly STRP permit, $313. Owner-occupied: the owner lives there and is a person, not an LLC or trust. Not owner-occupied: only in certain commercial and mixed-use zones; new ones aren't allowed in AR2A, R, RS or RM zones. Both: 4 sleeping rooms at most, $1 million insurance, notice to neighbors.

DOOR NOTICE

Two things posted inside where guests will see them: the most occupants and the local responsible party's name and phone. That person answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during every stay.

TAX

6% Metro hotel occupancy tax and $2.50 a night, due by the 20th to Metro Finance, plus Tennessee sales tax, 9.75% in Davidson County. Platforms collect the sales tax and local occupancy tax on their bookings; you pay on direct bookings.

Print the door notice

Metro Code asks for two lines posted inside: the most occupants and the responsible party. This prints both, big and clear. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on.

Type what you know. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on, so it works as a blank form too. What you type stays on this phone.

METRO NASHVILLE SHORT TERM RENTAL PROPERTY

Guest information

Posted as required by Metro Nashville Code sec. 6.28.030.

    Metro Nashville Code sec. 6.28.030 (A)(5)(f), (h) and (B)(5)(f), (h). Notice made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/nashville/

    Prints one letter page. Post it inside where guests will see it, near the front door or the kitchen.

    What the rules say

    Which permit you can get
    • Owner-occupied (sec. 6.28.030.A): allowed "as an accessory use in all zoning districts that allow residential use excluding NS districts." The owner must be a natural person and live there; four proofs of residence. One permit per lot in single- and two-family zones. Ads can't offer the entire home, except an ADU, accessory apartment or a two-family unit under common ownership.
    • Not owner-occupied (sec. 6.28.030.B): only in listed mixed-use, office, commercial and downtown zones. Metro: "New not owner-occupied permits are not permitted in AR2A, R, RS, or RM zoned properties." Existing ones there can renew but can't transfer. None within 100 feet of a religious institution, school, park or day care.
    • Both: 4 sleeping rooms at most; $1 million liability insurance; written notice to each neighbor next door before applying; a responsible party within 25 miles; home certified by a Tennessee-licensed architect, engineer or home inspector (fire marshal for multifamily).
    • Fee: $313 when approved and at each yearly renewal, with proof of insurance and hotel tax payment. Apply in Metro's ePermits.
    • No permit: $50 a day, and a wait of a year or more before you can get one.
    What has to be posted
    "The occupancy maximum shall be conspicuously posted within the STRP unit."Sec. 6.28.030 (A)(5)(f), (B)(5)(f)
    "The name and telephone number of the local responsible party shall be conspicuously posted within the STRP unit."Sec. 6.28.030 (A)(5)(h), (B)(5)(h)

    That's all the code asks to be posted inside. The permit itself goes in your ads, not on the wall. Outside signs follow the regular sign rules (chapter 17.32).

    Guests, ads and house rules from the code
    • Guests: no more than twice the sleeping rooms plus four (12 at most); one party at a time.
    • Ads show the permit number, or a legible image of the permit or a link to one. Advertising more guests than allowed can cost the permit.
    • Responsible party answers calls 24/7 for the whole stay.
    • Renter 21 or older; no stays under 24 hours or over 30 days; no RVs, buses or trailers visible; no food served by the host.
    • Smoke alarms (UL 217) in sleeping areas, exit paths and on every floor. Three violations can lead to revocation; a sale voids the permit.
    Taxes
    • Metro hotel occupancy tax: "six percent of the consideration charged" (sec. 5.12.020), plus $2.50 a night (sec. 5.12.120), due by the 20th of each month to Metro Finance Collections.
    • Tennessee sales tax: 7% state plus Davidson County's local rate, 2.75% since Feb 1 2025: 9.75%, on stays under 90 days, cleaning and booking fees included.
    • Platforms collect sales tax on their bookings and, since 2021, local occupancy tax too. On direct bookings you pay occupancy tax to Metro and sales tax to the state.
    • A county business license through the County Clerk once you gross $3,000 or more.

    House rules go in your listing

    For bookings made from Nov 20 2026, Airbnb wants every house rule in the listing itself; signs in the house can only repeat them. This notice only carries what Nashville requires, so it adds no new rules. Put quiet hours, parking and the rest in your listing first.

    Official sources, read Nov 11 2026

    Plain-words summary, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and the official page always wins. Checked Nov 11 2026.

    Help us get it right

    Host in Nashville? If a rule, fee or form here has changed, or we missed something, tell us. We check every note against the official source before we change a page, and we put the new checked date on it.

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