Short-Term Rentals Decisions in Nashville-Davidson County
How short-term rentals requests are decided across Nashville-Davidson County, TN council meetings, the vote and the conditions on the record
Short-Term Rentals is one of the most actively tracked zoning topics in Nashville-Davidson County, TN. ZoneWire has analyzed 12 council meetings and detected 20 instances of short-term rentals activity. Below are the most recent discussions.
What is Short-Term Rental (STR)?
A dwelling rented for stays shorter than 30 days (Airbnb, Vrbo). Regulated through zoning permits, caps, and owner-occupancy rules that change frequently.
A short-term rental (STR) is a residential property rented out for brief stays - typically under 30 consecutive days - through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Unlike long-term rentals, STRs are treated by many zoning codes as a distinct land use, closer to lodging than to housing, which is why they attract dedicated ordinances.
Read full definitionShort-Term Rentals in Nashville-Davidson County, TN
A dwelling rented for stays shorter than 30 days (Airbnb, Vrbo). Regulated through zoning permits, caps, and owner-occupancy rules that change frequently. In Nashville-Davidson County, TN, local government bodies regularly discuss short-term rentals as part of zoning and land use decisions.
ZoneWire has analyzed 12 meetings in Nashville-Davidson County and detected 20 mentions of short-term rentals, an average of 1.7 mentions per meeting.
No material zoning changes in Nashville-Davidson County in the last 30 days. We monitor every Nashville-Davidson County, TN meeting and surface new opportunities here as they happen.
The rules, as adopted
Verified 2026-07-21 from official sourcesNashville requires every short-term rental to hold an annual $313 Metro Codes permit (owner-occupied or not-owner-occupied, maximum four sleeping rooms) before listing. New not-owner-occupied permits are issued only in mixed-use, office, commercial, and downtown districts — they are banned in R, RS, RM, and AR2A residential zones, where existing permits survive until the property is sold. Unpermitted operation draws $50-per-day fines and a one- to three-year permit ineligibility period.
Do I need a permit to run a short-term rental in Nashville?
Yes. A Metro Codes Department STRP permit is required before listing or advertising any short-term rental. Two permit types exist — Owner-Occupied and Not Owner-Occupied — both limited to residential dwelling units with no more than four sleeping rooms.
Metro Code § 6.28.030.A.2 / § 6.28.030.B.2
Where are non-owner-occupied STRs allowed?
Only in mixed-use (MUN/MUL/MUG/MUI), office (OG, OR20–OR40, ORI), commercial (CN/CL/CS/CA/CF), downtown (DTC), and shopping-center (SCN/SCC/SCR) districts, with conditions. New not-owner-occupied permits are not issued in AR2A, R, RS, or RM residential zones; existing permits there may be renewed but do not transfer when the property is sold.
Metro Code § 17.16.070.U / § 6.28.030.B.1
Are there permit caps or density limits?
The ordinance limits permits to one per lot in single-family and two-family zoning districts. No census-tract or percentage cap appears in the current ordinance or on Metro’s STR pages.
Metro Code § 6.28.030.A.2.d
What does the permit cost and how is it renewed?
The permit fee is $313, due when the application is approved. Permits last 365 days and must be renewed annually with another $313 fee, proof of current property insurance, and proof of Hotel Occupancy Tax payment.
Metro Code § 6.28.030.A.5.i / § 6.28.030.B.5.i
How many guests are allowed?
Maximum occupancy at any one time is twice the number of sleeping rooms plus four, posted in the unit; one rental party at a time, principal renter 21 or older, minimum stay 24 hours, maximum 30 consecutive days. Advertising higher occupancy is grounds for permit revocation.
Metro Code § 6.28.030.A.5.f–g / § 6.28.030.B.5.f–g
What taxes apply?
Permit holders must remit hotel occupancy tax under Metro Code Chapter 5.12 (local rate raised to 7% effective July 1, 2023, plus $2.50 per room-night), along with state sales tax and business tax. Returns are due to the Metro Collections Office by the 20th of each month.
Metro Code Ch. 5.12; § 6.28.030.A.5.j
What happens if I operate without a permit?
A $50 fine per day (each day is a separate offense), plus a one-year wait before permit eligibility on a zoning-administrator determination (six months for a lapsed renewal) and a three-year wait on a court finding. Permits can be revoked after three code violations, with a one-year bar on reissuance.
Metro Code § 6.28.030.A.5.l / § 6.28.030.B.5.l
Not specified in the sources we verified
- A fixed sunset date for grandfathered not-owner-occupied permits in residential zones (they end on sale or transfer; no calendar deadline is stated)
- The exact current STR occupancy-tax rate on a single official page (the Chapter 5.12 return form shows 6% + $2.50/room-night while a Metro Finance notice raised the local rate to 7% effective July 2023)
Confirm these directly with Nashville-Davidson County planning before relying on them.
Rules change at public hearings first — ZoneWire tracks every council discussion of this topic below.
Summary of adopted regulations; not legal advice. Verify current rules with the planning department.
Recent Short-Term Rentals meetings in Nashville-Davidson County
Board of Zoning Appeals - 2026-05-21
CompletedMetropolitan Council - 2026-05-19
CompletedBoard of Zoning Appeals - 2026-04-16
CompletedPlanning Commission - 2026-03-26
CompletedWhy Track Short-Term Rentals?
STR rules vary more between neighboring jurisdictions than almost any other land-use topic. The common regulatory levers:
Short-Term Rentals Regulations in Tennessee
Tennessee sets the regulatory framework that governs how short-term rentals decisions are made at the county and municipal level. State statutes define zoning authority, hearing requirements, and appeal processes that directly affect short-term rentals outcomes in Nashville-Davidson County.
View all Tennessee zoning activityEvery Short-Term Rentals decision in Nashville-Davidson County
See how every short-term rentals request in Nashville-Davidson County was decided: the vote, the conditions attached, and how it moved through its hearings.
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Other Keywords in Nashville-Davidson County
Short-Term Rentals in Other Counties
Frequently Asked Questions
A short-term rental (STR) is a residential property rented out for brief stays - typically under 30 consecutive days - through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Unlike long-term rentals, STRs are treated by many zoning codes as a distinct land use, closer to lodging than to housing, which is why they attract dedicated ordinances. ZoneWire tracks short-term rentals activity across Nashville-Davidson County, TN public meetings.
ZoneWire monitors Nashville-Davidson County, TN planning and council meetings, transcribes them, and flags short-term rentals activity. As of the latest update we have analyzed 12 meetings and detected 20 short-term rentals mentions.
Tracking short-term rentals in Nashville-Davidson County surfaces zoning and development signals early, so developers, investors, and brokers can evaluate parcels and approvals before they reach the broader market.
The Metropolitan Council, Nashville Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals are monitored by ZoneWire for SP (Specific Plan) rezoning, variances, overlay district amendments, and urban design overlay changes.
Nashville-Davidson County has approximately 8 zoning-related meetings per month across the Metropolitan Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals.
Nashville uses SP (Specific Plan) designations rather than generic zoning categories. Every SP filing means a developer has a custom design ready for approval. SP rezonings are the primary signal for new development in Nashville.
The busiest development areas in Nashville-Davidson County are the Gulch, SoBro, and WeHo (Wedgewood-Houston) for urban mixed-use towers, East Nashville and Germantown for infill projects, and Antioch for suburban multifamily. These neighborhoods generate frequent SP rezoning filings.
Important zoning terms for Nashville include SP (Specific Plan), UDO (Urban Design Overlay), variance, historic overlay, conservation overlay, PUD, and community plan amendment. ZoneWire tracks all of these automatically across every Nashville-Davidson County governing body.
Yes. ZoneWire Free sends New Meeting Alerts for Nashville-Davidson County at no cost, with the agenda for each meeting. ZoneWire Pro adds full transcripts, zoning and development analysis, and keyword alerts for $129 per market per month.
Know how short-term rentals requests get decided in Nashville-Davidson County, TN
Get the vote, the conditions, and how each short-term rentals request was decided, the day it lands.
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What gets approved in Nashville-Davidson County
In Nashville-Davidson County, 77% of land-use board decisions were approved over the last 24 months. Land use / comp-plan amendment clear 83%, Multifamily / attached housing 80%. ZoneWire analyzed 327 land-use board decisions in Nashville-Davidson County over the last 24 months. Here are the most active project types and how often each one clears.
| Project type | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Land use / comp-plan amendment | 96 | 83% |
| Multifamily / attached housing | 44 | 80% |
| Variance | 37 | 70% |
| Mixed-use | 37 | 68% |
| Commercial / office / retail | 27 | 67% |
| Special exception / conditional use | 21 | 67% |
| Subdivision / plat | 21 | 71% |
| Single-family homes | 17 | 88% |
| Data center | 15 | 87% |
29 decisions that went against the odds
These are the denials and deferrals in categories that usually sail through, the deals worth understanding before you commit capital.
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