Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville's Short Term Rental Property permit, explained
The headline rule: in Metro Nashville, "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," according to the Metro Codes short-term rental page (nashville.gov). The permit comes before the listing, not after the first booking.
The same page sets the stay window from both ends: an 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," and "the maximum stay for any guest shall be thirty consecutive days." Metro cites this to Short Term Rental Code of Law §6.28.030.
Two permit types, and the zoning map decides which one you can get
Nashville splits short-term rentals into two categories, and the difference is not a formality. Metro Codes describes an Owner-Occupied STRP as an owner-occupied residence, or a unit on a lot with an owner-occupied residence, renting up to four sleeping rooms to a single party of individuals. The owner has to permanently reside at the property, has to be a natural person (LLCs, corporations, trusts and partnerships do not qualify for this type), and only one permit is issued per lot in single-family and two-family zones (nashville.gov permit types).
A Not Owner-Occupied STRP is a property with not more than four sleeping rooms used or advertised through an online marketplace for transient occupancy, again limited to a single party of individuals. This is the type most investors want, and it is the one Nashville has narrowed: per the same city page, not-owner-occupied permits are allowed only in a defined list of mixed-use, office, commercial and downtown districts (MUN, MUL, MUG, MUI, OG, OR20, OR40-A, ORI, CN, CL, CS, CA, CF, DTC, SCN, SCC and SCR), and new permits are not issued on AR2A, R, RS or RM zoned property. Permits that already exist in those residential districts may be renewed, but they are not transferable.
Practical consequence: on a residentially zoned Nashville lot, the only route is generally the owner-occupied permit, and buying a house specifically to run it unhosted is not a plan the zoning supports. Check the parcel's zoning district before anything else.
What the permit obliges you to do
| Requirement | What Metro Codes states |
|---|---|
| Occupancy cap | "The maximum number of occupants permitted on a property at any one time shall not exceed more than twice the number of permitted sleeping rooms plus four (maximum of 12)." |
| Local responsible party | Name and telephone number "shall be conspicuously posted within the Short Term Rental Property unit"; that person must answer calls "twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week." |
| Building and fire safety | The property must meet "all applicable requirements of the state and local building and fire safety codes." |
| Signs | Any signs must comply with Title 17, Chapter 32 of the Metro Code (MCO 17.32). |
| Noise and waste | Occupants "shall abide by all applicable noise restrictions contained in the Metropolitan Code and all applicable waste management provisions." The permit holder is responsible for guest behavior. |
| Taxes | The permit holder is responsible for collecting and remitting all applicable room, occupancy and sales taxes required by state law. |
| Transfer | "A permit shall not be transferred or assigned to another individual, person, entity, or address." |
| Term | "A permit shall expire three hundred sixty-five days after it is issued unless it is renewed prior to its expiration." |
Two of those deserve emphasis. The occupancy formula is arithmetic, not judgment: a two-bedroom permit tops out at eight people, a four-bedroom at twelve, and twelve is the ceiling regardless. And because the permit expires on a fixed 365-day clock rather than a calendar year, the renewal date is whatever day yours was issued.
Enforcement: three violations
Metro Codes states that a permit may be revoked upon "determination of three violations of any ordinance or law of general application, or if the Zoning Administrator determines that the permit application contained false or misleading information" (nashville.gov operation rules). Note what counts: violations of any ordinance or law of general application, so noise and waste citations feed the same counter as short-term rental rules. And because a false statement on the application is independently grounds for revocation, an affidavit signed loosely is a permanent liability, not a paperwork shortcut.
Complaints run through the city's own channel; Metro Codes maintains a short-term rental complaint process alongside the permit pages.
The application, document by document
Nashville's application is document-heavy, and the city publishes a checklist per permit type. For a not-owner-occupied permit, Metro Codes lists (nashville.gov checklist):
- Proof of payment of all taxes due, including property taxes and, at renewal, room and occupancy taxes.
- Chain of ownership documents where a trust or LLC holds title, linking the entity to the individual applicant.
- A floor plan of the entire dwelling showing all rooms, walls, doors, windows and smoke detectors on 8.5 by 11 inch paper, which for single-family and two-family properties "must be certified by a state licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector."
- "Proof of insurance evidencing homeowner's fire, hazard, and liability insurance. Liability coverage shall have limits of not less than one million dollars per occurrence."
- A notarized "Not Owner Occupied True and Accurate" affidavit.
- Notification of adjacent property owners, in person or by certified mail.
- A statement that operating an STRP does not violate any homeowners association agreement.
- Contact information for a responsible party who manages operations within a 25-mile radius.
- A fire marshal inspection for multifamily structures of three or more dwellings.
- The permit fee of $313.00, with a 2.3% processing fee on credit card payments.
The owner-occupied track differs mainly at the front: Metro Codes requires four separate documents proving the owner occupies the property, and the application page instructs applicants to email proof of residency to the short-term rental staff before completing the online form on ePermits (nashville.gov application steps). That page also warns applicants not to submit a second application once the first is in.
The floor plan and inspection certification is the step people underestimate
A certified floor plan showing every smoke detector is a condition-documentation requirement in everything but name, and it is the item most likely to send a first-time applicant back to the start. Because it must be certified by a licensed architect, engineer or home inspector, it takes a scheduled visit and a third-party signature, so build weeks into the timeline rather than days. Cities increasingly attach this kind of inspection condition to rental permits generally, not just short-term ones; RapidEye's compiled research on rental inspection ordinance requirements across US cities is a useful comparison of how differently jurisdictions assign that inspection duty (city inspector, licensed third party, or owner self-certification).
Quick reference
| Item | Nashville |
|---|---|
| Permit name | Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit |
| Issuing body | Metro Codes Department |
| Who must hold one | Anyone renting a property on short-term rental marketplaces, before listing |
| Types | Owner-Occupied STRP; Not Owner-Occupied STRP |
| Stay limits | Minimum 24 hours; maximum 30 consecutive days |
| Sleeping rooms | Not more than four |
| Occupancy | Twice the permitted sleeping rooms plus four, maximum 12 |
| Insurance | Liability limits not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence |
| Fee | $313.00 (2.3% surcharge on card payments) |
| Term | 365 days from issuance |
| Revocation trigger | Three violations of any ordinance or law of general application; or false or misleading application information |
Sources
- Metro Codes Department, Short Term Rental Property, nashville.gov (permit requirement, stay limits, ยง6.28.030).
- Metro Codes Department, Permit Types, nashville.gov (owner-occupied and not-owner-occupied definitions, zoning districts).
- Metro Codes Department, Operation Rules and Requirements, nashville.gov (occupancy, responsible party, revocation, permit term).
- Metro Codes Department, Apply for a Short Term Rental Property Permit, nashville.gov (application steps and required documents).
- Metro Codes Department, Not-Owner Occupied permit application checklist, nashville.gov (document list, insurance limit, $313 fee).
- RapidEye, Rental Inspection Ordinance Statistics (comparison of inspection duties across US rental inspection programs).
Related: Austin, Texas short-term rental licensing.
This guide is a reading of public regulations, not legal advice.