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Tennessee · Davidson County

Davidson County

county Allowed with registration Verified · last verified 2026-07-15

Davidson County is coterminous with the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, so STR regulation is set at the Metro (county) level. Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permits are governed by Metropolitan Code Sec. 6.28.030 (Title 6, Hotels and Roominghouses) with zoning controlled under Title 17. Anyone wishing to rent a property on STR platforms must receive a permit from the Metro Codes Department prior to listing. Permits are issued as either owner-occupied or not-owner-occupied. The permit fee is $313.00, due when the application is approved, valid for 12 months, and renewable annually. Verified operating limits: maximum stay of 30 consecutive days; no compensation for stays under 24 hours; up to four sleeping rooms per permit, rented to a single party of individuals. Owner-occupied permits require the owner to permanently reside at the property and be a natural person or persons (LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other entities are ineligible). New not-owner-occupied permits are issued only as a use permitted with conditions (PC) in enumerated mixed-use, office, commercial, and downtown zoning districts (MUN/MUL/MUG/MUI and -A variants, OG, OR20-OR40-A, ORI/-A, CN/CL/CS/-A, CA, CF, DTC, SCN/SCC/SCR) and are NOT permitted in AR2A, R, RS, or RM (residential) zones; existing not-owner-occupied permits in residential zones may renew but are non-transferable (grandfathered). $1,000,000-per-occurrence liability insurance and written notification of adjacent property owners are required. Taxes: local hotel occupancy tax is 7% plus a $2.50/night flat fee (the 1% increase to 7% was authorized by Metro Ordinance BL2022-1529, adopted Dec 20, 2022, effective July 1, 2023; the $2.50 nightly fee is unchanged). Tennessee state sales tax of 7% plus the Davidson County local-option sales tax (approximately 2.25%; TN DOR quotes a statewide local range of 1.50%-2.75%) also apply to rentals under 90 days, and STR marketplaces (e.g., Airbnb/Vrbo) collect and remit occupancy and sales tax to the state when the unit is booked through them. Enforcement: operating without a permit results in enforcement action including citations and a mandatory one-year waiting period before applying for a permit; permits are non-transferable.

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

  • county Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit Required
    Fee: $313 / annual · Renewal: Annual; valid for 12 months from approval, renewable on an annual basis. Renewal requires the $313.00 fee, proof of current property insurance, and proof of Hotel Occupancy Tax payment. · Applies to: All operators renting a residential unit for transient occupancy (max 30 consecutive days) through STR platforms in Metro Nashville-Davidson County; issued as owner-occupied or not-owner-occupied · official page ↗
  • county Permit required prior to listing/advertising Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Anyone wishing to rent a property on STR websites · official page ↗
  • county Owner-occupancy / natural-person requirement (owner-occupied permit) Conditional
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Owner-occupied STRP permits (the permit type available for STRs in single-family/two-family residential zones) · official page ↗
  • county Liability insurance Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Proof of current property insurance required at renewal · Applies to: All STRP permit applicants/holders · official page ↗
  • county Written notification of adjacent property owners Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: STRP permit applicants · official page ↗
  • county Local responsible party posted and available 24/7 Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All STRP permit holders · official page ↗
  • county Hotel occupancy tax collection and remittance (Metro Finance Collections) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: STRP permit holders / operators · official page ↗
  • state Tennessee sales and use tax collection (Dept. of Revenue) Conditional
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: STR unit owners renting for less than 90 days, unless the booking marketplace facilitator or property management company collects and remits on their behalf · official page ↗
  • state Tennessee business tax (vacation lodging) Conditional
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Individual property owners renting vacation lodging with annual taxable gross sales of $100,000 or more in a jurisdiction · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
Metro Nashville-Davidson County Hotel Occupancy Tax (percentage) — — — —
Metro Nashville-Davidson County Hotel Occupancy Tax (per-night flat fee) — — — —
Tennessee state sales tax — — — —
Davidson County local-option sales tax — — — —
Marketplace collection note — — — —

Operating rules

Primary residence
conditional
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
Up to four sleeping rooms per STRP permit; the unit may be rented to a single party of individuals
Zoning-restricted
Yes
Cap on licenses
Only one owner-occupied permit per lot in single-family and two-family zoning districts. No county-wide numeric cap on total permits identified in primary sources.

Grandfathering: yes

Zoning: Owner-occupied STRPs are allowed in residential (single-family and two-family) zoning districts, with only one permit per lot. New not-owner-occupied permits are issued only as a use permitted with conditions (PC) in enumerated mixed-use, office, commercial, and downtown districts (MUN, MUN-A, MUL, MUL-A, MUG, MUG-A, MUI, MUI-A, OG, OR20-OR40-A, ORI, ORI-A, CN, CN-A, CL, CL-A, CS, CS-A, CA, CF, DTC North/South/West/Central, SCN, SCC, SCR) and are NOT permitted in AR2A, R, RS, or RM zoned properties.

  • Owner-occupied permits require the owner to permanently reside at the property and be a natural person or persons; LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other entities are ineligible.
  • Maximum stay for any guest is 30 consecutive days.
  • The owner shall not receive compensation for a rental period of less than 24 hours.
  • Permits are non-transferable: the permit shall not be transferred or assigned to another individual, person, entity, or address.
  • The 'one permit per lot' cap for owner-occupied permits is confirmed via secondary/summary sources; municode primary text was not directly fetchable (HTTP 403).

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Davidson County?
Davidson County is coterminous with the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, so STR regulation is set at the Metro (county) level. Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permits are governed by Metropolitan Code Sec. 6.28.030 (Title 6, Hotels and Roominghouses) with zoning controlled under Title 17. Anyone wishing to rent a property on STR platforms must receive a permit from the Metro Codes Department prior to listing. Permits are issued as either owner-occupied or not-owner-occupied. The permit fee is $313.00, due when the application is approved, valid for 12 months, and renewable annually. Verified operating limits: maximum stay of 30 consecutive days; no compensation for stays under 24 hours; up to four sleeping rooms per permit, rented to a single party of individuals. Owner-occupied permits require the owner to permanently reside at the property and be a natural person or persons (LLCs, corporations, trusts, partnerships, joint ventures and other entities are ineligible). New not-owner-occupied permits are issued only as a use permitted with conditions (PC) in enumerated mixed-use, office, commercial, and downtown zoning districts (MUN/MUL/MUG/MUI and -A variants, OG, OR20-OR40-A, ORI/-A, CN/CL/CS/-A, CA, CF, DTC, SCN/SCC/SCR) and are NOT permitted in AR2A, R, RS, or RM (residential) zones; existing not-owner-occupied permits in residential zones may renew but are non-transferable (grandfathered). $1,000,000-per-occurrence liability insurance and written notification of adjacent property owners are required. Taxes: local hotel occupancy tax is 7% plus a $2.50/night flat fee (the 1% increase to 7% was authorized by Metro Ordinance BL2022-1529, adopted Dec 20, 2022, effective July 1, 2023; the $2.50 nightly fee is unchanged). Tennessee state sales tax of 7% plus the Davidson County local-option sales tax (approximately 2.25%; TN DOR quotes a statewide local range of 1.50%-2.75%) also apply to rentals under 90 days, and STR marketplaces (e.g., Airbnb/Vrbo) collect and remit occupancy and sales tax to the state when the unit is booked through them. Enforcement: operating without a permit results in enforcement action including citations and a mandatory one-year waiting period before applying for a permit; permits are non-transferable.
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Davidson County?
Yes — Davidson County requires: Short Term Rental Property (STRP) permit; Permit required prior to listing/advertising; Owner-occupancy / natural-person requirement (owner-occupied permit). See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Davidson County?
Metro Nashville-Davidson County Hotel Occupancy Tax (percentage), Metro Nashville-Davidson County Hotel Occupancy Tax (per-night flat fee), Tennessee state sales tax, Davidson County local-option sales tax, Marketplace collection note. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

In Tennessee

Cities in this county Nashville

Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.