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Tennessee · Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro

city Allowed with registration Needs review · last verified 2026-07-15

At the CITY level, Murfreesboro currently has NO short-term-rental-specific ordinance: the city does not issue an STR permit and does not separately license, register, cap, or zone STRs as such. STRs are therefore allowed as a lawful lodging/residential use. To operate legally, however, an owner must (1) obtain an initial business license from BOTH the City of Murfreesboro ($15.00) AND the Rutherford County Clerk ($15.00), and (2) register to collect and remit the City's 5% hotel/motel occupancy tax on stays under 30 days (due monthly by the 20th of the following month), plus Tennessee sales tax (7% state general rate + 2.75% Rutherford County local option = 9.75% combined) and the state business tax on gross receipts (filed yearly). Rutherford County's official rental-tax page states these taxes cover "AIRBNB, VRBO, privately owned and operated." At the STATE level, the Tennessee Short-Term Rental Unit Act of 2018 (T.C.A. Title 13, Ch. 7, Part 6; §§ 13-7-601 to 13-7-606) grandfathers ("legacy") STRs operating before any prohibiting local ordinance (§13-7-603(a)) and lets a local government prohibit a specific STR only after 3 or more violations of generally applicable local laws with no appeal rights remaining (§13-7-604(a)). CAVEAT 1 (NEWER, material): the Murfreesboro City Council is actively considering STR regulations — the city's legal department presented regulatory options at a May 8 council meeting (per WKRN reporting) — so the current no-ordinance status could change; monitor. CAVEAT 2 (UNVERIFIED): many third-party guides claim hosts must register each unit annually with the Rutherford County property assessor; this could NOT be confirmed on any official City or County primary source and is not in the STR Unit Act text — treat as unverified. CAVEAT 3: the Murfreesboro Municode could not be fetched directly (HTTP 403), so the absence of a city STR/zoning provision is inferred from official city/county pages and third-party summaries rather than a positive quote from the code text.

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

Requirements checklist

  • city Municipal business license (City of Murfreesboro) Required
    Fee: $15 / initial · Renewal: Business tax filed/renewed annually with the State of Tennessee on gross receipts · Applies to: Any person operating a short-term rental / business within the city (Airbnb, VRBO, privately owned and operated) · official page ↗
  • county Rutherford County business license (County Clerk) Required
    Fee: $15 / initial · Renewal: Annual (business tax on gross receipts filed with the State of Tennessee) · Applies to: STR operators located in Rutherford County · official page ↗
  • city City hotel/motel occupancy tax account (Murfreesboro City Treasurer) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Ongoing; return due by the 20th of the following month (next business day if the 20th is a weekend/holiday) · Applies to: Rentals of lodging for periods under 30 days (includes STRs) · official page ↗
  • state Tennessee sales & use tax registration (state + local option) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Ongoing; sales tax paid quarterly per the county rental-tax page · Applies to: STR gross receipts; marketplace facilitators (Airbnb/VRBO) generally collect and remit Tennessee state+local sales tax on facilitated bookings · official page ↗
  • state Tennessee business tax on gross receipts Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Annual · Applies to: STR operators exceeding the state gross-receipts filing threshold · official page ↗
  • county Annual STR registration with Rutherford County Property Assessor (CLAIMED, unverified) Unknown
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Claimed by third-party guides to apply to all STR hosts · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
City Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax 5% City of Murfreesboro (City Treasurer) — —
Tennessee State Sales Tax (general rate) 7% Tennessee Department of Revenue — —
Rutherford County Local Option Sales Tax 2.75% Tennessee Department of Revenue (levied by county; state-collected) — —
Tennessee Business Tax — Tennessee Department of Revenue (initial license via County Clerk / City) — —

Lodging-tax estimator

Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~14.8%) on a stay in Murfreesboro. Estimate only — not tax advice.

Operating rules

Primary residence
No
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
—
Zoning-restricted
—
Cap on licenses
No

Grandfathering: yes

Zoning: No STR-specific zoning provision was found in official city/county primary sources, and the city does not require an STR zoning permit; however, the Murfreesboro Municode could not be fetched directly (HTTP 403) to positively confirm the absence of STR zoning rules, so this is an inference. Standard residential zoning use rules still apply to the underlying dwelling. NOTE: the City Council is currently studying possible STR zoning/regulation (May 8, 2026 council presentation per WKRN); no ordinance adopted yet.

  • State grandfathering (T.C.A. § 13-7-603(a)): any local ordinance/rule that prohibits or regulates STR use 'does not apply to property that was being used as a short-term rental unit prior to the enactment' of that ordinance; legacy status is governed by the law in effect when STR use began and ends on sale/transfer, 30 continuous months of non-use, or 3+ violations of generally applicable local law.
  • State prohibition trigger (T.C.A. § 13-7-604(a)): a local government may prohibit a specific STR's continued use only if, as a direct result of its operation, it 'has been in violation of a generally applicable local law three (3) or more separate times, and the provider has no appeal rights remaining'; burden of proof is on the local government.
  • No maximum-nights, minimum-stay, occupancy-cap, primary-residence, or license-cap rule was found at the city level; the 30-day threshold is only the dividing line for whether the occupancy/lodging tax applies (rentals under 30 days are taxed).
  • ACTIVE POLICY WATCH (newer): Murfreesboro City Council is discussing possible STR regulations; the city legal department presented regulatory options at a May 8 council meeting (WKRN). Nothing adopted as of this record's date (2026-07-16).
  • UNVERIFIED: third-party guides claim STR owners must register each unit annually with the Rutherford County property assessor; this is not on the county's official rental-tax page nor in the STR Unit Act text reviewed, so it is not asserted here.

Enforcement

Active enforcement
unknown
Fines
—
Notes
No STR-specific enforcement regime exists at the city level because there is no STR ordinance. General code-enforcement and tax-delinquency mechanisms apply. Under T.C.A. § 13-7-604(a), any future local prohibition of a specific STR requires 3+ documented violations of generally applicable local law with no appeal rights remaining. Enforcement specifics are unverified — no penalty schedule or complaint portal was found on official primary sources.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Murfreesboro?
At the CITY level, Murfreesboro currently has NO short-term-rental-specific ordinance: the city does not issue an STR permit and does not separately license, register, cap, or zone STRs as such. STRs are therefore allowed as a lawful lodging/residential use. To operate legally, however, an owner must (1) obtain an initial business license from BOTH the City of Murfreesboro ($15.00) AND the Rutherford County Clerk ($15.00), and (2) register to collect and remit the City's 5% hotel/motel occupancy tax on stays under 30 days (due monthly by the 20th of the following month), plus Tennessee sales tax (7% state general rate + 2.75% Rutherford County local option = 9.75% combined) and the state business tax on gross receipts (filed yearly). Rutherford County's official rental-tax page states these taxes cover "AIRBNB, VRBO, privately owned and operated." At the STATE level, the Tennessee Short-Term Rental Unit Act of 2018 (T.C.A. Title 13, Ch. 7, Part 6; §§ 13-7-601 to 13-7-606) grandfathers ("legacy") STRs operating before any prohibiting local ordinance (§13-7-603(a)) and lets a local government prohibit a specific STR only after 3 or more violations of generally applicable local laws with no appeal rights remaining (§13-7-604(a)). CAVEAT 1 (NEWER, material): the Murfreesboro City Council is actively considering STR regulations — the city's legal department presented regulatory options at a May 8 council meeting (per WKRN reporting) — so the current no-ordinance status could change; monitor. CAVEAT 2 (UNVERIFIED): many third-party guides claim hosts must register each unit annually with the Rutherford County property assessor; this could NOT be confirmed on any official City or County primary source and is not in the STR Unit Act text — treat as unverified. CAVEAT 3: the Murfreesboro Municode could not be fetched directly (HTTP 403), so the absence of a city STR/zoning provision is inferred from official city/county pages and third-party summaries rather than a positive quote from the code text.
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Murfreesboro?
Yes — Murfreesboro requires: Municipal business license (City of Murfreesboro); Rutherford County business license (County Clerk); City hotel/motel occupancy tax account (Murfreesboro City Treasurer). See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Murfreesboro?
City Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax (5%), Tennessee State Sales Tax (general rate) (7%), Rutherford County Local Option Sales Tax (2.75%), Tennessee Business Tax — roughly 14.8% combined. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

In Tennessee · Rutherford County

Compare with Nashville · Gatlinburg · Pigeon Forge · Memphis

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