Nashville short-term rental rules
Nashville allows a short-term rental only with a permit from Metro Codes. There are two kinds. An owner-occupied permit is for a person who owns the home and lives in it. A whole-home permit, called not owner-occupied, is for a rental where the owner lives elsewhere.
An owner-occupied permit is allowed in agricultural, residential, mixed-use, office-residential and downtown zoning, and in ON zoning. In industrial zoning it is allowed only as part of a multifamily use tied to manufacturing. In commercial zoning and OG zoning it is allowed only on a lot that passes the BL2024-187 test. It is not allowed in -NS districts, OL zoning or SCR zoning. A whole-home permit is allowed in mixed-use, office-residential, downtown and SCR zoning, and in commercial zoning only on a lot that passes the same test. Metro issues no new whole-home permit in residential zoning.
A Specific Plan, a planned unit development and each small city in the county set their own rule, and the zoning code does not decide them. On September 26, 2026, Metro listed 7,015 permits as issued: 2,009 owner-occupied and 5,006 whole-home.
Who can operate
- Owner-occupied permit: a person who owns the home and lives there as a main home. An LLC, corporation, trust or partnership is not eligible. Metro issues one per lot in single-family and two-family zoning.
- Whole-home permit: the name on the application must match the deed recorded with the Davidson County Clerk. An entity can hold one. Apartments can get one permit per unit.
- Within 100 ft of a school, park, place of worship or day care, a whole-home permit needs a Council exemption.
- A permit stays with its holder and does not pass to a buyer. An existing whole-home permit in residential zoning can renew, but it does not transfer when the property is sold.
- An HOA or a deed restriction can ban rentals on its own, whatever the zoning says.
Which zoning allows it
Metro's zoning code decides by district. The table runs each district through the same rule function the MapLedger map and its MCP tool use. Codes are shown without their lot-size number, so RS stands for RS3.75 to RS80.
| Zoning | Owner-occupied permit | Whole-home permit |
|---|---|---|
| MUN, MUL, MUG, MUI, OR, ORI, DTC | Allowed | Allowed |
| SCR | Not allowed | Allowed |
| OG, CN, CL, CS, CA, CF, SCN, SCC | Allowed if the lot passes the BL2024-187 test | Allowed if the lot passes the BL2024-187 test |
| AG, AR2A, RS, R, RM, MHP, ON, IWD, IR, IG | Allowed | Not allowed |
| OL, any code ending -NS | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| SP (Specific Plan) | Set by the plan's ordinance | Set by the plan's ordinance. Of the 389 we read: 301 ban every short-term rental, 9 ban whole-home rentals only, 3 ban them in part of the plan, 5 allow them and 3 more allow them in part or up to a set number. The other 68 do not mention them, and Metro Planning decides. |
| Planned unit development | Metro Planning decides | Metro Planning decides. Email planningstaff@nashville.gov before you buy. |
| Small cities in the county | The city decides | The city decides. Metro does not cover them. |
The BL2024-187 test, for commercial zoning: a lot qualifies where the home's use and occupancy predates 2005, or where the lot's longest street side does not face a local street and the lot is inside the Urban Services District. A lot that meets neither is not allowed. 2,588 of 5,058 commercial lots qualify, and Metro Codes decides 101 more because its records show no street along the lot.
One permit, if a person owns it and lives there as their main home. Industrial zoning allows homes only as part of a multifamily use tied to manufacturing.
The permit and where to apply
Anyone who rents a home on short-term rental websites needs a permit from Metro Codes before the listing goes up. The permit renews every year.
Apply online with Metro Codes. The application has three steps, in order: sensitive information, document preparation and the online application. Have your documents ready, because the form cannot be saved and resumed. Submit once.
Metro Codes: apply for a Short Term Rental Property permit
Check one address
Type a Nashville street address. The map looks up its zoning and shows the rental answer for that lot.
After you check an address, the lot panel offers the Lot File where it is on sale: a cited research file on that one lot, $29. Open the Nashville map.
Questions
Can I run an Airbnb in Nashville?
Yes, with a Metro permit, and only where the zoning allows your kind of rental. If you live in the home, an owner-occupied permit is allowed in agricultural, residential, mixed-use, office-residential and downtown zoning, in industrial zoning only as part of a multifamily use tied to manufacturing, and in commercial zoning on lots that pass the BL2024-187 test. If you live elsewhere, a whole-home permit is allowed only in mixed-use, office-residential, downtown and regional shopping center zoning, and in commercial zoning on lots that pass the BL2024-187 test. Specific Plans, planned unit developments and the county's small cities set their own rule.
Does Nashville still issue whole-home short-term rental permits?
Not in residential zoning. Metro no longer issues new whole-home permits there. Existing permits can renew but do not transfer to a buyer. New whole-home permits are issued in mixed-use, office-residential, downtown and regional shopping center zoning, and in commercial zoning on lots that pass the BL2024-187 test: 2,588 of 5,058 commercial lots pass.
Which Nashville zoning bans short-term rentals?
Every district with the -NS suffix and every OL district ban all short-term rentals, owner-occupied or not. Metro marks 203 districts -NS. SCR zoning bans owner-occupied rentals only. 301 of the 389 Specific Plan ordinances we read also ban all of them, and the city map does not label those.
Where do I apply for a Nashville short-term rental permit?
Apply online with Metro Codes. The application has three steps, in order: sensitive information, document preparation and the online application. Have your documents ready, because the form cannot be saved and resumed. The online process began March 11, 2026. https://www.nashville.gov/departments/codes/short-term-rentals/apply-short-term-rental-property-permit
Sources
- Metro Codes: apply for a Short Term Rental Property permit
https://www.nashville.gov/departments/codes/short-term-rentals/apply-short-term-rental-property-permit - Metro Codes: short-term rental permit types
https://www.nashville.gov/departments/codes/short-term-rentals/permit-types - Metro Codes: short-term rentals
https://www.nashville.gov/departments/codes/short-term-rentals - Metro Nashville zoning districts
https://services2.arcgis.com/HdTo6HJqh92wn4D8/arcgis/rest/services/Zoning_Vw/FeatureServer/0 - Metro short-term rental permits
https://services2.arcgis.com/HdTo6HJqh92wn4D8/arcgis/rest/services/Residential_Short_Term_Rental_Permits_view/FeatureServer/0 - Metro Council legislation (Legistar)
https://nashville.legistar.com/Legislation.aspx
Counts and rules as of September 26, 2026. The city pages above were read on October 8, 2026. MapLedger is not affiliated with or approved by the City. This page is not a zoning letter, and an HOA or a deed restriction can add limits the zoning does not. Who holds Nashville's permits.