Zoning Districts for Not Owner-Occupied Permits
Obtaining a Short Term Rental Property permit is an online process, follow the instructions below and submit your permit application online for review. Do not list a property or unit online until you have received a permit, or you will be ineligible to apply for a permit for one year.
New! Short Term Rental Property Video Assistant will help explain the application process, show you who to send neighbor notifications to, answer general questions, and much more!
Use the appropriate checklist to help guide you through the Short Term Rental Property application process:
- Checklist for Owner Occupied Short Term Rental Property applications
- Owner Occupied Two Family Dwellings (HPR) Restrictive Covenant
- For new Short Term Rental Property permits and permits issued after 11-18-20, refer to Substitute Ordinance No. BL2019-79 for advertising requirements.
- Checklist for Not-Owner Occupied Short Term Rental Property applications
Notification of Process Change effective March 1, 2022
In an effort to streamline the process for obtaining a short term rental permit, and in order to continue protecting the health and safety of short term rental tenants, effective March 1, 2022, the Nashville Fire Marshal’s office will no longer conduct inspections on single and two-family homes. Instead, short term rental permit applications in these homes must include a certification from a state-licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector that the home complies with Metropolitan Code of Laws § 6.28.030.A.5.b and § 6.28.030.B.5.b. No permit will be issued without this certification. This certification requirement extends only to single and two-family homes. Multifamily structures will still require inspection by the Fire Marshal. The short term rental permit application process will remain otherwise unchanged.
- Verify an Architect of Engineer license: Architects and Engineers
- Verify a Home Inspector license: Department of Commerce and Insurance Administration License Roster Search
- Single and Two-Family Dwelling Inspection Guidelines
Proof of Tax Payments
Applicant must provide proof of payment of all taxes due, including property taxes and, for permit renewals, all applicable room, occupancy, and sales taxes required by state law or the Metropolitan Code. Property tax information is available online at the Metropolitan Trustee’s office.
Create a Floor Plan
Applicants shall provide a floor plan (official or hand drawn) of each floor of the dwelling including all rooms and location of windows, doors, and smoke detectors (example floor plans). Smoke detectors (UL217 certified) are required in all sleeping areas, in every room in the path of the means of egress from the sleeping area to the exit, and in each story within the sleeping unit, including basem*nts and garages. Reminder: there is a maximum of four sleeping rooms per Short Term Rental Property permit. Properties with more than four bedrooms cannot be permitted as a Short Term Rental Property. Effective March 1, 2022 for single and two family dwellings, the floor plan must be certified by a state licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector.
Proof of Liability Insurance
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. In some cases, the listing company, such as Airbnb, may offer the appropriate insurance to meet these requirements, provide your profile page as proof of coverage.
Notarized Affidavit
Applicant shall provide a notarized affidavit confirming that all of the information provided during the application process is true and accurate.
- Owner occupied applicants notarized affidavit form
- Non-owner occupied applicants notarized affidavit form
If the owner of a property wishes to use a property manager or rental company to apply for the permit on their behalf, they must fill out and sign this notarized affidavit authorizing the third party.
Proof of Notification to Adjacent Property Owners
All applicants are required to notify adjacent property owners prior to applying for a permit.
- Proof of Notification for Owner Occupied Short Term Rental Property permit applications
- Proof of Notification for Not-Owner Occupied Short Term Rental Property permit applications
Proof of written notification will be required to obtain a permit.
For each such adjacent property, proof of written notification shall be:
- a signature of an owner;
- a signed receipt of U.S. registered or certified mail addressed to an owner; or
- notice from the U.S. Postal Service that registered or certified mail to an owner was refused or not timely accepted.
- If the adjacent property is owned by the Metro Government, notification is not required.
Details and instructions on how to identify and notify adjacent property owners.
Homeowners Association Statement and Responsible Party Information
Homeowners Association and Contact Information Form
This form is in 2 sections, complete both:
- Applicant must provide a statement that they have confirmed that operating the proposed Short Term Rental Property would not violate any Home Owners Association agreement or bylaws, Condominium Agreement, Covenants, Codes and Restrictions or any other agreement governing and limiting the use of the proposed Short Term Rental Property.
- Provide Owner and responsible party information: To rent out a Short Term Rental Property, there must be a locally accessible responsible party who can be onsite in the event of an emergency or complaint. The responsible party must reside within a 25 mile radius of the subject property. Provide the name, phone number, address and email of the person that will be the responsible party for the short term rental operation.
Proof of Residence
For owner-occupied permits, the property owner must show two forms of proof of residence. Such document must include the address of the residence seeking a permit and may include a TN driver’s license, other state of TN ID card, Davidson County voter registration card, pay stub, work ID or badge, IRS W2 form, or bank statement. Utility bills will not be accepted as proof of residence.
Submitting Application Documents for Review
Once you have collected the aforementioned documents and information, you are ready to submit your documents for review. Email a single pdf to [emailprotected] with the aforementioned documents and your contact information. Your application will be placed in the queue and be reviewed in the order it is received.
Fire Marshal Inspection
Single and Two Family Dwellings
Applicants are not required to schedule a Fire Marshal inspection, instead, short term rental permit applications in these homes must include a certification from a state-licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector that the home complies with Metropolitan Code of Laws § 6.28.030.A.5.b and § 6.28.030.B.5.b. No permit will be issued without this certification.
Multifamily Dwellings
Once a permit application has been generated and emailed to applicant, they must schedule an inspection with the Nashville Fire Department Fire Marshal's Office by emailing [emailprotected] and including the temporary permit number, name, address, and phone number of the application.
Permit Fee
Once the inspection has been completed and approved, the applicant must pay a $313 permit fee prior to receiving the permit. Exact cash, check, or credit cards are accepted (a 2.3% processing fee will be applied to all credit card payments).
Post Permit on Listing
Once received, Short Term Rental Property operators are required to post a picture of their current permit to all listings online.
Remit All Required Taxes
The Short Term Rental Property operator is required to remit all sales and hotel taxes to the appropriate agency. Visit the Office of the Treasurer to learn more about tax payments.
Renew Permit
Permits are only valid for 365 days. Permits must be renewed annually to remain in compliance with the law.
Legislative History
Legislative History of Short Term Rental Property Permits
