How many active short-term rental permits does Nashville have, and how is that number changing? This page answers that with a live, weekly count of Nashville short-term rental (Airbnb) permits from Metro Nashville open data, split into non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) and owner-occupied (OOSTR) classes. Below are the current totals, the trailing-12-month issuance pace, new-versus-expired supply, the multi-year issuance history, and the full permit lifecycle. Metro Nashville does not publish a running count, so this tracker compiles one from the raw permit dataset each week.
Nashville Short-Term Rental Permit Tracker
Active Metro Nashville permits · updated weeklyAs of 07-03-2026, Metro Nashville has 6,939 active short-term rental permits: 4,897 non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) and 2,042 owner-occupied (OOSTR). NOOSTR permits, the class Nashville Airbnb investors rely on, are 71% of all active permits.
Active permits by class
| Permit class | Active permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) | 4,897 | 71% |
| Owner-occupied (OOSTR) | 2,042 | 29% |
| Total active | 6,939 | 100% |
NOOSTR momentum (trailing 12 months)
New NOOSTR permits issued per month (last 24 months)
Recent issuance pace, month by month.
NOOSTR permit supply: new vs. expired per year
New permits issued (navy) vs. permits that lapsed (gold, status EXPIRED) each year. When issuance outpaces expirations the active pool grows; when expirations lead it shrinks. Nashville STR permits renew annually, so both lines include renewal churn; 2026 is a partial year.
| Year | New | Expired | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 801 | 0 | +801 |
| 2016 | 825 | 72 | +753 |
| 2017 | 993 | 432 | +561 |
| 2018 | 1,214 | 611 | +603 |
| 2019 | 1,189 | 494 | +695 |
| 2020 | 614 | 838 | -224 |
| 2021 | 990 | 624 | +366 |
| 2022 | 1,530 | 344 | +1,186 |
| 2023 | 601 | 267 | +334 |
| 2024 | 763 | 194 | +569 |
| 2025 | 526 | 382 | +144 |
| 2026 | 224 | 314 | -90 |
Permit lifecycle (all time)
Of 11,157 NOOSTR permits Metro Nashville has ever issued, 4,897 remain active today.
| Permit class | Ever issued | Active | Expired | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOOSTR | 11,157 | 4,897 | 4,572 | 1,688 |
| OOSTR | 6,242 | 2,042 | 3,347 | 853 |
New NOOSTR permits issued per year
New non-owner-occupied permits issued each year. The dashed marker is the 2018 phase-out (BL2017-608) that restricted new NOOSTR permits to specific zoning districts.
New OOSTR permits issued per year
| Year issued | NOOSTR | OOSTR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 801 | 373 | 1,174 |
| 2016 | 825 | 494 | 1,319 |
| 2017 | 993 | 684 | 1,677 |
| 2018 | 1,214 | 967 | 2,181 |
| 2019 | 1,189 | 800 | 1,989 |
| 2020 | 614 | 288 | 902 |
| 2021 | 990 | 317 | 1,307 |
| 2022 | 1,530 | 560 | 2,090 |
| 2023 | 601 | 452 | 1,053 |
| 2024 | 763 | 360 | 1,123 |
| 2025 | 526 | 226 | 752 |
| 2026 | 224 | 94 | 318 |
Active permits over time (weekly)
Weekly tracking began 07-03-2026. A NOOSTR-vs-OOSTR trend line builds here as new weekly datapoints are recorded; the table below grows with each update.
| Week of | Total active | NOOSTR | OOSTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07-03-2026 | 6,939 | 4,897 | 2,042 |
Counts from Metro Nashville’s public short-term rental permit dataset. Active = permits in ISSUED status. NOOSTR (non-owner-occupied) = subtypes CAZ10A002/CAZ10A003; OOSTR (owner-occupied) = CAZ10A001. Updated weekly. For the zoning rules and eligibility behind these permits, see the Nashville STR zoning & permits guide. Compiled by Grant Hammond.
Nashville Short-Term Rental Permit FAQ
Common questions, answered from live Metro dataHow many short-term rental permits does Nashville have?
As of 07-03-2026, Metro Nashville has 6,939 active short-term rental (Airbnb) permits: 4,897 non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) and 2,042 owner-occupied (OOSTR). The count is updated weekly from Metro Nashville open data.
How many Nashville Airbnb permits are non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR)?
There are 4,897 active NOOSTR permits in Nashville as of 07-03-2026, about 71% of all active short-term rental permits. NOOSTR is the class investors use for properties they do not live in.
What is the difference between NOOSTR and OOSTR permits in Nashville?
A non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) permit allows full-time short-term rental of a property the owner does not live in and is limited to specific zoning districts. An owner-occupied (OOSTR) permit is for renting the owner's primary residence. Most Nashville Airbnb investors need a NOOSTR permit.
How many NOOSTR permits has Nashville ever issued?
Metro Nashville has issued 11,157 non-owner-occupied short-term rental permits over time; 4,897 remain active as of 07-03-2026. The rest have expired, been cancelled, or been revoked.
Is Airbnb legal in Nashville?
Yes. Short-term rentals are legal in Nashville when the property sits in an eligible zoning district and the operator holds an active OOSTR or NOOSTR permit from Metro Codes. Operating without a valid permit is not legal.
Can I still get a new non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) permit in Nashville?
Only in specific zoning districts. Since the 2018 phase-out, new NOOSTR permits are issued as a use permitted with conditions in a defined set of commercial-adjacent and downtown-core districts, not in standard residential zones. Eligibility is parcel-specific, so verify the zoning before you buy.
How often is the Nashville short-term rental permit count updated?
Weekly. The tracker pulls the latest counts from Metro Nashville's public short-term rental permit dataset every week.
What the permit data shows
Nashville’s non-owner-occupied (NOOSTR) permit pool is shaped more by regulation than by demand. New NOOSTR issuance climbed through the mid-2010s and peaked in 2018, the same year BL2017-608 phased out new non-owner-occupied permits in most residential zoning districts. Since then, new NOOSTR permits have been issued mainly in commercial-mixed and Specific Plan districts approved for short-term rental use, which is why much of today’s permitted inventory sits in the downtown core, Germantown, and the East Nashville corridor.
Because Metro short-term rental permits are annual, the active count is a moving target: in some years expirations outpace new issuance and the pool of permitted properties actually contracts. For investors, that scarcity is the point, since a grandfathered or SP-approved NOOSTR permit is a finite asset. Use the current totals and the issuance pace above to gauge how competitive the permitted short-term rental market is before you buy, then confirm parcel-level eligibility with the Nashville STR zoning and permits guide.
This tracker is compiled and maintained by Grant Hammond, who has closed more than 550 non-owner-occupied Airbnb transactions across Davidson County, more Nashville short-term rental sales than any agent in the city’s history. No other Nashville brokerage tracks the permit data at this level of detail or refreshes it this often. Grant reads these numbers the way he underwrites his own short-term rental purchases, so the trends above reflect the market he works in every day.
These counts cover Davidson County (Metro Nashville) only. For the zoning rules, eligibility, and application process behind the numbers, see the Nashville STR zoning & permits guide. Considering a short-term rental investment? Talk with Grant Hammond.
Related Nashville Airbnb investor resources
- Nashville Airbnb investment properties for sale, the master guide to active NOOSTR-eligible inventory across the urban core.
- Nashville STR zoning & permits guide, the eligible zoning districts, application process, and rules behind these permit counts.
- Nashville Airbnb revenue & ROI guide, cap-rate, pro forma, and revenue modeling for non-owner-occupied properties.
- Nashville Airbnb market report, current short-term rental revenue, ADR, and occupancy benchmarks.
