Are short-term rentals legal in Nashville?

Short-term rentals are legal in Nashville but are heavily regulated. Nashville has two permit types: owner-occupied STR permits for hosts who live on-site, and non-owner-occupied STR permits (NOOSTR) for investors who do not live on the property. NOOSTR permits are restricted to specific zoning districts including DTC zoning. Owners found operating without a permit are subject to fines and enforcement action.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Brentwood TN?

No. Brentwood banned all short-term rentals in residential zoning more than 10 years ago. Brentwood defines a short-term rental as any period less than 90 days. This ban is heavily enforced and owners found in violation are fined $50 per day plus court costs under State Law.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Franklin TN?

Franklin banned all non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in all zoning districts in December 2019. Franklin defines a short-term rental as any period less than 21 days. This ban is heavily enforced and owners found in violation are fined $50 per day plus court costs. Owner-occupied rentals may be permitted under separate conditions.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Belle Meade TN?

No. Belle Meade banned all short-term rentals in all zoning districts in September 2018. Belle Meade defines a short-term rental as any period less than 30 days. The ban is heavily enforced and owners found in violation are fined $50 per day plus court costs under State Law.

What is the difference between owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied STR permits in Nashville?

Nashville issues two types of short-term rental permits. An owner-occupied STR permit applies when the host lives on the property. A non-owner-occupied STR permit, known as NOOSTR, applies when the owner does not live on-site. NOOSTR permits are significantly more restricted, limited to specific zoning districts, and subject to cap limits by council district. Investors purchasing STR properties in Nashville that they do not intend to occupy must obtain a NOOSTR permit.

Franklin TN Airbnb vs Brentwood TN Airbnb: Investment Guide

Franklin TN downtown historic district building exterior representing a Franklin Short-Term Vacation Rental investment property under city STVR permit framework — Franklin TN STVR permits are issued annually by the City of Franklin Building and Neighborhood Services for properties in eligible base and half-moon zoning districts.

Franklin and Brentwood are the two highest-searched Williamson County Airbnb submarkets, but only one of them allows traditional short-term rental operation. Franklin TN Airbnb activity is legal under the city’s Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) permit framework, which sets specific limits on stay length, bedroom count, and operational conditions. Brentwood TN Airbnb activity is prohibited in single-family residential districts under Municipal Code Section 78-19(e), which mandates that rentals must last 3 months or longer. The City of Brentwood Planning and Codes Department actively enforces this rule and has issued citations to homeowners who continued short-term rental operation after notification. For Nashville-area investors weighing where to deploy STR capital outside Davidson County, the regulatory contrast between these two cities determines whether a property purchase makes investment sense at all. Davidson County Airbnb permit rules are covered separately in the Nashville STR Zoning and Permits Guide.

Quick reference

City	Short-term rental status	Authority	Minimum stay	Key constraint
Franklin, TN	Legal with annual STVR permit	City of Franklin Building and Neighborhood Services	24 hours minimum, 21 days maximum	4 bedrooms or fewer; owner not allowed on-premises during rental
Brentwood, TN	Prohibited in single-family residential districts	City of Brentwood Planning and Codes (Section 78-19(e))	3 months (90 days) minimum	Enforcement active; citations issued for non-compliance

Considering a Franklin or Brentwood property for Airbnb investment? Grant Hammond has closed 550+ short-term rental transactions across Middle Tennessee. Get a property-specific eligibility review before committing capital on a property that may not pencil under the local rules. Schedule a Williamson County Airbnb consultation.

How do Franklin TN Airbnb regulations work?

Franklin uses the term Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR), not STR or Airbnb, in its municipal code. The City of Franklin Building and Neighborhood Services administers the permit program. The framework was modernized in November 2022 when Franklin moved to an electronic-only application process.

Franklin STVR core rules

The framework defines an STVR as a residential dwelling unit rented in its entirety for time periods less than 21 days. Key conditions:

Stay length: 24 hours minimum per booking, 21 days maximum
Property type: Single-family dwellings with FOUR BEDROOMS OR LESS only. Properties with 5+ bedrooms are not eligible
Rental scope: Whole structure rental required. Renting individual rooms is not allowed
Owner residency: The owner is not allowed to stay in the home during the rental
Minimum renter age: 21 years or older
No signage onsite
No food may be served
Annual application: Required every year. Electronic submission only since November 2022

Franklin STVR eligible zoning

The Franklin STVR permit applies in these base zoning districts: AG, OR, CC, and DD. Half-moon zoning districts (ER, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-6, MR, and PD) are also eligible under Subsection 5.1.4 R of the municipal code. Investors should verify the specific zoning of any candidate property on the Franklin Zoning Map at www.franklintn.gov before committing capital.

Franklin STVR operational requirements

Once a permit is issued, the operator must meet ongoing conditions:

Maximum occupancy: Twice the number of sleeping rooms plus 2, capped at 10 total occupants
Maximum occupancy posting: Required inside the property
Local responsible party: Required. Must live within 25 miles. Must be available 24 hours a day. The property owner cannot be the responsible party unless they have another residence less than 25 miles from the rental
Responsible party contact info: Required to be posted inside the property
Proof of insurance: $1,000,000 minimum
Neighbor notification: Required if the property shares a common wall or driveway
Fire alarm inspection: Conducted by the Building Inspector
HOA verification: Owner is required to confirm the property’s Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) permit STVR operation
Business license: Required annually. Apply at City Hall Utility Billing, 109 3rd Ave S
Hotel occupancy tax: 4% monthly, paid to City of Franklin Revenue Management Department
Updated Certificate of Use and Occupancy: Required to be posted

Franklin STVR property types excluded

The STVR framework specifically excludes single-family dwellings with five or more bedrooms, hotels, mixed-use occupancies, wedding and event venues, and bed and breakfast establishments. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) ARE eligible as STVRs.

Franklin STVR enforcement

Repeated complaints by residential neighbors can result in the Board of Mayor and Aldermen revoking the Certificate of Occupancy that authorizes the STVR. The framework operates under Franklin Municipal Code Section 2.2.4 Short-Term Vacation Rentals. Approval of an STVR does not waive compliance with the International Building Code, Residential Code, or Fire Code.

For application questions, the City of Franklin contact is Ben Onisa, Neighborhood Resources Supervisor, at ben.onisa@franklintn.gov. The electronic application portal is at franklin.idtplans.com.

How do Brentwood TN Airbnb regulations work?

Brentwood does not have a short-term rental permit program. The City of Brentwood Planning and Codes Department’s official position is unambiguous: Brentwood Municipal Code prohibits rentals in single-family residential districts for periods of less than three (3) months.

Brentwood Section 78-19(e) summary

The relevant ordinance is Brentwood Municipal Code Section 78-19(e). The city’s Planning and Codes Department states directly that the code “protects homeowners by prohibiting rentals in single-family residential districts for periods of less than three (3) months” and that “the City of Brentwood vigorously enforces this code.”

The city has previously issued citations to homeowners who continued to rent their home or a portion of their home on a short-term basis after being notified by the City. This is not a dormant ordinance. Enforcement is active, and the citation record creates an evidentiary trail that compounds across repeat violations.

What this means for Brentwood TN Airbnb searches

The 210 monthly Google searches for “Brentwood TN Airbnb” reflect searcher intent, not legal operational availability. Investors searching for Brentwood Airbnb opportunities are essentially looking at a market where the standard nightly-rental product cannot legally operate in single-family residential zones. Properties marketed as “Brentwood Airbnbs” in those zones are either non-compliant operations exposed to citation risk, or they are mislabeled extended-stay rentals.

What IS legal in Brentwood

Rentals of 3 months or longer are not subject to the Section 78-19(e) restriction. This carves out a meaningful market segment that some investors successfully operate:

Executive relocation rentals: Corporate transferees moving to Cool Springs corporate campuses (Bridgestone Americas, Tractor Supply, LP Building Solutions, Mars Petcare) often need 90 to 180 day housing while finalizing a permanent purchase
Traveling-professional housing: Medical professionals, traveling nurses, and project-based consultants frequently need 3+ month furnished housing
Insurance-claim displacement: Families displaced by home repairs or remodels under insurance coverage often need 3 to 6 month furnished housing
Snowbird and extended-stay leisure: Some retirees and remote workers structure stays of 90+ days specifically to align with the Brentwood framework

These mid-term and extended-stay markets carry meaningfully different operational economics than nightly Airbnb. Furnished pricing per month is lower than Airbnb gross revenue per equivalent occupied night, but turnover cost, cleaning frequency, and management intensity all drop. The product is closer to executive corporate housing than to traditional STR.

Brentwood contact for code clarification

Investors with specific property questions can reach Todd Petrowski, Acting Interim Director of Planning and Codes, at 615-371-2204. The department is located at 5211 Maryland Way, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Why does Franklin allow short-term rentals and Brentwood prohibit them?

The two cities reached different conclusions through their own legislative processes. Franklin’s STVR framework reflects a balance between tourism economy (the historic downtown district draws weekend visitors), wedding-venue density, festival traffic, and homeowner concerns about neighborhood character. The 21-day maximum stay and 4-bedroom maximum constrain the framework to what Franklin’s planning commission viewed as compatible with single-family neighborhoods.

Brentwood’s Section 78-19(e) reflects a different policy choice. Brentwood is a residential suburban community with large-lot single-family zoning as the dominant land use. The Planning and Codes Department’s stated rationale is that the prohibition “protects homeowners.” The policy explicitly prioritizes single-family residential character over short-term rental activity. The 3-month minimum stay threshold effectively excludes traditional STR operation while leaving extended-stay and executive housing markets legal.

Neither approach is objectively right or wrong. They represent different community choices about what kind of housing market each city wants. The investment-relevant point is that the two cities should not be analyzed as a single Williamson County market.

How does Williamson County Airbnb activity compare to Davidson County?

Davidson County operates a permit framework called NOOSTR (Non-Owner-Occupied Short-Term Rental) for investor-owned Airbnbs. The framework allows STR operation in specific zones with annual permit renewal. The NOOSTR permit framework for Davidson County investors is the canonical investor guide for that side of the regulatory comparison.

The Franklin STVR framework is operationally similar to NOOSTR in some ways (annual permit, zoning-based eligibility, owner-not-on-premises rule) but materially different in others (different vocabulary, different zoning system, 4-bedroom cap that Davidson does not have, different tax structure).

Brentwood has no equivalent to NOOSTR. The Section 78-19(e) restriction means there is no permit pathway for traditional Airbnb operation in single-family residential districts.

For an investor weighing Davidson vs Williamson County Airbnb investment, the practical decision tree is:

Want highest investor-friendly framework with the most STR-eligible inventory: Davidson County (NOOSTR-eligible zones)
Want Williamson County exposure with a working permit framework: Franklin (STVR, with bedroom and zoning constraints)
Want Brentwood property exposure but cannot legally operate as traditional STR: Pivot to extended-stay or corporate-housing strategy (3+ month rentals), or look at Franklin instead

Davidson County Airbnb revenue benchmarks cover ROI factors across the broader Nashville-area landscape.

Working through a specific Franklin or Brentwood property? Grant Hammond walks Williamson County investors through STVR eligibility verification, Section 78-19(e) compliance review, ROI sensitivity, and financing options. Properties in Franklin homes for sale and Brentwood homes for sale both flow through Grant directly. Get a property-specific consultation before you sign a purchase agreement.

How do you apply for a Franklin STVR permit step by step?

The Franklin Building and Neighborhood Services permit process follows six core steps:

Verify property zoning. Confirm the property’s specific zoning on the Franklin Zoning Map at www.franklintn.gov. STVR is allowed in base zoning districts AG, OR, CC, DD plus half-moon districts ER, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-6, MR, PD per Subsection 5.1.4 R.
Verify HOA covenants. Obtain the property’s Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) from the Williamson County Register of Deeds and confirm they permit STVR operation. Some subdivisions prohibit STVR even where city zoning allows it.
Submit electronic application. Submit the STVR application via franklin.idtplans.com. Electronic submission is required (no paper applications since November 7, 2022).
Pass fire alarm inspection. Schedule and pass a fire alarm inspection conducted by the City of Franklin Building Inspector.
Obtain annual business license. Apply at City Hall Utility Billing, 109 3rd Ave S. Proof of valid business license must be presented to Building and Neighborhood Services annually.
Register for lodging taxes. Register with the Tennessee Department of Revenue for state lodging tax. Set up monthly remittance of 4% Hotel Occupancy Tax to the City of Franklin Revenue Management Department. STR depreciation also flows through IRS Publication 925 passive activity rules.

This 6-step process is implemented as HowTo schema for AI extraction (see Schema Requirements section below).

What’s the bottom-line investment recommendation?

The two cities require different strategies because they operate under different legal frameworks. The honest investor checklist:

If targeting Franklin TN Airbnb investment specifically:
1. Confirm the property zoning is one of the AG/OR/CC/DD base districts or one of the ER/R-1/R-2/R-3/R-4/R-6/MR/PD half-moon districts
2. Confirm the property has 4 bedrooms or fewer
3. Verify HOA covenants permit STVR operation
4. Budget for $1M insurance, 4% monthly hotel occupancy tax, business license renewal
5. Identify a local responsible party who lives within 25 miles and can respond 24 hours a day
6. Plan for annual permit renewal documentation

If targeting Brentwood TN Airbnb specifically:
1. Recognize that traditional nightly-rental operation in single-family residential districts is prohibited under Section 78-19(e)
2. Consider whether the extended-stay (3+ month) market fits the investment thesis
3. Calculate returns on furnished corporate housing pricing rather than Airbnb nightly rates
4. Verify with the Brentwood Planning and Codes Department before closing on any property with STR assumptions baked into the underwriting

If targeting Williamson County Airbnb broadly:
1. Franklin is the primary market for traditional STR operation in Williamson County
2. The smaller cities (Nolensville, Spring Hill, Thompson’s Station, Fairview) each have their own ordinances and should be researched individually
3. The county-level “Williamson County Airbnb” concept does not have a single regulatory framework. Every municipal jurisdiction sets its own rules

What about other Middle Tennessee jurisdictions?

Middle Tennessee includes Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, and surrounding counties. STR rules vary materially by jurisdiction. Smyrna (Rutherford County) defines short-term rentals as any stay under three months, similar to Brentwood’s threshold but operating under a different ordinance framework. Murfreesboro, Mt. Juliet, Hendersonville, and other Middle Tennessee municipalities each set their own rules at the city level. Williamson County itself does not issue STR permits at the county level. Permitting is handled by each municipality.

Investors evaluating Middle Tennessee STR opportunities outside Davidson, Franklin, and Brentwood should contact the specific city’s planning department before purchase. Municipal STR rules change through ordinance amendments, so what was legal two years ago may not be legal today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Airbnb legal in Franklin, TN?

Yes. Franklin TN Airbnb operation is legal under the city’s Short-Term Vacation Rental (STVR) permit framework, administered annually by the City of Franklin Building and Neighborhood Services. The framework limits stays to 21 days maximum, requires properties to be 4 bedrooms or fewer, prohibits owner residency during the rental, and mandates $1 million insurance and a local responsible party within 25 miles.

Is Airbnb legal in Brentwood, TN?

Traditional nightly Airbnb operation is not legal in Brentwood single-family residential districts. Brentwood Municipal Code Section 78-19(e) prohibits rentals less than 3 months in those zones. The City of Brentwood Planning and Codes Department actively enforces this rule and has issued citations to non-compliant homeowners. Rentals of 3 months or longer are not subject to the restriction.

What is the difference between Franklin STVR and Davidson County NOOSTR?

Both require annual permits and prohibit owner-on-premises during rental. Franklin caps eligibility at 4 bedrooms per property; Davidson NOOSTR has no equivalent bedroom cap. Franklin uses base zoning plus half-moon zoning categories; Davidson uses NOOSTR-specific zoning overlays. Franklin charges a 4% city hotel occupancy tax on top of Tennessee state lodging tax; Davidson uses its own tax structure. The two frameworks were developed independently by each jurisdiction’s planning commission and Metro Council respectively.

Can I run an Airbnb in any Franklin neighborhood?

No. Franklin restricts STVR operation to specific base zoning districts (AG, OR, CC, DD) and half-moon zoning districts (ER, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-6, MR, PD). The Franklin Zoning Map at www.franklintn.gov is the authoritative source for any specific property’s eligibility. HOA covenants in many Franklin subdivisions may further restrict STVR operation even when city zoning permits it.

Why does Brentwood prohibit short-term rentals?

The Brentwood Planning and Codes Department’s stated rationale for Section 78-19(e) is that the prohibition “protects homeowners” by maintaining single-family residential character in the city’s residential zones. The 3-month minimum stay threshold reflects a deliberate policy choice to exclude traditional nightly-rental activity while leaving extended-stay and corporate-housing markets legal.

What can investors do with a Brentwood property they bought hoping to Airbnb?

Three options remain compliant with Section 78-19(e). First, pivot to extended-stay rentals of 3 months or longer, targeting executive relocations, traveling professionals, or insurance-displacement housing. Second, hold the property as a primary residence or long-term rental and forgo STR income. Third, sell and redeploy capital into Franklin or Davidson County where STR operation is legal under permit. Operating as an Airbnb in violation of Section 78-19(e) carries citation risk and is not a viable long-term strategy.

Do Franklin and Brentwood charge state-level lodging tax?

Tennessee state lodging tax applies to all STR-eligible rentals statewide, including Franklin STVRs. Registration with the Tennessee Department of Revenue is required. Franklin adds a 4% city hotel occupancy tax on top of the state tax. Brentwood’s 3-month minimum stay rule means most rentals in Brentwood single-family residential districts fall outside the typical lodging-tax regime that applies to nightly rentals.

How do I verify a specific Franklin or Brentwood property’s STR eligibility?

Franklin properties: confirm zoning via the Franklin Zoning Map, verify HOA covenants, and contact Ben Onisa at ben.onisa@franklintn.gov for application questions. Brentwood properties: confirm the property is or is not in a single-family residential district via the Brentwood zoning map, and contact Todd Petrowski at 615-371-2204 for code clarification. In both cities, address-level verification before closing is essential. STR-marketed properties without verified eligibility carry compliance risk that does not show up in standard real-estate disclosures.

Ready to make a Williamson County Airbnb decision?

Grant Hammond brokers Nashville-area STR investment through Compass RE. Pre-purchase Franklin STVR eligibility verification, Brentwood Section 78-19(e) compliance review, ROI sensitivity analysis, and financing introductions all flow through one relationship. No-pressure consultation.

Get in touch with Grant Hammond

About Grant Hammond

Grant Hammond is a Nashville-based real estate broker affiliated with Compass RE through BDG Partners. He has closed more than 550 short-term rental transactions, more than 350 high-rise condo sales, and hundreds of millions in luxury closings across Middle Tennessee. His specializations include short-term rental investment, downtown high-rise condos, luxury, and new construction. Press citations include The Tennessean, Nashville Business Journal, Inman, and HousingWire. He is a Nashville Emerging Leaders Award (NELA) recipient and a multi-year Diamond Elite producer. Read Grant’s full bio at /about/. Wikidata entity: Q140006180.

Brokerage compliance note: Broker fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable.