Title 10 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code (Animal Control) follows the standard MTAS Tennessee municipal pattern: it is unlawful to allow cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats, swine, or domestic fowl to run at large in any street, alley, or unenclosed lot in the corporate city limits. Larger livestock (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine) is not authorized on standard city residential lots and is functionally limited to the largest RR (Residential Rural) tracts inside Hendersonville. Outside the city, the Sumner County Zoning Resolution administered by the Sumner County Planning Department generally permits agricultural use including livestock in most rural districts. Field enforcement is performed by Hendersonville Animal Control (615-264-5355) inside the city and by Sumner County Animal Control (Gallatin) in unincorporated areas.
Hendersonville Municipal Code Title 10 (Animal Control) explicitly contemplates livestock - cattle (cows), swine, sheep, horses, mules, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other domestic fowl - and follows the standard MTAS template prohibiting any owner from knowingly or negligently permitting them to run at large in any street, alley, or unenclosed lot within the city's corporate limits. The Hendersonville Zoning Ordinance restricts where these animals may actually be kept: cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and swine are only permitted in the RR (Residential Rural) zoning district on large-acreage tracts, which is intended to preserve farming and large-lot single-family use along the city's outer edge. The ER (Estate Residential) district permits limited equestrian use on appropriately sized tracts. Livestock keeping on standard suburban residential lots (SR-1, SR-2, and the various Planned Unit Development districts) is not authorized. Backyard hens are allowed in RR, ER, SR-1, and SR-2 districts subject to the one-hen-per-3,000-sq-ft density cap, 15-foot coop setback, and no-rooster rule; ducks, geese, turkeys, and other larger fowl are functionally limited to RR or unincorporated Sumner County. Outside city limits, the Sumner County Zoning Resolution (administered by the Sumner County Planning Department, 355 N. Belvedere Drive, Gallatin) generally permits agricultural use by-right in most rural districts including the A-1 (Agricultural) district. Sumner County is a significant cattle and equine production area and many properties immediately outside Hendersonville are working farms. HOA covenants and deed restrictions in many Hendersonville and Sumner County neighborhoods further restrict livestock keeping even where zoning would otherwise allow it. Field enforcement is performed by Hendersonville Animal Control (615-264-5355, 1 Executive Park Drive) inside the city limits; Sumner County Animal Control (Gallatin) handles the unincorporated balance of the county and the other Sumner cities (Gallatin, Portland, Westmoreland, Mitchellville, Millersville, White House).
Allowing cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine, or fowl to run at large in any street, alley, or unenclosed lot in Hendersonville's corporate limits is a violation of Title 10 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code. Keeping cattle, horses, sheep, goats, or swine on a city residential lot outside the RR (or limited ER) zoning district is also a violation of the Hendersonville Zoning Ordinance, enforceable by the Building & Codes Department through stop-work orders, abatement orders, and per-day civil penalties under Title 1 of the Municipal Code. Hendersonville Animal Control (615-264-5355) handles field response and impoundment inside city limits.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Hendersonville, TN
The City of Hendersonville does not have a specific ordinance prohibiting or regulating artificial turf on residential lots. Synthetic turf may be installed ...
Hendersonville, TN
Hendersonville does not mandate native landscaping on private residential property, but the City's landscape standards require that 'for each development sit...
Hendersonville, TN
Rainwater harvesting is legal and unregulated for residential non-potable use throughout Tennessee, including Hendersonville. There are no volume limits, no ...
Hendersonville, TN
Under Zoning Ordinance Chapter 10.6.3.6, Hendersonville mobile vendors are permitted in all commercial districts only. The Planning Department enforces speci...
Hendersonville, TN
Mobile food vendors in Hendersonville are regulated under Chapter 10.6.3.6 of the Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Planning Department (615-264-5316). M...
Hendersonville, TN
Federal law governs the airspace over Hendersonville — the FAA's Part 107 covers commercial flight and 49 U.S.C. § 44809 covers recreational flight (400 ft A...
See how Hendersonville's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.