What Clarksville Regulates: A Complete Ordinance Overview

Clarksville is a mid-sized city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, with about 166000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 90 ordinances across 33 categories that affect daily life in Clarksville.

Solar Energy

HOA Restrictions: Tennessee has no solar access law that overrides private covenants. The Solar Access Law of 1979 only enables voluntary recorded easements between neighbors, so a Clarksville homeowners association may restrict or prohibit rooftop panels outright..

Also covered: Panel Permits (moderate). See the full solar energy guide for Clarksville for details.

Animal Ordinances

Chickens & Livestock: Cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine and poultry are banned in residential zones citywide, but Clarksville carves out a permitted exception for up to eight domesticated hens in E-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2 and R-2A districts. A one-time $50 permit, inspection, a 9,000-square-foot lot and a rear-yard enclosure are all required under Code § 3-109..

Also covered: Wildlife Feeding (permissive), Exotic Pets (restrictive), Dog Leash Laws (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Clarksville for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: In Clarksville's central business district, a sign, awning, or other projection cannot hang over a public street or sidewalk unless its lowest point sits at least eight feet above the public way. City Code Sec.

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Home Business

Home Daycare: Clarksville treats family day care as permitted on review in every residential district, so it goes to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Tennessee DHS separately licenses any agency serving five or more unrelated children three hours a day..

Also covered: Cottage Food Operations (permissive). See the full home business guide for Clarksville for details.

Special Events & Permits

Street Fair Rules: No carnival, circus, fair, festival or parade can operate in Clarksville without a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation. Section 5-1001 lets the department deny permits over safety, traffic or noise concerns, bars operating between 11:00 p.m.

Also covered: Park Event Permits (moderate), Parade Permits (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Clarksville for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: Every single-family district in Table 4.2 requires a 30-foot front yard. Side and rear yards tighten as lots shrink: R-1 needs 10 feet per side totaling 30, R-2 needs 8 feet totaling 20, and rear yards run 20 feet..

Also covered: Lot Coverage Limits (moderate), Structure Height Limits (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Clarksville for details.

Building Safety

Electrical Permits: Clarksville has adopted the 2017 National Electric Code (NFPA 70) by reference for all electrical work in the city. Section 4-304.5 requires a permit before any wiring change, and Section 4-306 sets inspection fees from $32.00 for a 200-amp service up to $90.00 for 401 to 1,000 amps..

Also covered: Plumbing Permits (moderate), Building Permits (moderate), Carbon Monoxide Detectors (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Clarksville for details.

Public Conduct

Public Alcohol Use: Clarksville makes it illegal to possess or drink alcohol, including beer, in any city park or boat dock, including ones the city only patrols or maintains. The single carve-out is a city council-approved public function holding a special events beer permit issued under section 2-105(4)..

Also covered: Aggressive Panhandling (restrictive), Jaywalking (limited), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Clarksville for details.

Noise Ordinances

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound: Clarksville bans private use of loudspeakers or sound amplification devices on city-owned property outright, unless the department of parks and recreation issues a permit at least 10 days ahead for up to a $25 processing fee..

Also covered: Vehicle Noise (moderate), Barking Dogs (moderate), Leaf Blower Rules (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Clarksville for details.

Sign Regulations

Garage Sale Signs: Clarksville requires yard sale holders to register with the building official and confines all advertising to temporary signs inside the yard where the sale is held. Signs on utility poles or at neighborhood entrances are unlawful..

Also covered: Window Signs (moderate), Holiday Displays (permissive). See the full sign regulations guide for Clarksville for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Clarksville's fire code makes it unlawful to burn refuse, garbage, or salvage materials in the open. Cooking fires, ceremonial fires, and small leaf burns are allowed without a permit if you follow the safety rules, but burning tree debris or wood in piles over four feet across needs a Fire Department permit, cleared ground, wind-speed limits, and a 36-hour cap..

Also covered: Smoke Detectors (moderate), Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (limited), Brush Clearance (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Clarksville for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: City code makes it unlawful to let a property become filthy or breed rodents, flies, or other vermin to the menace of public health. A companion section lets the city order overgrown vegetation and debris that draws rats removed, then bill the owner and place a lien if the work goes undone..

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Clarksville's Property Maintenance Code bars anyone from occupying or renting out a dwelling unit that lacks a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, flush toilet, working heat, and hot water reaching 120 degrees. Sec.

Also covered: Just Cause Eviction (permissive), Rental Registration (permissive). See the full rental property rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Trimming: Clarksville requires every property owner and tenant to keep trees and shrubbery trimmed back so they never impede, obstruct, interfere with, or endanger the free flow of traffic on an abutting public way. City Code Sec.

Also covered: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (moderate), Artificial Turf (permissive), Native Plants (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Clarksville taxes every transient's hotel stay at 2.75 percent of the amount charged, a rate effective since January 1, 2025 under Sec. 6-308, and the code's definition of hotel expressly reaches motels, tourist courts, campgrounds and short-term rental units, not just traditional hotels..

Business Licensing & Operations

Massage Establishments: Clarksville requires two separate licenses for the massage business: a $35-a-year premises license for the establishment itself and a $20-a-year operator's license for every masseur or masseuse, both issued by the detective division under Secs. 5-701 and 5-703.

Also covered: Adult Entertainment (restrictive), Towing Companies (moderate), Pawnbrokers (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Clarksville for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Permits: It's unlawful to operate or advertise a short-term rental in Clarksville without an operating permit under Sec. 5-303.

Also covered: Taxes & Fees (moderate), Occupancy Limits (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Clarksville for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Clarksville bars anyone 15 or younger from loitering, wandering, or playing in public streets, parks, or other unsupervised public places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Clarksville for details.

Property Maintenance

Vacant Lot Maintenance: Clarksville makes every owner or tenant periodically cut grass and weeds, and it is unlawful to ignore a cutting order once growth passes one foot. Overgrown or debris-strewn lots get ten days before the city clears them..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (permissive), Property Blight (strict). See the full property maintenance guide for Clarksville for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Clarksville makes it unlawful to throw, place, or scatter objects on city-owned or private property with intent to dispose of them, if doing so clutters the property or lessens its attractiveness. The rule covers direct dumping and letting someone else's trash accumulate, and it cross-references the city's separate refuse-disposal rule..

Also covered: Recycling Requirements (permissive), Pickup Rules & Schedules (moderate), Bulk Item Disposal (permissive). See the full trash & recycling guide for Clarksville for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: Clarksville has adopted no dark-sky or night-sky ordinance, no lumen caps, and no color-temperature limits. The one shielding standard sits in Zoning Ordinance 5.10, the site plan checklist, which reaches development projects rather than houses..

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (permissive). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Clarksville for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Home Cultivation: Tennessee treats growing marijuana as manufacturing a controlled substance, a felony at any plant count, and Clarksville adds no local cultivation rule. Growing high-THC hemp at home is separately criminalized as a misdemeanor under the 2026 hemp law..

Also covered: Dispensary Zoning (strict). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Clarksville for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Food Truck Permits: Food trucks operating in Clarksville need the annual transient vendor permit issued under the peddler chapter, at a non-refundable $165 fee. A Clarksville Fire Rescue life safety inspection and a state health permit come first..

Also covered: Vending Zones (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Clarksville for details.

Tree Protection

Heritage & Protected Trees: The city tree board administers a landmark tree program covering trees of unusual rarity, size, age or historical value. Designation of a privately owned tree requires the owner's express permission and can be withdrawn later..

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Clarksville bans barbed wire outright on residential property and requires five feet of clearance on commercial lots. Where the zoning ordinance demands an opaque screening fence, chain link, plastic sheeting and fabric do not qualify as acceptable materials..

Also covered: Retaining Walls (permissive). See the full fence regulations guide for Clarksville for details.

Drone Rules

Commercial Drones: Clarksville's code contains no drone provision, so commercial operators answer to FAA Part 107 and Tennessee criminal law. Flying within 250 feet of a critical infrastructure facility without written consent is a Class E felony, subject to an FAA-authorization carve-out..

Also covered: Recreational Drones (moderate). See the full drone rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Environmental Rules

Coastal Development: Tennessee is landlocked, so no coastal program exists. Building near the Cumberland and Red Rivers instead runs through the Floodway Overlay District in Zoning Ordinance 9.2, which requires a development permit before any development activity..

Also covered: Erosion Control (strict), Stormwater Management (strict). See the full environmental rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Parking Rules

Abandoned Vehicles: Clarksville forbids open storage of any inoperable motor vehicle on residential or commercial property, and a car parked at a home must be registered to the owner or occupant. On city streets, vehicles may sit only 72 hours..

Also covered: EV Charging (permissive), Overnight Parking (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Clarksville for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Section 5-607 caps yard and garage sales at two per year per holder, each no longer than three consecutive days. The building official keeps the record of when and where sales are held, so the count is tracked..

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Clarksville's Gas and Water Department will credit a customer's sewer bill for water lost through a leak in the customer's own piping, but only after the leak is fixed and the customer proves it. The credit is capped at two adjustments every twelve months..

Mobility & Curb Rules

Shared E-Scooter Rules: Clarksville makes it unlawful to offer, rent, park, or ride any dockless electric scooter, bicycle, or skateboard system within the central business district, along every arterial or collector road listed in Appendix H, on the sidewalks beside those roads, in city parks, or on the Clarksville Greenway trail. The ban covers providers and riders alike..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Clarksville requires a peddler's permit for anyone going door to door selling goods or services. Each individual needs their own, it runs one calendar year, and the non-refundable application fee is $165..

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Clarksville for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: Every swimming pool in Clarksville needs a permit before installation, in-ground or above-ground. The city requires a minimum ten-foot setback from property lines, five feet from the house, and no encroachment into easements or right-of-way..

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Clarksville for details.

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Clarksville, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.