Moving to Memphis, TN? Here Are the Local Rules You Should Know

As one of the larger cities in Tennessee, Memphis has a substantial set of local ordinances that govern everything from noise levels to what you can build in your backyard. With about 633000 residents, the city maintains 129 distinct rules across 37 categories. This guide gives you the big picture.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Memphis Code § 9-12-4(A) bans open burning of refuse, garbage, trade waste, trees, limbs, brush and salvage materials citywide, and flatly prohibits burning tires, vinyl, plastics, asphalt roofing or asbestos materials under any circumstance..

Also covered: Smoke Detectors (moderate), Propane Storage (moderate), Fireworks (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Memphis for details.

Noise Ordinances

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound: Memphis Code § 9-68-3 prohibits using a drum, loudspeaker or other instrument to create noise for the purpose of attracting attention to a performance, show, sale or display of merchandise anywhere in the city. The ban applies regardless of decibel level or time of day, though § 9-68-13(3) exempts reasonable use of amplifiers or loudspeakers for noncommercial public addresses..

Also covered: Aircraft Noise (permissive), Construction Hours (moderate), Quiet Hours (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Memphis for details.

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Downtown Design Guide: Any exterior sign in Memphis's central business improvement district must clear a design review board process before a permit issues. City Code Chapter 12-36 divides downtown into 13 sign-review areas, from Beale Street to the Riverfront, each with its own graphic standards, and requires Memphis Landmarks Commission sign-off for buildings inside a historic district..

Animal Ordinances

Breed Restrictions: Memphis has no breed ban; instead Chapter 8-20 declares individual dogs dangerous or vicious based on bite or attack history, then forces owners into registration, insurance, confinement and muzzling requirements..

Also covered: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (moderate), Pet Groomer Rules (restrictive), Microchipping (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Memphis for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: Commercial, multi-family and mixed-use sites across Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County must curtail light pollution and skyglow under the joint Unified Development Code's outdoor lighting chapter. Parking lot luminaires can emit zero light above 90 degrees, and every fixture carries an Uplight rating capped by its Lighting Zone.

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate), Billboard Lighting (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Memphis for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Memphis and Shelby County jointly maintain a Historic Overlay District (-H) that protects buildings, structures and sites of social, economic, political or architectural significance under authority granted by Tennessee Code Section 13-7-401. Any exterior construction, alteration, relocation or demolition inside a designated -H district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Memphis Landmarks Commission before the Building Official can issue a permit..

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: Memphis Code Chapter 13-40 bans dumping trash, petroleum products, paints, pesticides and 29 other listed contaminants into the city's storm sewer system, and declares any stormwater violation a public nuisance under Section 13-40-4. The Division of Public Works' stormwater manager, based at 125 N.

Also covered: Flood Zones (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate), Erosion Control (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Memphis for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Within the Central Business Improvement District, Memphis flatly bans changeable-copy ground signs of any type, including digital cabinets on pole signs and portable electronic readerboards. The ban sits inside the district's ground-sign standards, which also cap pole and monument sign height and size..

Also covered: Freeway-Facing Signs (moderate), Window Signs (moderate), Garage Sale Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Memphis for details.

Accessory Structures

ADU Rules: Memphis and Shelby County zoning allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot, but a lot under 7,000 square feet cannot have one at all. On a lot between 7,000 square feet and 1.5 acres, the ADU's living area is capped at 700 square feet or a third of the main house's floor area, whichever is smaller..

Also covered: Shed & Carport Rules (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for Memphis for details.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code lets homeowners install rooftop solar as an accessory use by right in every zoning district, no special permit needed, but ground-mounted arrays must stay in the rear or side yard, meet a setback of the district minimum or 110% of panel height, and cannot top 35 feet or the height of the house, whichever is less. Applies citywide and in unincorporated Shelby County..

Home Business

Signage Rules: UDC Section 2.7.4.B(11) flatly bars any signage tied to a home occupation anywhere in Memphis or unincorporated Shelby County: 'No signage specifically associated with the home occupation shall be permitted.' A home-based business must stay visually indistinguishable from a residence, with no yard sign, window sign or door plaque advertising the operation, alongside the same accessory-use standards that cap customers and hours..

Also covered: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (restrictive), Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate), Home Daycare (moderate). See the full home business guide for Memphis for details.

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: Memphis requires a permit from the city permit office, issued after consultation with the police director, before anyone may hold a parade, race, or public assembly, per Code Sec. 12-52-2.

Also covered: Block Party Permits (moderate), Street Fair Rules (moderate), Park Event Permits (restrictive). See the full special events & permits guide for Memphis for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Massage Establishments: Memphis requires anyone operating a massage institute, bathhouse, or working as a massage operator or bather to hold a permit issued by the city treasurer under Code of Ordinances Ch. 6-48.

Also covered: Tattoo & Body Modification (moderate), Adult Entertainment (restrictive), Pawnbrokers (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Memphis for details.

Parking Rules

Towing & Impound Rights: Memphis fixes the price of a non-consent tow by ordinance instead of leaving it to the tow company. Chapter 6-88 caps a Class A tow of a passenger car or pickup at $225.00 when the vehicle can be driven and $275.00 when it is wrecked, sets storage at $30.00 for each 24-hour period after the first 24 hours, and allows a $75.00 administrative fee only after the first 72 hours of impoundment.

Also covered: Loading Zones (moderate), EV Charging (moderate), Preferential Parking Districts (restrictive). See the full parking rules guide for Memphis for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Permits: Memphis requires short-term rental owners to register electronically or in writing with the Division of Public Works, disclosing insurance, a compliance-verification form, and a local 'responsible party' under § 5-44-5(C), and permits issue only once the division confirms the application is complete and accurate under § 5-44-5(G)..

Also covered: Occupancy Limits (moderate), Noise Rules (moderate), Insurance Requirements (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Memphis for details.

Building Safety

Childcare Center Rules: Every Memphis day care center caring for five or more children for pay must register with the office of planning and development and win joint approval from the building official, fire marshal and health department before opening, under City Code Chapter 9-28. Centers must operate on the ground floor, give each child 30 square feet of open space, and post inspection records..

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

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Sidewalk Repair: Every Memphis property owner abutting a public street must build, repair and keep clean the sidewalk adjacent to their lot when the city engineer so orders. Where no curb and grade exist yet, owners must still keep the walkway passable and clear of weeds, trash and obstructions..

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (moderate), Encroachment Permits (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Memphis for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Memphis Code § 9-60-2 bans throwing, dumping or depositing litter on any property, public or private, and on parkways, streets, parks or recreation areas unless the site is designated for that use. A violation is a misdemeanor carrying up to a $50.00 fine per offense under § 9-60-7, plus a $50.00 traffic citation and possible vehicle impoundment when dumping is traced to a motor vehicle..

Also covered: Collection Schedule (moderate), Recycling Rules (moderate), Yard Waste Collection (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Memphis for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Vacancy Tax: Memphis doesn't levy a formal vacancy tax, but Code § 9-94-3(D) requires a $200 non-refundable annual registration fee per parcel for any single-family or condo property declared vacant, abandoned or tax-delinquent, paid by the mortgagee, on top of a separate $50-per-violation penalty for failing to register..

Also covered: Business Tax Classification (limited). See the full local taxes & fees guide for Memphis for details.

Public Conduct

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions: Memphis Code § 9-88-2 bans smoking in public elevators, MATA buses, hospital lobbies, theaters, and every restaurant seating 50 or more unless it maintains an adequate nonsmoking section. It's an enclosed-space law, not an outdoor one.

Also covered: Loitering Rules (restrictive), Public Alcohol Use (restrictive), Jaywalking (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Memphis for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Red-Light Cameras: Memphis runs no red-light camera program; its only automated photo enforcement targets speeding in active school zones and reverse "S" curves under Sec. 11-21-1.

Also covered: Bike Lane Rules (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Memphis for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Sit-Lie Rules: Memphis makes it a misdemeanor to panhandle while seated on or leaning against a public bench, planter, monument, or other public property, or against private property without permission. The rule sits inside the city's broader panhandling code, which also bars solicitation entirely downtown and after dark..

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Memphis charges a 4% privilege tax on hotel and motel room charges under City Code § 5-20-2, collected by operators and remitted monthly to the city treasurer. Small hotels are exempt: any property with 45 or fewer rooms charging $35.00 or less per occupied night isn't a taxable 'hotel' at all..

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Memphis Code Chapter 9-80 requires every business building and multifamily dwelling to be ratproofed and kept rat-free under the health officer's supervision. On written notice of a rat problem, the owner must ratproof within at least 15 days; if the owner doesn't comply, the health officer can do the work and bill the owner..

Also covered: Food Handler Certification (moderate), Syringe Disposal (moderate). See the full public health rules guide for Memphis for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Anyone going house to house in Memphis to solicit money, subscriptions, or contributions for a charitable, religious, educational, or benevolent cause needs a permit from the Board of Supervisors of Public Solicitation before knocking on a single door. City Code Sec.

Noise from Specific Sources

Delivery Truck Noise: Memphis limits how loud trucks and buses can be anywhere in the city, on public or private property. Section 11-56-2 sets maximum sound levels by weight class: trucks and buses over 10,000 pounds cannot exceed 93 dB(A) at 25 feet or 87 dB(A) at 50 feet, while lighter trucks and buses are capped at 86 and 80 dB(A).

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Within Memphis's Central Business Improvement District, no fence may be built with razor wire, ribbon wire, concertina wire, or similar coiled wire, and no fence can cantilever beyond the property line. Downtown parking lot fences are further restricted to ornamental iron, brick or masonry..

Also covered: Height Limits (moderate), Retaining Walls (limited). See the full fence regulations guide for Memphis for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Memphis Code §§ 9-92-2 and 9-92-12 require every public swimming pool to hold a $150 annual health department permit and to provide safety appliances, life buoys, life hooks, poles or ropes, and first aid kits, plus clearly marked depths and safe ingress and egress for bathers..

Landscaping Rules

Weed Ordinances: Memphis caps weeds, rank grass and noxious growth at 12 inches on lots up to two acres, and at six inches on grass walkways next to city streets. Owners who ignore a five-day cutting notice face a misdemeanor and a city cutting crew that bills the cost as a lien..

Also covered: Tree Trimming (moderate), Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (limited). See the full landscaping rules guide for Memphis for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: The joint Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code sets a separate minimum yard setback table for every residential zoning district, not one citywide number. In the R-15 single-family district a house must sit back 30 feet from the front line, 5 feet from an interior side line, 20 feet from a side street, and 25 feet from the rear line, per the § 3.6.1 dimensional tables..

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

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Memphis bars minors from public streets, parks and other public places late at night: 17- and 18-year-olds face an 11 p.m. cutoff on weeknights (midnight weekends), while minors 16 and under face 10 p.m.

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

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Memphis Code § 9-8-19 requires every occupied building's water lines, fixtures, vents, drains and sewer lines to be kept free of leaks and defects at all times, with repairs made to the city and county plumbing code..

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code limits a dwelling to two garage or yard sales per calendar year, three consecutive days each, before a Temporary Use Permit is required. The Building Official can allow a third sale in a year only with proof the home changed ownership, and sales that fit inside those limits are exempt from permitting altogether..

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Food Truck Permits: No mobile food preparation vehicle may operate in Memphis without a permit issued under City Code § 9-52-86, which builds on the general food-establishment permit process of § 9-52-3. Operators also need a commissary license or written commissary agreement, and every truck must post its business name and state/local permit numbers in letters at least three inches tall..

Also covered: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (moderate), Vending Zones (restrictive). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Memphis for details.

Right to Farm

Agricultural Zoning Protection: The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code sets aside a Conservation Agriculture (CA) zoning district to shield working farmland from encroaching development. Any parcel the Zoning Map omits, and land deannexed from Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Lakeland or Millington outside an incorporated municipality, defaults to CA unless a higher classification is approved first..

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Memphis aggressively enforces blight through Code Enforcement under Ordinance No. 5708 (International Property Maintenance Code) and the Environmental Court.

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (strict). See the full property maintenance guide for Memphis for details.

Rental Property Rules

Rental Registration: Memphis requires anyone operating a short-term rental to obtain a permit from the Division of Public Works before advertising or renting the property, under City Code § 5-44-5. The permit costs $300, expires after 365 days, and must display its number on every listing..

What to Do With This Information

If you are moving to Memphis, buying a home, or starting a project, use this as a starting point. Each category links to detailed pages with the full text, penalties, and FAQs. Verify anything time-sensitive with Memphis's city hall or code enforcement office.