Animal Ordinances in Nashville, TN (2026)
13 verified animal ordinances for Nashville, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Metro Nashville requires a $25 annual permit from the department of health to keep domesticated hens outside agricultural-zoned land, and a separate livestock permit for cattle, sheep, horses or goats within 1,000 feet of a residence in the Urban Services District.
Nashville Backyard Chicken and Livestock Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.12.020(C)
C. An annual permit issued by the department of health shall be required for the keeping of domesticated hens where allowed by Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code, provided that no permit shall be required for property that is zoned for agricultural uses except in the case of a school property as authorized by subsection N. of this section.
Dog Leash Laws
Metro Nashville bars letting any dog or other animal run at large; owners must keep it on their own property or physically restrain it off-premises, with fines starting at $50 per animal.
Nashville Leash and Animals-at-Large Law
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.04.120
No person owning or having possession, charge, care, custody, or control of any animal shall cause, permit, or allow the animal to stray or in any manner to run at large.C.Any person owning or having possession, charge, care, custody, or control of any animal which destroys or desecrates public or private property, chases persons, livestock, cars, or other vehicles, or otherwise causes a distur...
Breed Restrictions
Metro Nashville does not ban specific dog breeds: a dog becomes "vicious" under Metropolitan Code Chapter 8.08 only after it bites, seriously injures, or kills without provocation, or is kept for dogfighting, triggering mandatory confinement and court oversight.
Nashville Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws §§ 8.08.010, 8.08.030
"Vicious dog" means any dog which attacks and bites, or which seriously injures or kills, a person or animal on any public or private property without provocation; any dog previously declared vicious in a court of law; or any dog owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor a vicious dog within the area of the ...
Exotic Pets
Metro Nashville bans keeping wildlife, Class I and IV species plus pumas, cougars, cheetahs and wolves, as pets without a $50 certificate approved by the Metro Council; the ban does not reach lots of three acres or more.
Nashville Bans Keeping Wild Animals as Pets
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws §§ 8.16.010, 8.16.020
"Wildlife" means any Class I or Class IV wildlife as classified by Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 70-4-403, and shall also mean pumas, cheetahs, cougars and wolves. ... It is unlawful for any person to possess wildlife on or about their premises within the area of the metropolitan government except as provided in this chapter. ... the provisions of this chapter shall not be applicable for an...
Pet Limits
Metro Nashville bars keeping more than five companion animals if their owner shows general disregard for their conditions, denying food, water, shelter, or care.
Nashville Animal Hoarding Law
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.12.080
No person may possess, lodge, or maintain over five companion animals if such a person displays a general disregard for the conditions under which the animals are living, including, but not limited to, failing to provide all of the following to all of the companion animals in his care: adequate food, water, shelter, and care. A person in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Cat Rules
Metro Nashville requires owned cats over six months to be rabies-vaccinated and licensed through the Health Department, but community cats fed by neighborhood caregivers are exempt from licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large rules entirely.
Nashville Cat Licensing and Community Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.04.010
"Community cat" means any free roaming cat that may be cared for by one or more residents of the immediate area. Community cats are exempt from any licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large provisions directed towards owned animals. "Community cat caregiver" means a person who provides care, including food, shelter, or medical care to a community cat, while not being considered the owner, ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Metro Nashville courts must order pet sterilization after a second cruelty or companion-animal-hoarding conviction, not a blanket citywide spay/neuter law.
Nashville Mandatory Spay/Neuter Court Order
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws §§ 8.12.030(G)(4), 8.12.080(C)(5)
Upon conviction for animal cruelty, the court may order that the person do any or all of the following:1.Be precluded from owning, harboring, or having custody or control of companion animals for a period of time that the court deems reasonable.2.Participate in available animal cruelty prevention program(s) and/or educational program(s) operated or approved by the metro animal control division ...
Microchipping
Nashville doesn't require pet owners to microchip their animals. Metro Animal Control can implant a microchip in any impounded dog before release, billed to the owner, and Metro General Sessions Court can order a vicious dog microchipped or tattooed for identification as a release condition.
Nashville Pet Microchipping Rules
Light RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.04.140(D)
The director of health is also authorized to have a veterinarian humanely implant any animal lawfully impounded with an electronic microchip that will allow the animal to be positively identified, which shall be at the owners or possessor's sole expense, before being released back into their custody. The impoundment and boarding fees authorized pursuant to this section shall be set and approve...
Pet Store Rules
Metro Nashville pet stores can only sell dogs and cats obtained from an animal care facility or a nonprofit rescue, never from a breeder or broker, and no animal under eight weeks old goes up for sale.
Nashville Pet Store Dog and Cat Sale Rules
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.30.020
A.A pet store may offer for sale only those dogs and cats that the pet store has obtained from or displays in cooperation with:1.An animal care facility, as defined in this chapter; or2.An animal rescue organization, as defined in this chapter.B.A pet store shall not offer for sale a dog or cat that is younger than eight weeks old.C.Each pet store shall maintain records sufficient to document t...
Pet Groomer Rules
Metro Nashville's home-occupation rules expressly exclude animal grooming activities, so a pet groomer cannot run a grooming business out of a house or accessory building, even by appointment only.
Nashville Bans Home-Based Pet Grooming
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 17.16.250(D)(5)(c)
c. The following are not permitted as home occupations regardless of whether customer visits are allowed: i. The manufacture or repair of automobiles and other transportation equipment. ii. The repair of equipment that takes place outdoors. iii. The outdoor storage of construction, scrap, or salvage materials. iv. Animal grooming activities.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Metro Nashville caps veterinary clinics at 4,000 square feet of building footprint and requires outdoor exercise yards to be fully fenced, used only 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and buffered from adjacent residential zones.
Nashville Veterinary Clinic Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 17.16.060(B)
B. Veterinarian. The building footprint of veterinary offices and facilities shall be limited to four thousand square feet. The following shall apply: 1. Animal boarding shall occur within completely enclosed structures. 2. Landscape Buffer Yard. Outdoor exercise yards shall be completely fenced and used only between seven a.m. and seven p.m. Where such outdoor activities abut a residential zon...
Bird Protection
Metro Nashville makes it unlawful to kill or attempt to kill any bird, game or nongame, except English sparrows, or squirrels in public parks and cemeteries under Metropolitan Code of Laws § 8.20.170.
Nashville Bird Protection in Parks
Heavy RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.20.170
It is unlawful for any person to kill or attempt to kill any bird, game or nongame (except English sparrows), squirrels or any other animal, in any of the public parks (including the Custom House Park and the Capitol Hill Park) or in any of the cemeteries, public or private.
Wildlife Rescue Permits
Metro Nashville requires a $50 certificate from the health department to possess wildlife like Class I or IV species, pumas, cougars, or wolves, but animal rehabilitation centers, zoos, and schools are exempt and need no certificate.
Wildlife Rescue Permits in Nashville
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 8.16.030
The provisions of this chapter shall not prohibit the possession of wildlife by zoos, transient circus acts, schools, colleges, educational and research institutions and animal rehabilitation centers; and no certificate shall be required.