Fire Regulations in Nashville, TN (2026)
5 verified fire regulations for Nashville, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Metro Nashville allows small recreational fires and outdoor fireplaces countywide, but recreational fires need a 25-foot setback from structures and a fire marshal permit.
Nashville Recreational Fire Pit Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.64.017
"Recreational fire" means the noncommercial burning of materials other than rubbish for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, or similar purposes...the total fuel area is not exceeding 3 ft. (0.9 m) in diameter and 2 ft. (0.6 m) in height. ...(c) Shall not be conducted within twenty-five feet of a structure or combustible material.
Fireworks
Metro Nashville bans selling, possessing for sale, or using any fireworks anywhere in Davidson County, unless the fire marshal issues a permit for a supervised public display.
Fireworks Ban in Nashville
Heavy RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.68.020
Except as hereinafter provided, no person, firm, partnership or corporation shall offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, keep with intent to sell at retail, or use or explode any fireworks in Davidson County; provided, that the fire marshal of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County may adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the granting of permits for supervi...
Outdoor Burning
Open burning of brush, leaves, and yard waste is prohibited in Davidson County under an EPA regulation in effect since the 1980s. Metro Nashville does not issue burn permits for residential yard waste.
Nashville Outdoor Burning Rules
Heavy RestrictionsNashville Fire Department FAQ
Can I get a burn permit to burn brush or leaves in my yard? No. Residents in Metro Nashville's Urban and General Services Districts have their brush and yard waste collected four times a year on a rotating schedule along 12 routes. Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) also offers free brush disposal at certain locations. See the NDOT website for details on...
Smoke Detectors
Metro Nashville's Fire Prevention Code requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, in the hallway outside sleeping areas, and on each story of homes, apartments, hotels, and dorms, regardless of occupant load.
Nashville Smoke Alarm Installation Requirements
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.64.012 (amending IFC § 907.2.11.2)
907.2.11.2 Groups R-2, R-3, R-4, and I-1. Single- or multiple-station smoke alarms shall be installed and maintained in Groups R-2, R-3, R-4, and I-1, regardless of occupant load in the following locations: 1. On the ceiling or wall outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms. 2. In each room used for sleeping purposes. 3. In each story within a dwellin...
Propane Storage
Metro Nashville regulates residential propane storage through the 2024 edition of NFPA 58, adopted wholesale into the Metro Code, with no separate local storage-distance or tank-size rules layered on top of the national standard.
Nashville Propane Storage Follows NFPA 58
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 16.16.190
The following sections and appendices are adopted and incorporated into this chapter as the technical section of the building code of the metropolitan government, by reference... A. The 2024 Edition of the Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases (NFPA 58), Sections 1-1 through 9-5.6 and Chapter 12, inclusive with Appendixes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I.