Rutherford County, TN Ordinances (2026)

Cats fall under the same at-large, licensing, and rabies rules as dogs, but 'community cats' are exempt from the running-at-large prohibition. Every owned cat over three months needs a…

Dogs and cats may not run at large in unincorporated Rutherford County. Off the owner's property an animal must be leashed and controlled by a person able to restrain it. Violations…

Rutherford County has no breed-specific ban. Its dangerous-dog rules cannot label a dog dangerous based solely on breed. Truly dangerous dogs are regulated by behavior through General…

In unincorporated Rutherford County livestock is common and largely governed by zoning, but the PAWS Rules make it unlawful to let livestock run at large on streets or on another's…

The county has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but the PAWS Rules make neglect and cruelty unlawful and let officers seize animals kept without adequate food, water, shelter…

Unincorporated Rutherford County splits veterinary uses in two: large-animal veterinary services need a Board of Zoning Appeals special exception in the AR and RL districts, while…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, temporary non-commercial signs, including political and campaign signs, may be posted on any residential lot at any time. On lots of five acres or…

Garage and yard-sale signs are temporary signs under Section 1206 of the Rutherford County Zoning Ordinance. They must be removed within 48 hours of no longer serving a purpose, cannot…

Ground signs facing I-24 in unincorporated Rutherford County get their own category under Zoning Ordinance Section 1205 B.3.g: one Interstate On-Site Ground Sign per lot, up to 200…

Window signs in unincorporated Rutherford County don't need a sign permit, but Zoning Ordinance Section 1205 A.7 caps their total area at 25 percent of the window or glass door they're…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, electronic message signs are regulated as automatic changeable copy under Zoning Ordinance Section 1205 G, not banned outright. The county requires…

Converting a detached garage or accessory building into living space in unincorporated Rutherford County is treated as creating an accessory dwelling unit. It is allowed only where the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is allowed by-right in any residential district on a lot of at least one acre, with only one ADU per single-family…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a shed and other detached accessory structures must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear property lines, stay out of the front yard unless the…

There is no separate tiny-home rule in unincorporated Rutherford County. A permanent tiny dwelling is regulated either as a single-family home or, on a lot with an existing house, as…

Rutherford County won't let you rent an accessory dwelling unit to just anyone. Zoning Ordinance § 1101 Q.2.a requires the ADU to be occupied by the owner's family members, as the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, an accessory dwelling unit is not investment property: Zoning Ordinance § 1101 Q.1.a requires the property owner to actually live in either the…

Adding an accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated Rutherford County triggers a county development tax under Zoning Ordinance § 1101 Q.1.d, on top of a recorded use covenant and extra…

The Rutherford County Zoning Ordinance defines light trespass as light from an outdoor luminaire that shines beyond the property at a brightness exceeding 0.1 foot-candles at the…

Rutherford County has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but its zoning performance standards require all site lighting to be shielded so that substantially all directly emitted light falls…

Off-premise billboards along I-24 in unincorporated Rutherford County must use external lighting only, with no internal illumination, under Zoning Ordinance Section 1205 B.3.i.v. The…

Before renting, you must obtain an initial business license through the Rutherford County Clerk (and your city) and register for state and local taxes. Airbnb, VRBO, and privately…

Rutherford County hosts owe three taxes: state business tax on gross receipts, state and local sales tax, and a 5% occupancy (hotel/motel) tax paid monthly to the county and city…

Unincorporated Rutherford County's Tall Weeds and Grass Ordinance keeps grass and weeds below fifteen inches on lots of two acres or less and within 25 feet of any street. Inside the…

Rutherford County and its water providers have not imposed mandatory watering restrictions; conservation is voluntary. Tennessee sets no statewide homeowner watering ban. During…

Once a tree in unincorporated Rutherford County is designated on an approved tree preservation plan, Zoning Ordinance Section 1104 G.3 requires a 3-foot minimum protective barricade…

Backyard burning is allowed in Rutherford County for natural yard debris only. From October 15 to May 15 you need a free Division of Forestry permit, one person must stay at the fire…

In Rutherford County you may burn natural wood debris outdoors, but from October 15 through May 15 you must first get a free permit from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture…

Tennessee sets no wildfire defensible-space or brush-clearance mandate for homeowners in Rutherford County. Overgrowth is handled as a nuisance/high-grass matter, and any cleared brush…

Fireworks sales tents in unincorporated Rutherford County need a Board of Zoning Appeals temporary use permit under Section 1101 M.5, allowed only in commercial or industrial districts…

Every residential pool in unincorporated Rutherford County must be enclosed by a barrier at least four feet high. Tennessee follows the 2018 IRC Appendix G, requiring a 48-inch barrier…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, any swimming pool, hot tub, or spa holding more than 24 inches of water needs a building permit from County Building Codes, and the owner signs a…

Unincorporated Rutherford County's Table 1 sets residential setbacks by district: AR requires a 50-foot front, 20-foot rear and 10-foot side yard, tightening to a 30-foot front and…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, the maximum building height is 35 feet in the AR, RL, and RM residential districts (45 feet in RMF Multi-Family). Accessory structures also may not…

Unincorporated Rutherford County caps how much of a lot a building can cover by district: 20% for residential uses in the AR and RL districts and 40% flat in the RM district, per Table…

Retaining walls are allowed within required yards in all Rutherford County zoning districts as a permitted obstruction, provided they do not impede the vision triangle or block natural…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, residential fences may not exceed 8 feet in side and rear yards. Front-yard fences may reach 8 feet only if of transparent construction (split…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, the Zoning Ordinance bans barbed wire, razor wire, concertina wire and electrified fencing on residential property, along with plywood, scrap…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, the lot owner or the neighborhood Home Owners Association owns every foot of sidewalk fronting the property, not the County. Subdivision…

New sidewalks built in unincorporated Rutherford County subdivisions must stay clear of utility poles, fire hydrants, mailboxes, sign posts and other street furniture unless the County…

Unincorporated Rutherford County's AR Agricultural Residential district protects farming outright: crop and animal raising is a permitted use, farm buildings are exempt from the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a development permit is required before any grading, filling, or construction begins in a Special Flood Hazard Area. New structures must be…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, new homes and substantially improved residences in AE flood zones must have their lowest floor built at least 3 feet above the Base Flood…

New development in unincorporated Rutherford County must hold post-development runoff to pre-development rates for storms up to a 50-year event, per Subdivision Regulations Article III…

Construction plans for any new subdivision in unincorporated Rutherford County must include a grading, drainage and erosion and sediment control plan reviewed by the County Engineer…

Unincorporated Rutherford County requires both a zoning compliance form from the Planning Director and a building permit from the Director of Building Codes before any structure is…

A child care center in unincorporated Rutherford County must provide an on-site loading and unloading area so parents' vehicles never back onto a street or sidewalk, and must show…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a private home may care for up to four children without a state license as a by-right accessory use under Zoning Ordinance Section 403 A.2.i…

Rutherford County caps client traffic at a minor home-based business under Section 1101 N.2.e: no more than 5 customer or client visits in any single day, and no more than 2 customers…

Section 1101 N of the Zoning Ordinance lets a home-based business operate inside a residential dwelling or its accessory building in unincorporated Rutherford County, but bars any…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a major home-based business approved by special exception may post only one sign, capped at five square feet, and it must be attached to the…

Any landscaping plan filed with unincorporated Rutherford County cannot include a tree species on the Planning Department's "do not plant tree list" under Zoning Ordinance Section 1104…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, outdoor HVAC equipment counts as a permitted yard obstruction under Section 1101 C.2.e only if it sits at least 18 inches from the property line…

Unincorporated Rutherford County bars any adult entertainment activity within 1,000 feet of a residential or institutional district, a residential or community facility lot, a beer or…

Rutherford County bans automobile and vehicle repair as a home-based business in unincorporated areas. Zoning Ordinance § 1101 N.2.f lists it among activities the Planning Director…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, Zoning Ordinance Section 1106 caps sound at the property line under a Table of Maximum Permitted Sound Levels keyed to the adjacent land use and…

Rutherford County's Zoning Ordinance doesn't set a fixed construction-hours window for the unincorporated area; instead Section 1106 B.2.d exempts construction equipment from the…

Rutherford County's Zoning Ordinance sets a hard curfew on amplified sound at any outdoor performance held under a temporary use permit: Section 1101 M.3 bars amplified music or plays…

Any building in unincorporated Rutherford County built for industry, business or trade that receives or distributes goods must provide its own off-street loading space, sized by the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, how many recreational vehicles, boats, ATVs, and trailers you can keep outside is capped by lot size under Zoning Ordinance § 1101 O.2: one item on…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a minor subdivision of up to three lots off a private street or road easement can skip full Subdivision Regulations compliance only if the…

Unincorporated Rutherford County has no general county-wide rodent ordinance, but the Zoning Ordinance requires every mobile home community to stay free of litter and debris that could…

Unincorporated Rutherford County caps a yard sale of household items or home-grown produce at three days within any 90-day period, and no more than four sales a year per property…

A carnival, circus or street fair on unincorporated Rutherford County land needs a Board of Zoning Appeals temporary use permit issued as a Special Exception. Section 1101 M.1 caps…

Anyone who sees a zoning violation in unincorporated Rutherford County can file a written complaint with the Director of Building Codes under Zoning Ordinance Section 1410 A. The…