New Deal, TN

Tennessee sets no statewide short-term rental parking rule, so requirements come from local zoning. Gallatin requires a site plan showing guest parking with its STR permit; the county's suburban and lakeside lots generally offer ample driveway space.

Sumner County has no countywide occupancy cap; limits come from city rules where rentals are permitted. Gallatin caps a short-term rental at two guests per bedroom, not to exceed twelve people. Hosts are responsible for keeping guests within the limit.

A short-term stay in Sumner County owes Tennessee's 7% state sales tax, the 2.25% local option sales tax, and the county's 5% hotel/motel occupancy tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit on bookings; direct-booking hosts register with the county.

Neither Tennessee nor Sumner County mandates a specific liability-insurance amount for short-term rentals. Coverage is left to the host, but standard homeowner policies often exclude rental activity, so a commercial policy or rider is commonly needed.

Short-term rental rules in Sumner County are set by each city. Gallatin issues STR permits through its Planning Department; Hendersonville allows them only in commercial zones. State law protects owner-occupied and pre-existing rentals from local bans under Tenn. Code Ann. §13-7-603.

Sumner County has no rental-specific noise rule, so short-term rental guests follow the same limits as residents: each city's noise ordinance plus the state disorderly conduct law, Tenn. Code Ann. §39-17-305. Hosts remain responsible for guest behavior.

Sumner County restricts parking large commercial vehicles, semi-trailers, and heavy equipment in residential zones. Overnight storage of big trucks is prohibited, though a contractor's pickup or van for active work is generally fine. HOAs add limits.

Sumner County zoning limits where RVs, boats, and trailers may be stored on residential lots, and with Old Hickory Lake driving heavy boat ownership, storage pressure is real. HOAs, common in Hendersonville and Gallatin, often ban visible storage outright.

Sumner County expects residential vehicles on improved surfaces, not front lawns, with inoperable vehicles kept out of view. New driveways and widenings need permits meeting zoning setbacks, and HOA rules often go further.

Sumner County has no countywide overnight street-parking ban, and its warm winters mean no snow-removal restrictions. Individual city rules and HOAs, not the county, drive most overnight limits, and long-parked cars can be tagged abandoned.

Home EV charger installs in Sumner County need an electrical permit for the 240-volt circuit. Public charging is growing around Hendersonville and Gallatin, and newer commercial building codes push EV-ready parking spaces.

Sumner County treats unregistered, inoperable, or long-idle vehicles on streets or in open view as abandoned nuisances. After a notice period they can be tagged and towed. Cities and HOAs enforce their own stricter versions.

Tennessee sets no statewide time limit for street parking, so Sumner County and its cities set their own. Vehicles must stay clear of fire hydrants, crosswalks, and intersections, and mild winters mean no snow-emergency bans.

Gallatin requires a Fence Plan and permit from the Planning Department for any fence four feet or taller, and a building permit on top of that at seven feet. Shorter fences are exempt, and other Sumner cities issue their own permits.

Gallatin caps residential fences at four feet in the front yard and six feet in side and rear yards, with front fences no more than fifty percent opaque. Hendersonville and the other Sumner cities run similar limits, and lake-subdivision HOAs often matter more.

No Tennessee statute limits residential fence materials, so wood, vinyl, chain-link, and wrought iron are all lawful across Sumner County. Barbed wire and electric fence read as agricultural, and lake-subdivision HOAs frequently ban chain-link in front yards.

In Sumner County a retaining wall over four feet, measured bottom of footing to top, needs a building permit and usually engineered plans. Shorter walls are generally exempt, but drainage and setbacks still matter.

Every residential pool, spa, and hot tub in Sumner County must be enclosed by a barrier at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates. It is a building-code requirement checked at permit and inspection.

Tennessee's partition-fence law makes adjoining owners share the cost of a boundary fence, and a neighbor who ties into your fence owes a proportional share. It fits Sumner's northern farm country more than a lakefront subdivision.

Tennessee sorts wildlife into classes, and Class I animals, including big cats, bears, primates, and venomous snakes, are barred from private ownership except under narrow permits. Sumner County follows the state scheme through TWRA.

Sumner County has no general ban on feeding wildlife, but food left out draws coyotes and nuisance animals into the suburbs. Tennessee restricts deer feeding in disease-management areas, and TWRA discourages feeding that habituates wild animals.

Hendersonville allows up to four hens per single-family home with a permit, the coop fifteen feet from every property line and no roosters. Unincorporated northern Sumner County keeps poultry and livestock on agricultural land; HOAs and lot size are the real limits.

Tennessee does not preempt breed-specific laws, so cities and counties may ban breeds, and several Tennessee towns do. Sumner County, Gallatin, and Hendersonville regulate dogs by behavior, not breed, but the state leaves that door open.

Tennessee's at-large statute requires owners to keep dogs off the loose and under reasonable control. Gallatin and Hendersonville require dogs leashed off the owner's property, with strays impounded, and a third at-large offense in Hendersonville can mean impoundment.

Beekeeping is legal across Sumner County, but Tennessee requires every beekeeper to register apiaries with the Department of Agriculture, renewed every three years. City zoning adds placement rules, and the rural north is the most accommodating.

Rainwater harvesting is legal in Sumner County. Tennessee places no restriction on residential collection, so rain barrels and cisterns for garden and lawn use are fine. Only large plumbed systems or drinking-water use trigger permits or treatment.

Sumner County does not require a permit to trim or remove trees on your own residential lot. You may cut a neighbor's overhanging branches back to the property line. Landscaping and tree rules apply to development, not homeowners.

Tennessee has no statewide watering mandate, and Sumner County draws on Old Hickory Lake and the Cumberland River. Any lawn-watering limits come from your water provider, such as Gallatin Public Utilities or the White House Utility District, during drought.

In unincorporated Sumner County, removing trees from your own residential lot needs no permit. The county's landscaping and buffer standards apply to subdivisions and commercial development. Cities like Hendersonville, a Tree City USA, run their own tree programs.

Sumner County welcomes native and drought-tolerant landscaping. But Tennessee has no law stopping HOAs from requiring turf lawns, so private covenants in lake subdivisions may limit your plant choices more than any county rule does.

Artificial turf is allowed in Sumner County and residential installs rarely need a permit. Tennessee has no law barring HOAs from restricting synthetic turf, so your covenants, not the county, are the main constraint.

Unincorporated Sumner County sets no fixed grass-height limit. Under Tenn. Code Ann. §5-1-115 the county abates overgrowth only when it endangers health or safety. Cities like Gallatin and Hendersonville, plus lake-subdivision HOAs, set the yard standards most residents actually face.

Sumner County abates overgrown, weedy, or debris-filled lots in unincorporated areas under Tenn. Code Ann. §5-1-115, but only when conditions threaten health or safety. Enforcement targets vacant and nuisance parcels; cities and HOAs handle routine lawn upkeep.

In Tennessee, counties do zone unincorporated land. The Sumner County Zoning Resolution allows home occupations as an accessory use, while Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and White House run their own zoning inside city limits.

Caring for five or more unrelated children in your home requires a Tennessee DHS license, and Sumner County or city zoning also applies. A family child care home covers five to seven children.

Home occupations in Sumner County carry no outward sign of business. The county Zoning Resolution and the city ordinances in Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and White House bar commercial signage and displays in residential areas.

A Sumner County home occupation must not draw traffic beyond what a normal household generates. County and city zoning cap client visits, limit nonresident employees, and bar walk-in retail in residential areas.

The Tennessee Food Freedom Act lets Sumner County residents sell most homemade foods direct to consumers with no license, no inspection, and no revenue cap. State law controls, and the county adds no cottage-food permit.

Tennessee fixes no countywide decibel limit, so quiet hours come from each Sumner County city. Gallatin holds residential noise to 45 decibels between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. In unincorporated areas the Sheriff enforces the state disorderly conduct law, Tenn. Code Ann. §39-17-305.

Sumner County has no leaf-blower-specific rule, and Tennessee sets no statewide equipment ban. Gas and electric blowers are legal in Gallatin, Hendersonville, and across the county, subject only to general noise limits and each city's quiet hours.

No Tennessee statute sets construction hours, so they come from each Sumner County city. Gallatin bars construction and demolition between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Off-hours construction noise is also enforceable statewide as disorderly conduct under Tenn. Code Ann. §39-17-305.

Persistent barking in Sumner County is handled locally through city and county animal-control and nuisance rules, usually starting with a warning. In the unincorporated county the Sheriff responds, and extreme, sustained barking can be charged as disorderly conduct under Tenn. Code Ann. §39-17-305.

Amplified music in Sumner County is governed by each city's noise ordinance and the state disorderly conduct law. Gallatin holds amplified sound to 45 decibels near homes between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.; Old Hickory Lake boat and party noise is a frequent complaint.

Sumner County requires owners to keep lots free of overgrown brush and dead vegetation. Wildfire risk is modest in this rolling suburban-and-farm county, so enforcement centers on property maintenance and nuisance abatement rather than defensible-space mandates.

Sumner County has no mapped wildfire hazard zones and no mandatory defensible-space rules. Its rolling farmland, lakeside suburbs, and small towns carry low wildfire risk, so fire prevention relies on brush maintenance and seasonal burn permits.

Sumner County allows recreational backyard fires and fire pits across its suburban and rural neighborhoods. A contained fire under a spark screen needs no state burn permit, but drought burn bans and city fire codes still apply.

Consumer fireworks are legal in unincorporated Sumner County, but each city sets tight discharge windows. Gallatin allows them only July 1 to 4 and New Year's; Hendersonville and Portland limit them to narrow holiday hours too, so location matters.

Outdoor burning in Sumner County requires a Tennessee Division of Forestry permit from October 15 to May 15 for leaf and debris piles. Burning household garbage, tires, and treated wood is always prohibited, and city limits are more restrictive.

An in-ground pool in unincorporated Sumner County takes three steps: a $50 zoning compliance form, a $300 land disturbance permit, then a pool permit from Building & Codes in Room 208. Plans must meet setbacks and the adopted 2021 building code.

Every pool in unincorporated Sumner County must be enclosed by a barrier before it passes final inspection. Under the county's adopted 2021 building code, the barrier must stand at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Beyond the barrier, a Sumner County pool must meet Tennessee's Katie Beth's Law, which requires a pool alarm on any pool installed after January 1, 2011. The county's final inspection also confirms the alarm and a passed electrical inspection.

An above-ground pool deep enough to hold more than 24 inches of water needs a county pool permit in unincorporated Sumner County. The 2021 building code's barrier rules apply, though a 48-inch pool wall with a removable or lockable ladder can serve as the barrier.

A hot tub or spa in unincorporated Sumner County needs an electrical permit for its 240-volt, GFCI-protected circuit. A spa large enough to be treated as a pool falls under the same barrier and alarm rules. Contact your electrical provider for wiring permits.

Sumner County allows accessory dwelling units in any residential zone in connection with a single-family home, under Zoning Resolution Section 1101(R). By-right ADUs must be owner-occupied, at least 300 square feet, and limited in size; others need a Board of Zoning Appeals special exception.

In unincorporated Sumner County, a storage building over 200 square feet — including portable buildings on skids — needs a zoning permit. The fee is a flat $100 for 200 to 600 square feet, and a one-time site visit confirms setbacks. Smaller sheds are exempt.

Converting a garage into living space in unincorporated Sumner County means a building permit under the adopted 2021 residential code. If the conversion creates a second dwelling, it must meet the county's ADU rules in Section 1101(R), including owner-occupancy.

A detached carport in unincorporated Sumner County is an accessory structure that needs a permit from Building & Codes. The application requires a site plan showing distances to property lines, and the carport must meet the setbacks of your zoning district.

A tiny home's status in Sumner County depends on its foundation. On a permanent foundation it is a dwelling under the 2021 residential code; as a second unit it must meet the ADU rules in Section 1101(R). On wheels, it needs a special exception.

A food truck in Sumner County needs a food service permit from the Tennessee Department of Health, which runs the county health department, plus a business license and mobile-vendor permit from each city where it works.

Where a food truck may set up is a city decision inside Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and White House, and a county zoning matter on unincorporated land. Rules cover approved locations, hours, and distance from restaurants.

Sumner County issues no homeowner tree-removal permit. Tree protection is tied to development: subdivision and commercial projects must meet landscaping and buffer standards. Cities set their own rules, with Hendersonville the strictest as a Tree City USA.

Sumner County keeps no heritage or landmark tree registry, and neither do its cities. Tree protection is canopy- and development-based. Hendersonville's tree board champions public trees, but no ordinance designates specific private specimen trees.

Sumner County has no homeowner tree-replacement mandate. Replacement planting comes from development landscaping standards and from city ordinances. Hendersonville, a Tree City USA, sets minimum caliper sizes for required landscaping during site-plan review.

Door-to-door sales are licensed by each Sumner County city, not the county. Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and White House require commercial solicitors to register, pass a background check, and carry an ID badge.

Sumner County residents stop solicitors mainly by posting a no-soliciting sign; several cities also keep a no-knock list. A registered solicitor who ignores a posted notice or listed address can be cited.

Because Sumner County runs no countywide collection, bin placement follows your city or private hauler's instructions. Set carts out on collection day and bring them back promptly. Lake-area HOAs often add screening and setout rules.

Sumner County has no countywide curbside bulk pickup. Large items like furniture and appliances go through your private hauler or are self-hauled to the Resource Authority in Sumner County transfer station. Illegal roadside dumping is prosecuted as littering.

Recycling is voluntary in Sumner County. Tennessee sets no residential recycling mandate. Residents drop off recyclables at the Resource Authority's recycle convenience center at no charge, and some cities and private haulers offer separate recycling programs.

Sumner County government runs no countywide curbside trash service. Collection is handled city-by-city, so incorporated residents follow their municipality's schedule while unincorporated households hire a private subscription hauler or self-haul to the Resource Authority in Sumner County.

Snow is rare in the Nashville metro, and Sumner County imposes no routine sidewalk snow-clearing duty on residents. Owners are still expected to keep walkways clear of debris and obstructions under general nuisance rules.

Merchandise, tables, and signs from a Sumner County yard sale must be cleared promptly. Goods left in the yard or at the curb after the sale can become debris the county may order removed as a nuisance.

The unincorporated county has no countywide cart-screening ordinance, but letting waste pile up unsightly is a nuisance the county can abate. Cities and lake-area HOAs commonly require carts stored out of street view between pickups.

Sumner County can order removal of debris, overgrowth, and dilapidated conditions that endanger health or safety, and its zoning resolution bars inoperable or unregistered vehicles from residential districts. Owners get notice before the county abates and liens the cost.

Owners of vacant lots in unincorporated Sumner County must keep them free of overgrowth, accumulated debris, and dumped trash. Under Tennessee law the county can order cleanup after notice and lien the cost when owners don't comply.

Tennessee is landlocked, so no coastal law applies. Building near Old Hickory Lake, the Cumberland River, or its creeks triggers floodplain rules and federal Army Corps of Engineers permits.

Land disturbance of one acre or more in Tennessee needs a TDEC construction stormwater permit before work starts. Sumner County and its MS4 cities add local stormwater review to protect Old Hickory Lake.

Tennessee ties erosion control to its construction stormwater permit. A site disturbing one acre or more must keep sediment on-site under a stormwater pollution prevention plan enforced by TDEC.

Sumner County enforces FEMA floodplain standards through its flood damage prevention provisions. A development permit is required before building or filling in a mapped special flood hazard area.

Tennessee has no statewide grading permit. Earthwork disturbing one acre or more triggers a TDEC construction stormwater permit, and Sumner County reviews grading and drainage under its local rules.

Rooftop solar in Sumner County needs building and electrical permits plus a utility interconnection agreement. Power flows through TVA's local distributors, with limited buyback and no true retail net metering.

Tennessee has no strong solar-rights law voiding HOA bans. In Sumner County's lake subdivisions, an HOA may restrict or prohibit rooftop solar; the state only lets owners record solar easements.

Sumner County runs no rental registration or landlord-licensing program, and Tennessee has no statewide registry. A landlord owes the county no permit, filing, or per-unit fee to rent out a home. State URLTA duties still apply.

Neither Sumner County nor Gallatin, Hendersonville, or Portland can cap rent. Tenn. Code Ann. §66-35-102 bars every Tennessee local government from enacting rent control. Landlords set and raise rent at market rates.

Tennessee has no just-cause eviction law. In Sumner County a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without giving a reason, using the 30-day written notice under Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-512. The state URLTA governs here.

Sumner County does not regulate holiday decorations on residential property. No county permit is needed for lights, inflatables, or yard displays. Keep them clear of sight lines and the right-of-way, use outdoor-rated electrical, and follow any HOA rules.

Sumner County protects yard political signs. Its zoning resolution defers election signage to the Tennessee Freedom of Speech Act, Tenn. Code Ann. §2-7-143, which bars local limits on the shape or number of campaign signs on private property near an election.

Garage-sale signs count as temporary signs in Sumner County. The zoning resolution lets you post them on any residential lot, capped at 16 square feet, but bars them from the public right-of-way and requires removal within 48 hours.

Growing marijuana at home is illegal everywhere in Sumner County. Tennessee has no medical or recreational cannabis program, and cultivating any plant is an unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance under state law.

There are no cannabis dispensaries to zone in Sumner County. Tennessee licenses no marijuana retailers, so selling cannabis is a criminal offense statewide; only hemp products under 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC reach ordinary retail.

The unincorporated county requires no permit for a household yard sale; the zoning resolution lists it as a permitted accessory use on your own residential lot, subject to duration and frequency limits. Cities and HOAs may add their own rules.

Sumner County's zoning resolution caps residential yard sales at no more than four per year, with each sale lasting no more than three days in any ninety-day period. Exceeding that turns an accessory use into an unpermitted business.

Sumner County's zoning resolution sets no fixed opening and closing hours for yard sales, so daytime hours are customary. The real time limit is duration: no more than three days per sale within any ninety-day period.

In unincorporated Sumner County, the county Zoning Resolution fixes minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks district by district under Tenn. Code Ann. §13-7-101. Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and the other cities set their own inside city limits.

Sumner County's Zoning Resolution caps building height at 35 feet in its Agricultural Reserve, Rural Residential, and Suburban Residential districts, with mobile home community structures limited to 15 feet. Height is regulated under Tenn. Code Ann. §13-7-101. Cities set their own caps.

Sumner County's Zoning Resolution caps lot coverage by district: 20% for homes in the Agricultural Reserve and Rural Residential zones, 25% in Suburban Residential, and up to 50% for other uses, under Tenn. Code Ann. §13-7-101. Cities set their own limits.

Recreational drone flights follow federal FAA rules under 49 U.S.C. §44809: register drones over 250 grams, pass the free TRUST test, stay below 400 feet, keep visual line of sight. Tennessee bars drone surveillance of people or private property under Tenn. Code Ann. §39-13-903.

Commercial drone operators follow FAA 14 CFR Part 107: hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, register the aircraft, stay below 400 feet, keep visual line of sight. Tennessee's §39-13-903 surveillance limits still apply; Sumner County issues no drone license.

Tennessee sets a countywide child curfew by statute (Tenn. Code Ann. §39-17-1702): minors 17 to 18 must be off public places 11 PM to 6 AM on weeknights and midnight to 6 AM on weekends, with tighter hours for younger minors. Cities may add their own.

Sumner County parks, city parks, and the Corps of Engineers day-use areas around Old Hickory Lake close at posted hours, generally dawn to dusk or a fixed evening time. Being in a closed park after hours is criminal trespass under Tenn. Code Ann. §39-14-405.

Tennessee has no dark-sky statute, but Sumner County's Zoning Resolution (Section 1107) limits glare to 0.5 foot-candles at a residential district boundary or street right-of-way and requires site lighting to be shielded. Gallatin, Hendersonville, and Portland add city standards.

Sumner County's Zoning Resolution requires all site lighting to be shielded so directly emitted light stays within the property line, and caps glare at 0.5 foot-candles at a residential boundary. Single-family neighbors rely on city rules or a nuisance claim.