Nashville, TN Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum fine
- $50 per violation, per day
- ATM/bank buffer
- 25 feet in any direction
- Building entry buffer
- 10 feet from entrance or exit
- Banned hours
- After sunset, before sunrise
- Scope
- All of Davidson County
Summary
Metro Nashville bans aggressive panhandling, blocking, touching, or persisting after someone says no, and prohibits all panhandling near ATMs, bus stops, sidewalk cafes, and building entrances, or after dark.
"Aggressive panhandling" means:a.To approach or speak to a person in such a manner as would cause a reasonable person to believe that the person is being threatened with:(1)Imminent bodily injury; or(2)The commission of a criminal act upon the person or another person, or upon property in the person's immediate possession;b.To persist in panhandling after the person solicited has given a negative response;c.To block, either individually or as part of a group of persons, the passage of a solicited person;d.To touch a solicited person without the person's consent;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metro's Code (Title 11, Public Peace) defines aggressive panhandling as blocking a solicited person's path, touching them without consent, persisting after a refusal, using threatening conduct, or soliciting for unrequested vehicle 'services' like windshield washing. Even non-aggressive panhandling is banned within 25 feet of an ATM or bank entrance, at bus stops and sidewalk cafes, near daycare/education facilities, within 10 feet of any public building entrance, and citywide after sunset or before sunrise. Passive solicitation, standing or sitting with a sign, or performing music without a verbal ask, is exempt. The ordinance applies across Davidson County, not just the Urban Services District.
Violations & Fines
Violating Metro's general penalty schedule (§ 1.01.030), aggressive panhandling and panhandling-zone violations carry a fine up to $50; each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is passive panhandling legal in Nashville?
Where is all panhandling banned in Nashville, even if it's not aggressive?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee public conduct overview
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