Murfreesboro, TN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Section 17-1 of the Murfreesboro City Code sets the habitability floor for rental housing. It does not carve out rentals as a separate class. It reaches all existing residential and nonresidential structures, plus the equipment and systems inside them and the premises, structures and facilities around them, and it adopts the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code, including Appendix A, by reference. One copy is on file with the City Recorder. The text covers eight subjects: light, ventilation, space, safety from fire and other hazards, sanitation, occupancy, and use. The history line printed under the section lists Ord. No. 26-O-34, § 11, dated 9-3-26, as the most recent amendment.

Section 17-2 then rewrites parts of the model code for Murfreesboro. The Building and Codes Department is named as the administering agency, and fees and refunds are set by the City Council. Heating facilities under Sections 602.3 and 602.4 are tied to the period October 1 to April 30, and insect screens under Section 304.14 to April 1 to October 1. Furniture intended for indoor use cannot be stored or used outdoors, and parking motor vehicles on lawn or grass areas is not permitted. Premises identification under Section 304.3 applies to townhomes, single-family dwellings and duplex buildings. Windows not required for ventilation or emergency egress need not open, but every required egress window must carry a fire emblem or decal placed by the owner on the glazing. A listed and labeled recirculating bathroom fan does not have to discharge outdoors when installed per the manufacturer's instructions.

Exterior upkeep routes to the Weed and Refuse Ordinance, Sections 14-50 through 14-58. Under § 14-51, a tenant counts as the owner for that article unless the property is an apartment complex of five units or more. If the owner proves a written lease makes the tenant responsible, the tenant carries primary responsibility and the owner keeps secondary responsibility. Section 17-3 sends penalties to City Code § 1-8 and makes each day a violation continues a separate offense.