Rent control rules in Chattanooga, TN — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Tennessee state law preempts all local rent control. Chattanooga cannot cap rents, regulate rent increases, or impose rent stabilization on private housing under TCA 66-35-101.
TCA 66-35-101 expressly bars Tennessee cities and counties from enacting any ordinance that would control the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property. The statute leaves no carve-out for Chattanooga, Hamilton County, or any local authority. Tenants facing rapid rent hikes have no municipal cap to invoke; remedies are limited to lease terms, fair-housing law, and nonprofit assistance. Chattanooga does fund affordable-housing trust programs and partners with developers on income-restricted units, but those are voluntary subsidy tools, not rent caps. Any future shift would require state legislative action.
Any local ordinance attempting to cap rent would be void and unenforceable; landlords could sue the city for declaratory relief and damages.
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See how Chattanooga's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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