Nashville has no dedicated anti-harassment ordinance, so tenants rely on Tennessee URLTA retaliation prohibitions (TCA 66-28-514) and general civil claims for landlord harassment, lockouts, or utility shutoffs in Davidson County.
Unlike Los Angeles or Seattle, Nashville does not have a Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance with private right of action. Davidson County tenants must invoke TCA 66-28-514, which prohibits landlord retaliation within one year of a tenant complaint, code report, or organizing activity. Self-help eviction — changing locks, cutting utilities, removing belongings — is barred by TCA 66-28-504 and creates a cause of action for actual damages plus three months' rent. Tennessee preemption (TCA 66-35-101) constrains Metro from enacting broader local protections, though Council has periodically debated a habitability-tied harassment ordinance.
Self-help eviction triggers actual damages plus three months' rent or treble actual damages under TCA 66-28-504; retaliation within one year creates a defense to eviction and damages claim under 66-28-514.
Nashville, TN
Nashville does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Tennessee follows standard landlord-tenant law (T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 28) which allows landlords ...
Nashville, TN
Nashville requires short-term rental property (STRP) permits under Title 17, but does not have a general rental registration or licensing requirement for lon...
See how Nashville's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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