Spring Hill, TN Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)

Spring Hill's short-term rental chapter reaches booking websites through the host, not through the website. Section 20-506(A) says that upon receipt of a short-term rental permit number, the applicant must display that number on any materials or platforms used to advertise the short-term rental. The permit is issued for a specific site location and/or address, so the number belongs to one property.

Section 20-509(A) then builds the enforcement side. Any violation of the chapter, including operating a short-term rental without first obtaining a permit, after failing to renew a permit, or after the revocation of a permit, is punishable by a civil penalty of $50 per violation, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. There is a rebuttable presumption that a person or entity is in violation if they list or hold out a property as a short-term rental without first obtaining a permit. The presumption also applies to dwellings featured on websites whose primary purpose is business related to short-term rental reservations. In practice, a listing on a reservation website is the city's evidence, and the host carries the burden of rebutting it, for example by producing the permit.

The text addresses the person or entity who lists the property. It sets the host's display and permit duties and does not state separate penalties for the website operator.

A permit can be lost. Before suspension, the Development Services Director issues a written warning, and the listed issues must be resolved within 30 days. Suspension then runs for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 90 days (§ 20-506(D)). A revocation can be appealed within ten business days to a public hearing of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and a revoked permit blocks a new application for one year (§ 20-506(E)). No property can operate as a short-term rental with its permit suspended or revoked (§ 20-506(F)).