Chattanooga does not require the host to be physically on-site during every stay, but it draws the key line between homestay rentals (the owner's own primary residence) and absentee rentals (no resident owner). Absentee rentals without an on-site host are confined to commercial hotel-zoned properties.
A homestay is tied to owner residency rather than round-the-clock presence: the property must be the applicant's primary residence occupied at least 183 days a year, and homestays may operate in residential zones within the STVR Homestay Overlay. Rentals with no resident owner are treated as absentee and are pushed into commercial zones that already permit hotels. Hosts of either type are generally expected to designate a local responsible party who can be reached and respond to problems. Unincorporated Hamilton County sets its own presence and zoning standards through its 2023 STVR regulations.
Running an absentee-style, non-resident rental in a residential zone reserved for homestays is a zoning violation subject to certificate revocation and enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Chattanooga encourages backyard composting and offers free mulch and compost to city residents. No ordinance bans a tidy home compost pile. The city collects...
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No Hamilton County or Chattanooga ordinance specifically bans or requires a permit for residential artificial turf. In required landscape areas of developmen...
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Neither Hamilton County nor Chattanooga requires homeowners to plant native species, and there is no ban on turf lawns. Native and pollinator plantings are e...
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Rainwater harvesting is legal in Tennessee with no state permit or volume limit for non-potable uses like irrigation. Chattanooga actively encourages it, eve...
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Tennessee has no statewide homeowner lawn-watering ban, and neither Hamilton County nor Chattanooga imposes fixed watering days. During drought, Tennessee Am...
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Chattanooga treats weeds like tall grass: grass, underbrush, or weeds must be kept under 10 inches. Overgrown lots are tagged as public nuisances by Code Enf...
See how Hamilton County's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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