Clarksville, TN Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Sec. 5-311(d) caps a short-term rental's occupancy at whatever number is written on its operating permit and bars simultaneous rentals to more than one party under separate contracts, closing off a common workaround of renting bedrooms or floors to different renters on the same dates. That occupancy figure isn't picked by the owner: Sec. 5-305(b) requires the Clarksville Fire Rescue Department to determine the maximum occupancy of transient guests as part of the mandatory fire and life-safety inspection every short-term rental undergoes before its permit issues, and the number is annotated on the inspection form alongside the pass/fail result.

Sec. 5-311(a) backs the occupancy cap with mandatory life-safety equipment for every unit regardless of size: a UL 217 smoke alarm inside each sleeping room and within 15 feet of sleeping rooms and on every story including basements, a carbon monoxide detector within 15 feet of all bedrooms, and a working fire extinguisher. Sec. 5-311(e) adds an age floor, requiring the principal renter to be at least 18. Because the occupancy number is set at inspection and printed on the permit itself, exceeding it is a straightforward code violation rather than a judgment call, and a new inspection is required any time an owner wants the printed number reconsidered.