Rutherford County and Murfreesboro do not limit short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Tennessee's STRU Act also grandfathers existing rentals, blocking local ordinances that would prohibit a property already used as a short-term rental.
There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence-only rule for short-term rentals in Rutherford County or Murfreesboro, so non-owner-occupied (investment) rentals are permitted. The Tennessee Short-Term Rental Unit Act strongly protects existing operators: T.C.A. 13-7-603(a) provides that a local ordinance or rule that prohibits or regulates STR use does not apply to a property that was already being used as a short-term rental before the rule was enacted. This 'legacy' protection means a city cannot retroactively force an established rental to become owner-occupied. Legacy status can end if the property is sold, transferred, sits unused as an STR for 30 continuous months, or racks up repeated violations.
No primary-residence penalty exists locally. Loss of legacy protection (via sale, 30-month gap, or repeated violations) is the main consequence tied to the state grandfather rule.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Rutherford County, TN
The county has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but the PAWS Rules make neglect and cruelty unlawful and let officers seize animals kept without adequ...
Rutherford County, TN
The county animal Rules (PAWS) contain no ban on feeding deer, birds, or other wildlife. Wildlife is regulated by the state Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agen...
Rutherford County, TN
Backyard composting is legal in Rutherford County and Murfreesboro; there is no mandatory residential organics-diversion program. A compost pile must not bec...
Rutherford County, TN
No Rutherford County or Murfreesboro ordinance bans residential artificial turf. Synthetic grass is generally allowed on private yards; development landscapi...
Rutherford County, TN
Neither Rutherford County nor Murfreesboro requires homeowners to plant native or drought-tolerant species. Landscaping and buffer plantings are required onl...
Rutherford County, TN
Neither Rutherford County nor the City of Murfreesboro restricts residential rainwater harvesting, and Tennessee places no ban on collecting rooftop rainwate...
See how Rutherford County's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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