Accessory Structures in Tennessee (2026)

Hendersonville allows one accessory apartment or detached accessory dwelling on a single-family lot under Zoning…

Knox County's own zoning ordinance defines a garage apartment as a dwelling unit built above a private garage, but…

Murfreesboro permits one accessory apartment per single-family lot only through a Board of Zoning Appeals special use…

Metro requires detached ADUs be owner-occupied and capped at 700-850 square feet by lot size, permitted only in the…

Sullivan County generally limits a lot to one principal structure, but Section 3-103.6(5) carves out Accessory Dwelling…

Chattanooga allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-unit detached lot, capped at 800 square feet, with detached…

Detached accessory dwelling units in Franklin may proceed to building-permit stage, but the owner must sign a parkland…

Hamilton County allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot in unincorporated areas under Resolution No…

Knoxville allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot of at least 5,000 square feet, capped at 40% of the…

Memphis and Shelby County zoning allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot, but a lot under 7,000 square…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is allowed by-right in any residential district…

In unincorporated Shelby County, the Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code allows one accessory dwelling…

Sumner County allows accessory dwelling units in any residential zone in connection with a single-family home, under…

Williamson County allows one accessory dwelling unit per parcel, built as an interior apartment or as a separate or…

Adding an accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated Rutherford County triggers a county development tax under Zoning…

Franklin, Tennessee requires the owner of a single-family lot to permanently occupy the property before an accessory…

Hamilton County requires the property owner to live on site before adding an accessory dwelling unit. Section 304 of…

Hendersonville requires the property owner to actually live in the principal home or the accessory unit at least 75…

Knoxville's zoning code requires the property owner to occupy one of the two dwelling units whenever an accessory…

Metro Nashville limits each lot to one detached accessory dwelling unit, requires it to share ownership with the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, an accessory dwelling unit is not investment property: Zoning Ordinance § 1101…

Hendersonville will not let an accessory apartment or detached accessory dwelling become a market rental. Zoning…

Hamilton County flatly prohibits renting an accessory dwelling unit as a short-term vacation rental. Section 305 of…

Metro Nashville bars newly built or converted detached accessory dwelling units on single-family, RN-, or RL-zoned lots…

Rutherford County won't let you rent an accessory dwelling unit to just anyone. Zoning Ordinance § 1101 Q.2.a requires…

Detached carports in Chattanooga must sit at least five feet off every lot line, stay out of the required front or…

Franklin caps a shed, workshop or greenhouse at 200 square feet as a "minor accessory structure" under Zoning Ordinance…

In unincorporated Hamilton County, a detached shed or accessory building cannot cover more than a third of the rear…

Hendersonville allows detached sheds under 400 square feet to sit as close as 5 feet from rear and side lot lines if…

A carport in unincorporated Knox County is an accessory structure. It cannot extend into the front yard, must keep an…

Detached accessory structures like sheds in Knoxville are capped at 18 feet tall, need a 5-foot setback from every lot…

Memphis and Shelby County zoning keeps sheds and other accessory structures at least 5 feet from side and rear property…

Detached sheds and accessory structures in Murfreesboro's residential districts must sit at least 5 feet from side and…

Metro Nashville caps rear-yard accessory buildings under 40,000-square-foot lots at 850 square feet (or half the…

In unincorporated Rutherford County, a shed and other detached accessory structures must sit at least 5 feet from side…

In unincorporated Shelby County, the Unified Development Code treats carports as accessory structures. A detached…

In unincorporated Sullivan County, a detached shed or accessory structure must sit at least eight feet off the side and…

In unincorporated Sumner County, a storage building over 200 square feet, including portable buildings on skids, needs…

Williamson County sizes sheds and other accessory structures by lot area. On parcels of one acre or less, a shed must…

Franklin, Tennessee lets homeowners convert an existing garage or other accessory structure into an accessory dwelling…

Hamilton County lets homeowners legally convert an existing garage into an accessory dwelling unit under Resolution No…

Converting a garage into living space in unincorporated Knox County must keep the lot to one dwelling and cannot create…

Converting an attached garage or detached garage to living space in Nashville requires a building permit. Converting a…

Converting a detached garage or accessory building into living space in unincorporated Rutherford County is treated as…

Converting a garage to living space in unincorporated Shelby County is governed by the Unified Development Code. If it…

Converting a garage into living space in unincorporated Sumner County means a building permit under the adopted 2021…

Metro Nashville allows tiny homes only as Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) on a permanent foundation, capped…

The Knox County Zoning Ordinance has no separate tiny-home category. A tiny home is treated as a dwelling, and the…

There is no separate tiny-home rule in unincorporated Rutherford County. A permanent tiny dwelling is regulated either…

Unincorporated Shelby County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house is regulated by the Unified…

A tiny home's status in Sumner County depends on its foundation. On a permanent foundation it is a dwelling under the…