Rental Property Rules in Tennessee (2026)
23 rules on the books across Tennessee, 10 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Tennessee: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsTennessee's Short-Term Rental Unit Act limits how local governments can regulate vacation rentals and grandfathers…
Read full rule →Franklin
Significant RestrictionsFranklin requires short-term vacation rental owners to apply for a certificate of use and occupancy and keep a local…
Read full rule →Memphis
Significant RestrictionsMemphis requires anyone operating a short-term rental to obtain a permit from the Division of Public Works before…
Read full rule →Nashville
Significant RestrictionsLandlords with one or more dwelling units in Nashville and Davidson County must register with the department of codes…
Read full rule →Clarksville
Few RestrictionsClarksville runs no registration, licensing, or inspection program for long-term rentals. Only short-term rental units…
Read full rule →Williamson County
Few RestrictionsWilliamson County runs no rental registration or landlord licensing. There is no county registry, annual rental permit…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Tennessee: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsIn URLTA counties, Tenn. Code 66-28-304 requires landlords to comply with building and housing codes, make repairs to…
Read full rule →Chattanooga
Significant RestrictionsChattanooga makes it unlawful to rent or offer for rent any structure the Code Official has declared unsafe or…
Read full rule →Clarksville
Some RestrictionsClarksville's Property Maintenance Code bars anyone from occupying or renting out a dwelling unit that lacks a kitchen…
Read full rule →Franklin
Some RestrictionsFranklin has adopted the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code citywide, setting structural, sanitation, and…
Read full rule →Hendersonville
Some RestrictionsHendersonville requires landlords to supply heat every December through April, keeping habitable rooms, bathrooms, and…
Read full rule →Knox County
Some RestrictionsKnox County's 2018 International Property Maintenance Code amendments delete the model code's seasonal heating window…
Read full rule →Knoxville
Some RestrictionsKnoxville landlords may not rent or offer to rent any building that is unfit or dangerous, dilapidated, fire-hazardous…
Read full rule →Murfreesboro
Some RestrictionsMurfreesboro adopts the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code for all residential structures, setting minimum…
Read full rule →Nashville
Some RestrictionsMetro Nashville landlords must keep rental units safe, clean, and sanitary under Metro Code § 16.24.310, and must…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.