Does Murfreesboro currently require a dedicated short-term rental permit?

No dedicated Murfreesboro STR permit chapter was found in the current City Code or Appendix A reviewed September 28, 2026. The May 8, 2025 Council minutes say the City then lacked STR regulations and directed staff to develop an ordinance and policy, so verify the current status before acting.

Does the absence of an STR ordinance mean every Murfreesboro home can be listed?

No. Zoning classification, building and fire safety, parking, nuisance, property maintenance, taxes, licenses, HOA rules, leases, mortgages, and insurance still apply. Obtain a parcel-specific City zoning answer.

How should I verify zoning for a Murfreesboro STR property?

Confirm the parcel is inside City limits, identify its zoning district, and submit the actual hosted or unhosted operating model through the City zoning inquiry process. Ask Planning to identify the applicable use classification and approval path in writing.

What business licenses may a Murfreesboro host need?

The City says businesses inside City limits generally need both City and Rutherford County business licenses, subject to published gross-receipts exceptions. Confirm the exact accounts and home-based-business review with both jurisdictions.

What occupancy taxes apply to a Murfreesboro short-term rental?

Official City and County pages each publish a 5% occupancy tax. Confirm both layers, taxable charges, exemptions, filing accounts, and whether a marketplace or the operator remits each booking channel.

Does Tennessee sales tax apply to short-term lodging?

Tennessee DOR says vacation lodging rented for fewer than 90 consecutive days is subject to sales tax, and required charges such as cleaning fees can enter the taxable sales price. Marketplace and direct-booking reporting responsibilities differ.

How does the 30-day Tennessee occupancy-tax rule work?

For stays beginning July 1, 2025 or later, Tennessee Notice 25-07 says the first 30 days in a short-term rental unit are subject to local occupancy tax even if the continuous stay exceeds 30 days; subsequent days are not. Confirm application to the booking with the collectors.

Does Rutherford County require STR property information?

The County Property Assessor publishes a residential/short-term-rental questionnaire asking about principal-residence status and rentals for less than 30 continuous days. Ask the Assessor what is required for the parcel and ownership structure.

What records should a Murfreesboro STR operator keep?

Keep zoning correspondence, licenses, tax registrations and returns, marketplace remittance reports, direct-booking records, assessor filings, insurance, safety and repair records, guest policies, and complaint responses.

Who should answer property-specific Murfreesboro STR questions?

Start with Murfreesboro Planning and Zoning, the City Tax Department, Rutherford County Clerk, Rutherford County Property Assessor, and Tennessee DOR. Use qualified Tennessee legal, tax, insurance, title, and inspection professionals for the transaction.

Murfreesboro, TN Airbnb Guide

Decision

Murfreesboro Short-Term Rental Investment Decision

Treat eligibility as a property-specific compliance question, not a market-wide assumption.

Treat legality as a parcel question — The City discussed an STR ordinance in May 2025, but no dedicated STR use or permit chapter appears in the current City Code or Appendix A reviewed September 28, 2026.
Do not mistake no dedicated ordinance for automatic approval — General zoning, building, fire, property-maintenance, parking, noise, nuisance, tax, and private-covenant rules still apply.
Price two local lodging taxes before measuring returns — Official City and County pages each publish a 5% occupancy tax; confirm which booking channel remits each layer.
Separate marketplace and direct-booking duties — Platforms may remit sales and local occupancy taxes on covered bookings, while direct reservations can shift registration, collection, and filing to the operator.
Underwrite only after written confirmations — A zoning inquiry, license review, assessor classification, and tax-channel confirmation are stronger evidence than a listing platform accepting the address.
Treat the deal as regulation-sensitive — Use a lower value or contractual exit if the economics require uninterrupted STR operation or assume an unadopted future rule.
Use legal bedrooms and realistic capacity — Exclude spaces that do not meet applicable sleeping-room, egress, utility, or safety requirements.
Stress-test the address, not a generic average — Use dated comparable listings, event-driven peaks, conservative seasonality, multiple rate and occupancy cases, and a viable long-term-rental fallback.

Legal status

Current Murfreesboro STR Rule Status

The City permits limited STR use incidental to a qualifying primary residence.

The May 8, 2025 workshop was policy direction, not a permit — Council minutes say the City then lacked STR regulations and directed staff to develop an ordinance and policy.
No adopted dedicated STR chapter was found — The current Municode code reviewed through Ordinance 26-O-08 and Appendix A revised through Ordinance 26-O-26 do not present a standalone STR use or permit program.
State law supplies the core residential STR definition — Tennessee defines an STR unit as a residential dwelling rented wholly or partly for less than 30 continuous days, distinct from statutory hotel and bed-and-breakfast categories.
Existing use claims need records — If future local rules invoke state legacy protections, listing history, booking statements, tax filings, and dated evidence may matter; do not assume grandfathering.
Private restrictions remain independent — HOA declarations, condominium documents, leases, mortgages, insurance policies, and deed restrictions can be more restrictive than public rules.
A platform listing is not government approval — Airbnb or Vrbo account acceptance does not establish zoning, license, tax, safety, or private-right compliance.

Sequence

Property Approval and Registration Sequence

Complete City registration and tax setup before advertising or hosting a qualifying stay.

Confirm municipal boundaries — Verify that the parcel is inside Murfreesboro rather than only carrying a Murfreesboro mailing address.
Request a zoning determination — Use the City zoning inquiry process and provide the parcel, proposed whole-home or room-rental model, stay length, occupancy, parking, and whether the host lives onsite.
Ask whether other lodging classifications apply — Appendix A separately lists bed-and-breakfast homestay, bed-and-breakfast inn, hotel, motel, and extended-stay uses; Planning should classify the actual proposal.
Register the business at both levels when required — The City says businesses inside city limits generally need City and Rutherford County licenses, subject to the published gross-receipts exceptions.
Complete tax and property-classification setup — Confirm City and County occupancy-tax accounts, Tennessee sales/business-tax duties, and the County Assessor STR questionnaire before the first stay.
Recheck immediately before purchase and launch — The 2025 Council direction makes future rule changes plausible; review the current code, agendas, and written staff answer again at each decision point.
Keep each approval in its lane — A license, tax account, assessor filing, or platform registration does not substitute for the City zoning determination.

Zoning

Parcel Zoning and Use Classification

The host’s presence controls the annual operating limit and contact obligations.

Start with the parcel zoning district — A street address alone does not establish whether a proposed lodging use is allowed.
Read the current use chart and endnotes together — Appendix A uses X for permitted-by-right uses, S for uses needing site-plan review and a special-use permit, and blanks for prohibited uses.
Do not self-select the closest lodging label — A residential STR is not automatically a bed-and-breakfast, rooming house, hotel, or motel; obtain the City interpretation.
Describe hosted versus unhosted operation — Owner presence, rooms offered, kitchen access, turnover pattern, and guest count can affect classification and code review.
Review property constraints beyond zoning — Parking layout, building and fire conditions, septic or utility capacity, subdivision covenants, and lender or insurer terms can stop an otherwise plausible plan.
Reconfirm after a use or layout change — Adding bedrooms, increasing guest capacity, moving parking, or switching between hosted and unhosted operation can change the facts staff reviewed.

Operations

Operating Duties Without a Dedicated STR Permit

Translate City operating standards into written guest and vendor procedures.

Follow generally applicable life-safety rules — Maintain lawful sleeping rooms, smoke and carbon-monoxide protection, safe exits, handrails, electrical systems, and posted emergency information.
Keep occupancy within the lawful physical layout — Do not derive guest capacity only from bed count; confirm bedroom legality, building limits, parking, and wastewater capacity.
Create a local response plan — Provide guests and neighbors a reachable contact who can address noise, parking, trash, safety, or lockout issues promptly.
Control parking and street impacts — Use onsite spaces represented during zoning review and do not assume public curb space belongs to the rental.
Apply nuisance and property-maintenance rules — A lack of an STR-specific chapter does not excuse excessive noise, trash, unsafe conditions, or other code violations.
Preserve operating evidence — Retain bookings, remittance reports, licenses, returns, inspection or repair records, complaints, and written agency guidance.
Disclose rules consistently — Align the listing, house rules, rental agreement, posted notices, insurance description, and agency filings with the same operating model.

Taxes

Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Tax Stack

Registration and payment of Murfreesboro transient occupancy tax are mandatory for STR stays.

Budget a 5% City occupancy tax — Murfreesboro publishes a 5% hotel/motel occupancy tax due on the twentieth day of the following month.
Budget a separate 5% County occupancy tax — Rutherford County’s STR page publishes a 5% occupancy tax and says Airbnb, Vrbo, and privately operated rentals are included.
Apply Tennessee sales tax rules — Tennessee DOR says vacation lodging rented for fewer than 90 consecutive days is subject to sales tax, including required fees in the taxable sales price.
Map duties by booking channel — A covered marketplace may collect and remit taxes on marketplace bookings; direct bookings can leave the owner or manager responsible.
Account for the post-July 1, 2025 thirty-day rule — Tennessee Notice 25-07 says the first 30 days of occupancy in an STR unit are subject to local occupancy tax even when the continuous stay exceeds 30 days; later days are not.
Confirm filing cadence with each collector — City and County pages publish monthly occupancy-tax procedures, while business and sales-tax duties follow separate thresholds and returns.

Licenses

Business Licenses and Property Classification

Registration does not replace continuing compliance with City standards or private agreements.

Plan for City and County business-license review — The City states businesses inside Murfreesboro generally need licenses from both jurisdictions unless an exception applies.
Use the published gross-receipts bands — The City identifies under $3,000 as an exception, $3,000–$99,999 as minimal activity, and $100,000 or more as standard business-license territory.
Budget the initial fees accurately — The City publishes a $15 initial license fee; the County STR page also describes a $15 initial County business license.
Address home-based-business review — The City directs home-based applicants to Planning for an additional form; ask how that process applies to the proposed hosted or unhosted rental.
File the Assessor questionnaire truthfully — Rutherford County’s residential/STR questionnaire asks whether the property is a principal residence and whether it is rented for less than 30 continuous days.
Do not treat licenses as land-use approval — Tax or business registration does not override zoning, building, safety, HOA, lease, lender, or insurance restrictions.

Risk

Enforcement and Change Risk

Complete parcel, dwelling, and operating-plan diligence before relying on prior listings.

Expect enforcement through general codes today — Planning, Building and Codes, police, fire, tax, and property-assessment functions can act within their existing authority.
A future STR ordinance remains possible — Council directed staff in 2025 to develop an ordinance and policy, so applicants should monitor agendas, minutes, ordinance archives, and code updates.
Document every agency answer — Record the office, staff member, date, parcel, described operating model, and written response; oral guidance is harder to defend.
Resolve complaints before they escalate — Repeated noise, trash, parking, occupancy, or safety problems can trigger inspections, citations, tax review, private enforcement, or platform action.
Model compliance interruption — Reserves should cover delayed approvals, rule changes, repairs, tax assessments, cancellations, or a temporary stop in operations.

Contacts

Murfreesboro Offices and Escalation Paths

Use the office responsible for each issue and keep written confirmations.

Planning and Zoning — Use the City zoning inquiry page for parcel-specific classification and current Appendix A interpretation.
Murfreesboro Tax Department — Confirm City business licensing and occupancy-tax registration, returns, marketplace treatment, and direct-booking duties.
Rutherford County Clerk — Confirm the County business license and County occupancy-tax registration and filing requirements.
Rutherford County Property Assessor — Confirm residential/STR questionnaire and property-classification obligations for the parcel.
Tennessee Department of Revenue — Confirm sales tax, business tax, marketplace reporting, and the current local occupancy-tax treatment.
Qualified local professionals — Use Tennessee legal, tax, insurance, title, inspection, and property-management advice for the actual ownership and operating structure.

Sources

Murfreesboro Official Sources

Recheck these official materials before applying, renewing, purchasing, or changing operations.

Is Murfreesboro, Tennessee Good for Airbnb Investment?

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Airbnb Investment Overview