NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In February, 2015, Metro Council Members passed the first of what would soon be several ordinances that applied to short-term rental properties. Ordinance No. BL2014-909 created zoning requirements for the properties and made property owners apply for permits. We dug through the Metro permit data compiled since 2015 to see how much short-term rentals have grown over the last five years.
This map breaks down where short-term rental permits have been issued. Among the more than 9,600 permits issued by Metro Codes, there are several different classifications.
There are currently 5,963 issued permits, which are are permits that have been processed and are currently active. Permits need to be renewed every year. If they are not renewed, they are listed as expired. A codes spokesperson said revoked or canceled permits are permits that were issued in error for some reason. Permits listed as hold means there is some issue with the permit, like a returned check.
Pending permits are not shown on the map, but are permits that have not yet been processed by Metro.
One permit in the data was mistakenly listed as active. "Active typically is not used for short term rentals," Metro Codes Department Zoning Chief Emily Lamb told NewsChannel 5 via email. "Within Codes we use it as a status for contractor’s licenses. The Water Department, Stormwater Department, and Planning Department also use it, but I am not sure in what capacity."
To no one's surprise, short-term rental permits are the most common in the Gulch with a whopping 1,858 in its 4.2 square miles. East Nashville follows behind with 1,301 permits. The map counts all permits, including those which have expired, been canceled or are pending.
This graph shows when short-term rental permits have been requested. Once again, the permits are broken down by status. The months with the most permits issued were December, 2017 and December, 2018. In this bar graph and the map above, some short-term rental permits are missing because Metro Codes did not include a "date issued" in their data. Many of those permits are listed as expired.