Straight answers for Memphis property owners.

Yes, in most cases. Since July 1, 2023, Memphis Ordinance 5631 has required a short-term rental permit for most non-owner-occupied properties. There are caps and spacing rules in some areas, and properties operating before the ordinance may have grandfathering signals worth checking before you buy. Do not assume a given property can be permitted as a short-term rental.

The permit is $300 to apply and $150 to renew each year. It runs on a 365-day, non-transferable term and is applied for through the city Accela portal. The ordinance also requires $1,000,000 in liability insurance and caps the permit at three bedrooms.

For tax year 2026, the deadline to file an appeal with the Shelby County Board of Equalization is June 30. In a countywide reappraisal year (the last was 2025), that window can be extended. You can file the appeal yourself for free; paid appeal firms typically charge 30% or more of your first-year savings.

After the 2025 reappraisal, the combined rate is roughly $5.27 per $100 of assessed value, built from the City of Memphis rate (about $2.58) and the Shelby County rate (about $2.69). Confirm the current certified rates with the county before relying on them.

Residential property is assessed at 25% of its appraised value, then taxed at the combined rate. A home appraised at $200,000 is taxed on $50,000 of assessed value, which at roughly $5.27 per $100 is about $2,635 a year. If the appraisal is too high, the appeal above is how you lower it.

It depends on the reason. For a curable lease violation, Tennessee law (TCA 66-28-505) gives the tenant 14 days to fix it before you can move forward, not the 30 days many templates wrongly cite. For nonpayment, the case proceeds to a detainer warrant in General Sessions Court. Timelines vary by court and circumstances. This is general information, not legal advice.

Tennessee caps residential late fees at 10% of the past-due rent, and a fee cannot apply until after a 5-day grace period (TCA 66-28-201). If the fifth day lands on a Sunday or legal holiday, no fee applies if the tenant pays the next business day.

Tennessee’s landlord-tenant act does not impose a general advance-notice requirement before a landlord enters. The one express 24-hour rule is for showing the unit to prospective tenants during the final 30 days of a tenancy (TCA 66-28-403). The common belief that 24 hours’ notice is always required is not Tennessee law.

Tennessee has no statewide source-of-income protection, so state and federal law do not require you to accept housing vouchers. Memphis passed a local ordinance, but a 2019 state law preempting cities has left its enforceability unsettled. Do not assume you either must or cannot consider vouchers without checking current local guidance.

Across the Memphis market, a typical short-term rental books around 197 nights a year at roughly a 54% median occupancy and about a $150 average nightly rate. Professionally managed, renovated homes run well above that. The most reliable answer is your specific address, which you can check with the live tool below.