Nashville

Metro Planning Approves Boarding House Definition Fix 7-0

Metro Planning Commission on Sept. 24, 2026, approved proposal 2026Z-015TX-001 / BL2026-1520 revising the Zoning Code definition of “boarding house,” 7-0, with the Council public hearing scheduled for Oct. 6, 2026.

Tracy King

28 Sep 2026 • 5 min read

Metro Planning Commission on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, approved proposal 2026Z-015TX-001 — Council Bill BL2026-1520 amending Chapter 17.04 of the Metropolitan Code to revise the definition for “boarding house” within the Zoning Code. The Action Agenda records MPC Action: Approve. (7-0). Staff’s report states the proposed text amendment passed on first reading at the Aug. 18, 2026, Metro Council meeting and that the public hearing at Council is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2026.

For Nashville and Davidson County homeowners, this is a definition-and-enforcement file — not a map change on a named lot and not an expansion of where boarding houses are allowed. Staff states boarding houses are only permitted in multi-family residential, mixed use, office/residential, Core Frame (CF), and downtown zoning districts, and are not permitted in Single-Family or One- and Two-Family Residential zoning districts. The proposed legislation does not make changes to the zoning districts where this use is permitted.

What BL2026-1520 changes in the definition

Staff describes the amendment as removing language that describes occupants as requiring shared lodging along with personal services, supervision, or rehabilitative services. The revised definition focuses solely on the temporary accommodation of persons or families in a rooming unit, whether services are provided or if compensation is received.

The ordinance text in the staff report replaces the definition with: “Boarding house” means a residential facility or a portion of a residential dwelling unit for the temporary accommodation of persons or families in a rooming unit, whether for compensation or not.

Staff’s analysis says the presence of “services” language in the existing definition created a loophole allowing operators to avoid boarding house classification by asserting that no services are provided, even when the property otherwise functions as a boarding house — a residential structure providing room-by-room rentals on separate leases. Clarifying the definition improves consistency with longstanding Codes Department practice and helps ensure boarding-house uses do not function as de facto short-term rental properties outside the established STRP permitting framework.

Why the enforcement gap matters to nearby sellers

Boarding houses permit owners to rent out multiple rooms to tenants on separate leases. Staff contrasts that with Short Term Rental Properties (STRPs), defined by short-term (30-day or shorter) leases during which the entire structure is rented to one party. Boarding houses fall under the International Building Code (IBC), which requires more robust life-safety standards (sprinklers, accessibility) than the International Residential Code (IRC) used for single-family homes.

Within Metro’s existing framework, staff notes the definition of “family” allows up to eight unrelated individuals in rehabilitative settings and up to four or five unrelated individuals in typical roommate situations depending on bedroom count and subject to occupancy limitations. Those arrangements remain single-family uses when occupants share one lease, but separate leases constitute a boarding house.

Keep this countywide text file separate from parcel SPs already on the Kings desk such as Metro Sets Sept. 24 on Gallatin Pike Dutch Bros PUD Amendment and Metro Approves McFerrin SP Amendment for 12 DADUs 8-0.

Field	Staff / action language
Proposal / bill	2026Z-015TX-001 / BL2026-1520
Sponsor	Councilmember Emily Benedict
MPC action (Sept. 24, 2026)	Approve (7-0)
Council first reading	August 18, 2026 (passed)
Council public hearing	October 6, 2026 (scheduled)
What changes	Removes “services / supervision / rehabilitative” clause from boarding-house definition
Where permitted	Unchanged — not in Single-Family or One- and Two-Family Residential districts
Staff framing	Closes enforcement loophole for room-by-room separate leases

What’s on the Nashville calendar

Sept. 24, 2026 — Metro Planning approved 2026Z-015TX-001 (7-0)
Oct. 6, 2026 — Metro Council public hearing on BL2026-1520 (staff report)
Same Planning night — Wasioto Bend MCSP, Frederick’s Crossing SP, and other parcel files remain separate map stories

Process notes sellers should not skip

The Planning Commission public hearing on this text amendment was held Aug. 27, 2026, then deferred to Sept. 24 under the Commission’s two-meeting text-amendment process. Staff recommends approval of the proposed amendment as filed and identifies no fiscal impact. Commissioners had asked how boarding houses relate to single-room occupancy housing; staff says the amendment does not change where boarding houses are permitted and does not create or modify SRO allowances.

Peer-city review in the staff report notes boarding houses and SROs are generally classified as a single use and were not permitted in single-family residential zoning districts in the cities surveyed. That comparison is background for future study — not a change adopted on Sept. 24.

Seller underwriting checklist

Quote the proposal number, the 7-0 Planning vote, the Oct. 6 Council hearing date, and the fact that district permissions do not expand into single-family zones. If a neighbor claims this “legalizes boarding houses on every street,” answer with staff’s unchanged geography line. If a buyer confuses boarding houses with STRPs, use staff’s separate-lease versus whole-house short-term distinction.

Need a valuation while Council finishes the bill? Start with a free home valuation or ask about a cash offer.

How this sits beside other Metro files

Vanderbilt Innovation SP final passage and Baptist World Center medical SP are large project stories — useful for West End and Bordeaux talk, not for Title 17 definitions. Pair this boarding-house fix with Metro Passes Vanderbilt Innovation SP on Final Votes only when a buyer is asking about Midtown intensity generally. For East Nashville mobility context, Metro Passes ATIIP Grant RS2026-2284 for East Nashville Spokes stays in the grant lane.

Right-on-red and other traffic code bills are also separate. Do not fold BL2026-1520 into a traffic or parking argument unless the buyer’s inspector raises IBC life-safety standards for a specific multi-room rental — and even then, quote the staff report rather than inventing a sprinkler mandate for a single-family listing.

What sellers should do next

Watch the Oct. 6 Council public hearing. Until the ordinance is finally adopted and noticed, treat Planning’s 7-0 as a recommendation milestone, not as the last word. Update seller disclosures only with the definition change and the unchanged district list — not with rumors about citywide rooming houses.

What did Metro Planning approve on Sept. 24 regarding boarding houses?

Proposal 2026Z-015TX-001 / BL2026-1520 revising the Zoning Code definition of “boarding house,” approved 7-0.

Does the amendment expand where boarding houses are allowed?

No. Staff states the legislation does not change the zoning districts where the use is permitted and that boarding houses are not permitted in Single-Family or One- and Two-Family Residential districts.

What loophole does staff say the amendment closes?

Operators avoiding boarding-house classification by asserting that no services are provided even when the property functions as room-by-room rentals on separate leases.

When is the Metro Council public hearing?

Staff states the public hearing at Council is scheduled for October 6, 2026.

How should sellers talk about BL2026-1520?

Quote the 7-0 Planning vote, the Oct. 6 hearing date, the removed services clause, and the unchanged single-family prohibition. Do not treat Planning approval as final Council adoption.

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