Sullivan County, TN

Short-term rental rules in Bristol, TN

Nothing in the Bristol, Tennessee Code of Ordinances addresses short-term rentals. Supplement 10 went online February 24, 2026 and is codified through Ordinance No. 25-21, enacted October 7, 2025. The items adopted since then, through July 7, 2026, concern the charter, property tax prepayments and the keeping of roosters.[3]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Bristol?

State and county rules only

Seasonal homes
216
Housing units
13,263
Residents
27,636

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates

  • City ruleNo city ordinance
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay5%
  • Seasonal homes16 per 1,000

Bristol TN short-term rental rules

Bristol, Tennessee publishes no short-term rental ordinance in its Code of Ordinances. Hosts find no city permit, night cap or registration number in it. Chapter 66 is where the city reaches the stay, through its hotel and motel occupancy tax. The rate is five percent of the consideration a transient pays. Tourist cabins fall under the chapter's hotel definition, as do campgrounds. The operator puts the tax on each invoice. Returns reach the city treasurer by the 20th of each month, covering the month before. Operators keep two percent of the tax due as a collection allowance. Once a stay reaches 30 continuous days, the guest gets a refund or credit.[3]

What Bristol asks of you

  • The Code of Ordinances went online in its current form on February 24, 2026. No chapter or section in it regulates short-term rentals.[3]

  • Of the items adopted later and not yet codified, the newest dates from July 7, 2026. None concerns rentals.[3]

  • The zoning ordinance, current as of December 12, 2025, lists no short-term rental use.[4]

  • In the R-2 district, bed and breakfast inns are allowed only with a special adaptive reuse permit. R-2 is the single-family and duplex zone.[4]

  • Chapter 66 counts tourist cabins as hotels once they lodge transients for a consideration. A transient there is anyone occupying a room for less than 30 continuous days.[5]

What Tennessee asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

  • Tennessee's definition covers a residential dwelling rented for a fee, in whole or in part, for under thirty continuous days. Hotels fall outside it, as do bed-and-breakfast establishments.[1]

  • A local ordinance passed after a property began operating as a short-term rental does not reach that property. The rules in place when it started keep governing it. A sale or other transfer ends that protection. Thirty continuous months without rental use end it as well. Three separate breaches of a generally applicable local law have the same effect.[1]

  • A city with a permit or application process may suspend a property's use while it lacks a permit. That power holds only when the city's requirements are reasonable.[1]

Tennessee short-term rental rules

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Bristol

Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.

Short-term rental tax layers in Bristol
LayerRateRemitted to
City room occupancy tax[5]5%The city
Total on a taxable stay5%

Bristol's tax rests on Ordinance No. 92-21 of June 30, 1992. Operators remit what they collect to the city treasurer every month.[5]

Airbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Bristol is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 216 of Bristol's 13,263 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 16 out of every 1,000. It ranks Bristol 5th of the 9 Tennessee cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
5th of 9
Share of housing
16 per 1,000
Median home value
$194,500

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.

Nearby and comparable

Where Bristol sits among its neighbors

Nashville, TN

Restricted by zone

If you live in the home, apply for an owner-occupied permit. New non-owner-occupied permits are not issued in AR2A, R, RS or RM zones.

Nashville short-term rental rules

Kingsport, TN

No city ordinance

546 seasonal homes, 20 per 1,000 housing units.

Kingsport short-term rental rules

Johnson City, TN

No city ordinance

271 seasonal homes, 8 per 1,000 housing units.

Johnson City short-term rental rules

Chattanooga, TN

Allowed by zone

805 seasonal homes, 9 per 1,000 housing units.

Chattanooga short-term rental rules
StatewideEvery Tennessee city on this site, in one tableState law, the tax stack and every city we cover in Tennessee, with what each one asks of a host.Tennessee short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

FAQ

Bristol short-term rental questions

Is there a Bristol, Tennessee short-term rental permit?

Not in the city's Code of Ordinances, which contains no short-term rental chapter as of its February 24, 2026 update.[3]

Can a Bristol home in the R-2 zone operate as a bed and breakfast?

Only with a special adaptive reuse permit. The R-2 district lists bed and breakfast inns among the uses allowed through that permit alone.[4]

What share of Bristol's 5% tax can the operator keep?

Section 66-49 allows the operator two percent of the tax due and remitted. The code frames it as compensation for accounting for the tax.[5]

Is the two percent allowance specific to Bristol?

The Municipal Technical Advisory Service describes the same two percent retention for hotel operators in its general guide to Tennessee's room occupancy tax.[2]
Read nextHow to start an AirbnbThe six steps in order, starting with the permit check.Read the guide

Sources

  1. Public Chapter 972, Acts of 2018, the Short-Term Rental Unit Act, Tennessee Secretary of State, read on September 20, 2026
  2. Room Occupancy Tax, municipal finance reference, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, University of Tennessee, read on September 20, 2026
  3. Code of Ordinances, Supplement 10, and adopted legislation not yet codified, City of Bristol, Tennessee, read on October 1, 2026
  4. Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 3, Residential Districts, City of Bristol, Tennessee, read on October 1, 2026
  5. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 66, Article III, Hotel and Motel Occupancy Tax, City of Bristol, Tennessee, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

Before you list

Free tools for new hosts

See all

Short-term rental agreement generator

Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.

Printable PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Airbnb host fee calculator

What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.

Instant calculationResult in 30 sNo sign up
Open the tool

Airbnb house rules

Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.

Professional PDFCustomizableNo sign up
Open the tool

Check-in instructions

The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.

CustomizableInstant resultNo sign-up
Open the tool