Sullivan and Hawkins County, TN

Short-term rental rules in Kingsport, TN

No Kingsport ordinance speaks to short-term rentals. The online code, updated December 18, 2025, is codified through Ordinance No. 7223. The four ordinances adopted after it and awaiting codification, the latest dated August 4, 2026, deal with other subjects.[3]

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

Can you rent short term in Kingsport?

State and county rules only

Seasonal homes
546
Housing units
27,842
Residents
56,262

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

  • City ruleNo city ordinance
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay7%
  • Seasonal homes20 per 1,000

Kingsport short-term rental rules

Kingsport has no short-term rental chapter in its Code of Ordinances, so the city publishes no permit, night limit or listing number for hosts. What the code does contain is a privilege tax, set out in Chapter 94. It takes 7% of the consideration the operator charges for occupancy in any hotel. The code treats as a hotel any place where rooms, lodgings or similar accommodations are furnished to transients for consideration. Occupancy counts when it lasts less than 30 continuous days. The operator adds the tax to each invoice and remits it to the city treasurer. Past 30 continuous days, the guest is owed a refund or credit.[3]

What Kingsport asks of you

  • Supplement 6 of the Code of Ordinances runs through Ordinance No. 7223, adopted September 16, 2025. None of its chapters regulates short-term rentals.[3]

  • Four later ordinances await codification, the newest adopted August 4, 2026. Two cover court costs and the parks department. The other two deal with home foundations and data centers.[3]

  • Section 114-1 of the zoning chapter defines a dwelling as "a building or portion thereof occupied for residence purposes."[4]

  • Motels and boarding houses fall outside that definition. So do "other accommodations used more or less for transient occupancy."[4]

  • Under the same section, hotels and motels contain units "designed for the temporary occupancy of transient guests."[4]

  • Section 94-74 has the operator add the tax to each invoice, collect it from the transient and remit it to the city treasurer.[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 Kingsport

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

Short-term rental tax layers in Kingsport
LayerRateRemitted to
City room occupancy tax[5]7%The city
Total on a taxable stay7%

Under section 94-75, the operator collects the tax when the invoice is presented, whether before the stay or after it. Payment goes to the city treasurer.[5]

Airbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Kingsport is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 546 of Kingsport's 27,842 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 20 out of every 1,000. It ranks Kingsport 4th of the 9 Tennessee cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
4th of 9
Share of housing
20 per 1,000
Median home value
$234,100

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Kingsport 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

Bristol, TN

No city ordinance

216 seasonal homes, 16 per 1,000 housing units.

Bristol 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

Sevierville, TN

Permit required

310 seasonal homes, 32 per 1,000 housing units.

Sevierville 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

Kingsport short-term rental questions

Does Kingsport require a short-term rental permit?

Its Code of Ordinances creates none. The code has no short-term rental chapter, and no later ordinance on the subject awaits codification.[3]

What is Kingsport's occupancy tax rate?

Seven percent of the consideration the operator charges. It applies to occupancy of less than 30 continuous days, under section 94-72.[5]

How does a Tennessee city adopt an occupancy tax?

Through a private act or an ordinance, according to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. Either way, the city follows its usual procedure for approving ordinances.[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 6, and adopted ordinances not yet codified, City of Kingsport, read on October 1, 2026
  4. Code of Ordinances, Section 114-1, Zoning definitions, City of Kingsport, read on October 1, 2026
  5. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 94, Article IV, Transient Occupancy Tax, City of Kingsport, 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

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