Gatlinburg
Permit or license required - Permit
- Tourist Residency Permit
- Fee
- $200 for a unit with two or fewer bedrooms, plus $75 for each additional bedroom. Covers the fire and building inspection.
- Renewal
- not published on the city's own permit page
- Inspection
- yes, fire and building inspection tied to the permit fee
- Occupancy
- not published on the city's own permit page
- Zoning
- Permitted only where the property is properly zoned for overnight rental. Applicants must confirm zoning with the Building and Planning Department before filing; the department reports R-1A and R-2A as not allowed in third party guides, not confirmed on the city's own permit page
- Local contact
- not published on the city's own permit page
- In effect
- not published on the city's own permit page
Open question: Fee is confirmed on the city's own page; renewal cadence, occupancy limit and local contact rule are not stated there. A proposed 2026 occupancy change (two persons per bedroom plus two) was reported by local coverage as under review. Not shown as adopted on the city's own page as of October 2026, so not recorded as current rule.
Sources: 1 · checked 2026-10-08
Pigeon Forge
Status unknown - Permit
- not published
- Fee
- not published on the city's own site as of October 2026
- Renewal
- not published
- Inspection
- not published
- Occupancy
- not published
- Zoning
- not published
- Local contact
- not published
- In effect
- not published
Open question: No short term rental permit program appears on the city's Forms, License, Permits page or its Community Development page as of October 2026. City commission meeting coverage describes a proposed permit and inspection ordinance under review, not yet shown as adopted on the city's own site.
Sources: 12 · checked 2026-10-08
Sevierville
Permit or license required - Permit
- Short Term Rental Operational Permit
- Fee
- not published on the city's own page; the application requires a fee payment with the amount set in a separate application guide
- Renewal
- annual
- Inspection
- yes, a life safety inspection by the Sevierville Fire Department
- Occupancy
- not published on the city's own page
- Zoning
- not published on the city's own page; the city provides a city limits verification map to confirm whether a property needs this permit or the county program instead
- Local contact
- not published on the city's own page
- In effect
- program created August 2021
Open question: Fee amount is not listed on the public page; it is set in a linked application guide not retrieved this pass.
Sources: 1 · checked 2026-10-08
Pittman Center
Permit or license required - Permit
- Tourist Residency Permit (Ordinance No. 292)
- Fee
- not published on the town's own page
- Renewal
- not published
- Inspection
- not published
- Occupancy
- not published
- Zoning
- A March 2025 Planning Commission agenda shows a proposed amendment to specify which zoning districts allow short term rentals; not confirmed as adopted
- Local contact
- not published
- In effect
- Ordinance No. 292 adopted the permit program; exact date not published on the town's own page
Open question: Fee, renewal cadence, inspection requirement and occupancy rule are not on the town's public page; the linked ordinance and application PDFs were not retrieved this pass.
Sources: 1 · checked 2026-10-08
Sevier County (unincorporated)
Permit or license required - Permit
- Short Term Rental Unit (STRU) Permit
- Fee
- $250 per year for a unit that sleeps 12 or fewer. Units that sleep 13 or more pay $250 plus $25 per additional occupant. A third or later re-inspection in a cycle costs $25.
- Renewal
- annual, processed in the month the permit was first issued
- Inspection
- yes, required before the first permit and then annually; covers smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, escape routes, structural soundness and electrical safety
- Occupancy
- Standard permit category covers 12 or fewer occupants; a notarized letter to the Fire Marshal's office can temporarily cap occupancy at 12 while corrections are pending
- Zoning
- This is a life safety permit, not a zoning approval. The county's separate zoning resolution was not reviewed this pass
- Local contact
- not published
- In effect
- Program effective January 1, 2024. The fee schedule resolution was adopted June 26, 2023
Open question: Only applies outside the city limits of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Pittman Center. Wears Valley, one of our covered towns, is unincorporated and falls under this county program rather than a town permit. Covers only Sevier County. We did not research Cocke or Blount County because none of our covered towns sit there.
Sources: 1 · checked 2026-10-08