Memphis Landlord-Tenant Rules
Memphis adds local rules on top of Tennessee landlord-tenant law. Here is what is different, with the city code or agency page behind each rule.
| State preemption | Shelby County is covered by Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA). In covered counties, URLTA occupies and preempts the entire field of landlord-tenant regulation, so local governments there may not adopt landlord-tenant rules that conflict with or add to it. Tennessee also bans local rent control and mandatory below-market (inclusionary) housing requirements. Memphis has no local landlord-tenant ordinance; state law (see the Tennessee page) governs. Official T.C.A. is published only via LexisNexis. Text was read on a public mirror (FindLaw, 'current as of January 02, 2024'). Rent-control and inclusionary bans: https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-66-property/tn-code-sect-66-35-102/. |
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| Local fair housing protected classes | No Memphis housing protected classes beyond federal and Tennessee law were verified. Source of income is not known to be protected. Memphis Area Legal Services' Memphis Fair Housing Center gives free help to victims of housing discrimination: (901) 432-4663. The Memphis City Code (Municode) was not searched; any local nondiscrimination ordinance covering housing was not checked. Source: Official source |
| Rental registration/inspection | No Memphis rental registration or routine rental inspection program was found. Rental housing is inspected on complaint under the City's property maintenance code. Source: Official source |
| Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line | Memphis Housing Code Enforcement enforces the International Property Maintenance Code as amended for Memphis (Ordinance No. 5708), which protects health and safety in existing dwellings. Report unsafe housing conditions, including emergencies like no running water, no heat or sewage problems, to Housing/Code Enforcement at 901-636-7464, to the Mayor's Citizen Service Center at 901-636-6500, or through 311 online. An inspector investigates; dangerous structures can be referred for condemnation. |
| Local rental assistance | No open, general City of Memphis emergency rental assistance program was found. The City's 2026 Student Housing Intervention Program, a $1 million pilot announced March 12, 2026, gives rental assistance, a monthly stipend for up to 12 months and case management to housing-insecure families with children in Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Families are identified through MSCS social services and served by Agape Child & Family Services and Community Alliance for the Homeless; there is no public application. Source: Official source |
Eviction cases in Memphis are heard in: Shelby County General Sessions Court, Civil Division (forcible entry and detainer), Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams, Room 106; 901-222-3400
Eviction court, fees and help
Right to a lawyer in eviction cases
No. No right-to-counsel program for tenants was found. Official source
Local agencies
- Memphis Housing Code Enforcement — Inspects unsafe or substandard housing under the property maintenance code. 901-636-7464.
- Mayor's Citizen Service Center / Memphis 311 — Takes city service complaints, including housing code complaints. 901-636-6500.
- Memphis Area Legal Services, Memphis Fair Housing Center — Free legal help for renters with landlord-tenant problems and housing discrimination. (901) 432-4663.
Frequently asked questions
What landlord-tenant rules does Memphis add on top of Tennessee law?
State preemption: Shelby County is covered by Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA). In covered counties, URLTA occupies and preempts the entire field of landlord-tenant regulation, so local governments there may not adopt landlord-tenant rules that conflict with or add to it. Tennessee also bans local rent control and mandatory below-market (inclusionary) housing requirements. Memphis has no local landlord-tenant ordinance; state law (see the Tennessee page) governs.; Local fair housing protected classes: No Memphis housing protected classes beyond federal and Tennessee law were verified. Source of income is not known to be protected. Memphis Area Legal Services' Memphis Fair Housing Center gives free help to victims of housing discrimination: (901) 432-4663.; Rental registration/inspection: No Memphis rental registration or routine rental inspection program was found. Rental housing is inspected on complaint under the City's property maintenance code.; Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line: Memphis Housing Code Enforcement enforces the International Property Maintenance Code as amended for Memphis (Ordinance No. 5708), which protects health and safety in existing dwellings. Report unsafe housing conditions, including emergencies like no running water, no heat or sewage problems, to Housing/Code Enforcement at 901-636-7464, to the Mayor's Citizen Service Center at 901-636-6500, or through 311 online. An inspector investigates; dangerous structures can be referred for condemnation.
← All Tennessee landlord-tenant rules
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.