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Rental Application Fee Laws in Tennessee

Tennessee has no statewide statute that caps rental application or screening fees, requires a refund, or addresses reusable screening reports.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Tennessee at a glance

Fee limit
No statewide limit
The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Tenn. Code 66-28) has no section on application or screening fees.
Refund required
No refund rule
Portable screening report rule
Not addressed

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Tennessee

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Tennessee?

Fee limit in Tennessee: No statewide limit. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Tenn. Code 66-28) has no section on application or screening fees.

Does a landlord in Tennessee have to refund an unused application fee?

No refund rule. Refund required in Tennessee: no refund rule.

Does Tennessee law address reusable (portable) tenant screening reports?

Not addressed. Portable screening report rule in Tennessee: not addressed.

Where do the Tennessee rental application fee laws come from?

The rules above come from Tenn. Code 66-28-101 et seq. and Tenn. Code 66-28-102. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with more than 75,000 people under the 2010 federal census, and in those counties it preempts local landlord and tenant regulation (Tenn. Code 66-28-102).

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.