Franklin
The county seat, with its own rate and a Franklin Special School District tax district
Williamson County, Tennessee · City rules comparison
Government, zoning and overlays, permits, flood, rentals, utilities, fees and city tax for two Williamson County, Tennessee cities
Franklin and Brentwood are separate Williamson County, Tennessee governments with separate codes. Franklin has a Board of Mayor and Aldermen and a Planning and Sustainability Department. Brentwood has a seven-member Board of Commissioners, a City Manager and a Planning and Codes Department. Overlays, floodplain wording, rental rules, utilities, impact fees and city tax rates differ, while the county Assessor and Trustee serve both.
In short: Franklin and Brentwood are separate Williamson County, Tennessee governments with separate codes, overlays, floodplain wording, rental rules, utilities, impact fees and city tax rates.
A reference guide, not legal, tax, insurance or engineering advice. Updated October 2026.
Each row reports what the city’s own pages, code or plan say, as opened on October 10, 2026. “Not stated” means the pages opened did not say. It does not mean the rule is absent.
| Item | City of Franklin | City of Brentwood | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form of government | The city says it is “governed by a Board of Mayor and Aldermen” with eight Aldermen, four elected from wards and four at large, and a City Administrator who “oversees the City’s 14 departments.” The board page describes the board as nine people, eight of them Aldermen, on staggered four-year terms. MTAS lists a Private Act charter. | The city’s Your Government page says the Board of Commissioners is seven people, the Mayor and Commission Members, elected at large to four-year terms, and a City Manager oversees day-to-day operations. MTAS lists a “General Law Manager-Commission” charter. The city words the form differently on different pages: “Council/Manager” on Your Government, and “Commission/City Manager style” on a page titled “Commissioner-Manager Style.” | Notes 1, 7, 14 |
| Planning body and department | A Planning Commission is listed on the city’s boards and commissions page; that page gives no description beyond its broadcast meetings. The Planning and Sustainability Department’s zoning-ordinance page says the ordinance can also be found at the department for public viewing. The pages opened did not describe which body decides which application. | A ten-member Planning Commission (the Mayor or the Mayor’s appointee, a member of the Board of Commissioners, and others) recommends on rezonings. Under the city’s Process and Procedure Manual (2nd Edition, effective February 19, 2026), major site plans and major subdivisions go to the Planning Commission, minor site plans to Planning and Codes staff, and zoning map amendments are finally decided by the City Commission. | Notes 1, 3, 7, 8 |
| Variances and appeals | The boards and commissions page lists a Board of Zoning Appeals. The zoning ordinance’s review table has the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) hear variance requests, with mailed notice postmarked at least 15 days before the BZA meeting. The city’s separate variance application page was not opened. | A five-member Board of Zoning Appeals, appointed by the Board of Commissioners, hears appeals of administrative decisions and variance applications that meet hardship conditions. The process manual routes variances and appeals to it. | Notes 1, 3, 7, 8 |
| Building permits and inspections | The Building and Neighborhood Services Department lists plan review, building permit issuance and inspection, and has Construction Plan Review and Inspections, Development Services, Zoning and Neighborhood Resources divisions. | The Planning and Codes Department oversees “city planning, building permits, and code enforcement,” with a Codes Enforcement Section that lists a Chief Building Official, at 5211 Maryland Way. The Codes Section page says inspections are scheduled by appointment only. | Notes 2, 8 |
| Building codes as the city lists them | The adopted-codes page lists 2018 International codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code, and also says the city adopted the 2024 ICC and 2023 NEC codes effective January 1, 2026. The page itself lists both. | The Codes Section page lists the 2018 International Residential Code and International Building Code, and the 2017 NEC enforced by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The page is undated. | Notes 2, 8 |
| Zoning code | The Franklin Zoning Ordinance, whose title page reads “ADOPTED & EFFECTIVE 1-13-2026” (Section 1.1.3 cites Ordinance 2025-25), in 24 chapters. Section 3.1.1 lists 22 districts, among them AG, ER (Estate Residential), R1 and R2. | Chapter 78 of the Code of Ordinances (the city’s Planning and Zoning 101 page links each district to Municode’s Chapter 78; the code text itself was not read). The page says all land is classified in one of fourteen zoning districts: six residential, four commercial and four service institution. | Notes 3, 8 |
| Large-lot residential districts | ER, Estate Residential: minimum lot size 2 acres and lot width 150 feet (Section 3.3.5). | AR, Agricultural Residential: 3-acre minimum. R-1, Large Lot Residential: 2 acres. R-2, Suburban Residential: 1 acre. | Notes 3, 8 |
| Hillside overlay | Hillside/Hillcrest Overlay (HHO), Chapter 4, Section 4.4. Boundaries come from GIS data on elevation contours, steep slopes and a viewshed analysis from major roads. Land in the HHO is placed in a non-buildable open space lot or in a conservation easement within a lot whose buildable portion is outside it, and tree removal is prohibited unless a certified arborist verifies a tree is dead, dying or a danger. | Hillside Protection overlay: “The district shall include all areas with an elevation of 850 feet or greater.” The page says it requires lots of at least three acres and limits land disturbance and tree cutting. | Notes 3, 8 |
| Historic overlay and review | Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO), Section 4.5. Construction, alteration, rehabilitation, relocation or demolition may proceed only after a certificate of appropriateness, reviewed against the Historic District Design Guidelines. Where the Guidelines and the ordinance conflict, the Guidelines take precedence (Section 4.5.2). The Historic Zoning Commission has nine citizen appointees; minor changes may receive an administrative certificate. | The city has a Historic Commission of 12 members on three-year terms whose stated purpose is to promote awareness and preservation of Brentwood’s history. The pages opened do not mention a historic overlay district or review of private property; Planning and Zoning 101 names none. Chapter 78 on Municode was not read. | Notes 3, 4, 8 |
| Floodplain rules | Floodway Overlay (FWO) and Floodway Fringe Overlay (FFO) in Chapter 4. FWO land is placed in a non-buildable open space lot (Section 4.2.7). FFO boundaries coincide with the 100-year floodplain, excluding floodways, as adopted in Section 17.6, Floodplain Protection. The Building and Neighborhood Services page “Zoning & Floodplain Administration” lists a Flood Plain Administrator, and Chapter 17 of the ordinance says permit applications for development must be made to the floodplain administrator before development begins. | The city describes the floodway as land that must stay undeveloped and the floodway fringe as developable using compensating cut and fill with no net increase in flood elevation. Chapter 56, Article I (stormwater management, erosion control and flood damage prevention) was revised by Ordinance 2024-09. A grading permit is required before land disturbance (Sec. 56-11(a)). | Notes 2, 3, 8 |
| Short-term rentals | The city defines a short-term vacation rental as a dwelling “rented in their entirety for time periods less than 21 days” and requires an application to Building and Neighborhood Services for approval. Electronic applications only since November 7, 2022. | Municipal Code section 78-19(e) bars rentals in single-family residential districts for periods of less than three months. The city says it enforces the code and has issued citations. The page mentions no permit or registration. | Notes 2, 8 |
| Water and sewer | The city’s Water Management Department says water is treated at two plants, Harpeth Valley Utility District and the City of Franklin Water Treatment Plant, and maintains more than 300 miles of distribution lines. Its Water Reclamation Facility holds a permit to discharge up to 16 million gallons per day. The page gives no service-area boundary in text; it links a map titled “Map of the City of Franklin’s Water Utility District.” | The city maintains more than 225 miles of water lines and coordinates with utilities including Harpeth Valley Utility District and Metro Water Services. It contracts with Metro Nashville for sewer treatment, and says many Brentwood homes have a low-pressure sewer that requires a sewage grinder pump. | Notes 6, 10 |
| Impact fees | The city says it obtained authority for road impact fees from the Tennessee legislature in 1987, and charges parkland impact fees on new residential development (Title 25). It states that “as of January 1, 2024, a new method for calculating sewer and water demand (in SFUEs) and new impact fees are in effect.” The pages opened show no dollar amounts. | A Public Works Project Fee, “also known as the road impact fee,” under Article XI, assessed once when a building permit is issued. The Board of Commissioners approved a 2.17% increase in September 2025 (Resolution-2025-74). The page shows no dollar amounts and does not mention facilities taxes. | Notes 6, 10 |
The two cities list code editions that do not match each other, and Brentwood’s own pages word its form of government in more than one way. Confirm each item with the city. For city-by-city detail see ABODE’s Franklin and Brentwood pages.
Rates are quoted only with the year the source gives. The county’s own 2026 rate page could not be opened (the county’s Property Tax Rates page lists only 2025 and 2022, in an image), so the table uses the county’s 2025 rate document and the cities’ pages.
| Item | City of Franklin | City of Brentwood | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City rate, tax year 2025 (county’s rate document) | $0.296 | $0.19 | Note 11 |
| City rate, tax years 2024 and 2023 (same document) | $0.3261 in both | $0.29 in both | Note 11 |
| City’s own statement | The property tax page says the city maintains “$0.296 per $100 of assessed value” (no year named). The FY2026 budget page says the approved FY26 rate is $0.296 “following the reappraisal.” | A city news article published June 24, 2026 says the city will “maintain the same effective tax rate” for the fiscal year starting July 1, a rate “now 19 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.” The city’s Property Taxes page still says $.29 with tax-year 2022 examples, so the two city pages disagree. | Notes 5, 9 |
| County rate component, tax year 2025 | County heading “Inside city limits of Franklin & Spring Hill (No FSSD)”: $1.27. County heading “Inside Franklin + FSSD”: county $1.18 plus FSSD $0.5873 ($1.7673). | County heading for the city limits of Brentwood (also Fairview, Thompson’s Station and Nolensville): $1.30. That table shows no additional district line. | Note 11 |
| Combined with city rate, 2025 (arithmetic) | $1.566 without the FSSD; $2.0633 with it | $1.49 | Note 11 |
| Special tax district as the county names it | Franklin Special School District (FSSD), the county’s own label: additional tax of $0.5873 per $100 for 2025 (FSSD General Fund $0.4323 plus FSSD Bond & Interest $0.1550). The county’s document also has a heading for outside Franklin and inside the FSSD (county $1.21 plus FSSD $0.5873). | None shown in the county’s 2025 table for Brentwood city limits. | Notes 11, 12 |
| Who bills and collects | Billed and collected by the Williamson County Trustee. Due the first Monday of October and delinquent March 1 of the following year, per the city page. | The Williamson County Trustee is “responsible for the billing and collection of all City of Brentwood property taxes.” The city page says taxes are typically due without penalty from October 1 through February 28. | Notes 5, 9 |
The county’s rate document marks 2025 as a county-wide reappraisal year. Rates for 2026 may differ; read the county’s current rate page and ask the Trustee about a specific parcel (Note 11).
Only as a tax and a boundary. The county’s table lists the FSSD additional tax as a separate component for parcels inside that special tax district (Note 11). The district’s own map page says its boundaries were “set in 1986 by the Tennessee General Assembly” and that they “do not cover the entire city of Franklin today” (Note 12). The county’s document also has a separate heading for parcels inside the district and outside Franklin (Note 11). So being inside Franklin’s city limits does not by itself tell you whether the additional tax applies, and a parcel outside Franklin can carry it.
The Williamson County Trustee can confirm which rate lines apply to a given parcel.
If a property sits near Cool Springs, the city that holds the parcel decides which column of the tables above applies. This guide does not define where that area begins or ends.
These are county, state or federal offices and tools, so the same one serves a parcel in Franklin or in Brentwood. See also the Williamson County page.
| Office or item | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Property Assessor | The county page says the office’s main job is to “discover, list, classify, and value” all property for tax purposes, with cadastral mapping and ownership records. The county’s reappraisal page says “Williamson County is on a four-year cycle.” MTAS lists residential and farm real property at 25 percent of full value for assessment. | Notes 13, 14 |
| Trustee | Both cities state the Williamson County Trustee bills and collects their city property tax alongside the county tax (Franklin: “billed and collected by the Williamson County Trustee”). The county’s own Trustee page could not be opened, and the two cities word the due dates differently, so confirm them with the Trustee. | Notes 5, 9 |
| Register of Deeds | In Tennessee the register’s primary function is to “make and preserve a record of instruments required or allowed by law to be filed or recorded,” including deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, liens and plats (T.C.A. § 66-24-101), according to the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service. The Department of Revenue says recordation tax is collected by the county register of deeds and remitted to the Department. Williamson County’s own Register of Deeds page could not be opened. | Note 15 |
| County septic office (Department of Sewage Disposal Management) | The county publishes “Regulations Governing On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems” under the Williamson County Board of Health, administered by the Williamson County Department of Sewage Disposal Management. Section 2.I.2 makes it unlawful to build a house served by a septic system before the Department approves the plans and the lot’s suitability, or to construct, alter, extend or repair a subsurface system without a permit. The copy opened has an “Adopted May 16, 2000” title page (effective September 1, 2000), so confirm the current text with the department. | Note 13 |
| Flood maps | FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center lets you find an official flood map by entering an address, a place or coordinates. The same tool applies to a parcel in either city. | Note 16 |
County rate components differ by area, as the tax table above shows, so “county level” here means the office, not the rate.
Start with the parcel, then the city, then the building. Each check names the office that holds the answer.
| Check | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Which city holds the parcel | Franklin and Brentwood have different codes, permit offices, tax rates and fees. A mailing city name does not decide it; use the county Assessor’s parcel records and ask the city planning office to confirm. | Notes 2, 8, 13 |
| Zoning district and overlays | Franklin’s ER district (2-acre minimum) and Brentwood’s AR, R-1 and R-2 districts have different lot standards, and each city has a hillside overlay with different triggers: GIS-based boundaries in Franklin, 850 feet of elevation in Brentwood. Ask the planning office for the district, overlays and any zoning letter. | Notes 3, 8 |
| Historic review | In Franklin, the HPO needs a certificate of appropriateness for construction, alteration, relocation or demolition. Ask whether the parcel is in the HPO. For Brentwood, ask whether any historic designation applies, since the pages opened name none. | Notes 3, 4, 8 |
| Flood status and elevation records | Check the address on FEMA’s map service. Ask Franklin’s floodplain administrator what elevation records the city holds, and Brentwood about floodway and fringe status and any grading permit history. | Notes 2, 8, 16 |
| Permit history and code editions | Franklin permits come from Building and Neighborhood Services and Brentwood permits from Planning and Codes. Ask each office for open permits, finals and which code edition applied. | Notes 2, 8 |
| Rental plans | Franklin requires city approval for rentals under 21 days; Brentwood’s code bars rentals under three months in single-family districts. Read the current ordinance and any association document before assuming a use. | Notes 2, 8 |
| Water and sewer provider | Franklin’s page names two treatment plants (Harpeth Valley Utility District’s and the city’s) and gives no service boundary in text. Brentwood’s pages name Harpeth Valley and Metro Water Services as utilities the city coordinates with. Ask the utility for the account and service type for the address. | Notes 6, 10 |
| Grinder pump records (Brentwood) | The city says the owner owns the grinder pump system, and the city offers a repair service for the tank contents, with a service-call fee and enrollment in a city maintenance program required. Ask for the pump location, service history and whether the property is enrolled in the maintenance program. | Note 10 |
| Septic (if the parcel is not on public sewer) | The county’s Department of Sewage Disposal Management approves plans and permits systems. Ask for the permit and any soil evaluation, and bring in the septic soil scientist or installer you choose. | Note 13 |
| Impact fees on new construction or additions | Franklin lists road, parkland and sewer and water impact fees. Brentwood lists a Public Works Project Fee. Ask each city for the current fee schedule for the project. No amounts are quoted here. | Notes 6, 10 |
| Tax bill and tax district | Ask the Williamson County Trustee which rate lines apply to the parcel, including whether the FSSD additional tax applies, and read the current-year county rate page. | Notes 11, 12 |
| Title and recorded documents | Ask the title company or attorney you choose to pull recorded deeds, easements and plats from the Register of Deeds. | Note 15 |
This is a checklist, not advice. Confirm each item with the city, the county, a surveyor, a lender and your attorney.
These are gaps in the sources opened on October 10, 2026, not findings that a rule does not exist.
See also ABODE’s Franklin and Brentwood guides, the Williamson County page, Cool Springs, and the Tennessee acreage due-diligence guide.
Tell us the address or the lot you are considering. An advisor can help you decide which checks to order first, such as the zoning letter, flood status, utility provider, septic evaluation or title work, and then work with the surveyor, attorney, septic soil scientist or lender you choose.
ABODE represents buyers and sellers, with Tennessee offices in Murfreesboro and, by appointment, Knoxville. This guide is general information and does not describe experience in either city.
The county seat, with its own rate and a Franklin Special School District tax district
A city with its own zoning and a $0.19 city rate for 2026
A commercial and mixed-use area spanning Franklin and Brentwood
County-wide property tax by city and school-tax district, unincorporated zoning, septic and greenbelt
Williamson County plans, zoning, septic, water, flood, historic and tax rules, side by side.
Who controls septic, access, zoning, Greenbelt, flood and TVA items on Tennessee acreage
Zoning districts, overlays, historic review and city versus county rules in Murfreesboro, TN
No. Franklin’s city page says it is governed by a Board of Mayor and Aldermen with eight Aldermen and a City Administrator (Note 1). Brentwood’s Board of Commissioners has seven members elected at large, and a City Manager oversees day-to-day operations (Note 7). MTAS lists a Private Act charter for Franklin and a general law manager-commission charter for Brentwood (Note 14).
In Franklin, the Building and Neighborhood Services Department handles plan review, permit issuance and inspection (Note 2). In Brentwood, the Planning and Codes Department oversees planning, building permits and code enforcement (Note 8). Both are city offices, not the county.
The county’s 2025 rate document lists $0.296 per $100 for Franklin and $0.19 for Brentwood (Note 11). Brentwood’s June 2026 news article says it will maintain its rate, now 19 cents per $100, from July 1 (Note 9), and Franklin’s budget page gives $0.296 for FY26 (Note 5). The county’s 2026 page could not be opened, and a county rate component is added to each city rate, so ask the Trustee for the bill on a parcel.
The county’s rate document lists the FSSD as an additional rate, $0.5873 per $100 for 2025, for parcels inside that special tax district (Note 11). The district says its boundaries were set in 1986 and do not cover the entire city of Franklin (Note 12). The county’s 2025 table shows no such line for Brentwood city limits (Note 11).
The rules differ. Franklin requires an application and approval for a dwelling rented in its entirety for fewer than 21 days (Note 2). Brentwood’s code bars rentals under three months in single-family districts, and the city says it enforces it (Note 8). Read the current code and any association rules before relying on a use.
Franklin does: the Historic Preservation Overlay requires a certificate of appropriateness for construction, alteration, relocation or demolition (Notes 3, 4). The Brentwood pages opened describe a Historic Commission focused on awareness and preservation and name no historic overlay, but Chapter 78 on Municode was not read (Note 8).
Franklin’s Water Management Department says water is treated at two plants, Harpeth Valley Utility District’s and the City Water Treatment Plant, and it runs a Water Reclamation Facility (Note 6). Brentwood maintains water lines, coordinates with Harpeth Valley and Metro Water Services, contracts with Metro Nashville for sewer treatment, and says many homes have a low-pressure sewer needing a grinder pump (Note 10).
ABODE International Realty represents buyers and sellers and has Tennessee offices in Murfreesboro and, by appointment, Knoxville. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or engineering advice. Contact ABODE to talk through a purchase or sale.
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