Town of Nashville reviews draft ordinance to limit temporary shipping containers

Town of Nashville officials and an outside consultant reviewed a draft ordinance on temporary use of shipping containers at a council work session on Oct. 26, 2025. The proposal would allow shipping containers and similar “pods” for short-term storage on residential and nonresidential properties subject to location, size, setback and screening rules.

The change was offered as a text amendment to the town’s zoning ordinance to give residents and businesses a controlled way to use containers for activities such as home renovations or emergency cleanouts without creating long-term storage or off-site retail displays, consultant Michael Hartley told the council. “We drafted an ordinance designed to address the temporary use of a structure for storage on both residential and nonresidential properties,” Hartley said.

Hartley summarized key provisions of the draft: in residential districts containers would be treated like accessory structures, prohibited in the front yard, sited behind the principal facade, set back a minimum of 6 feet from side and rear property lines, limited to 300 square feet and removed after a set time; in nonresidential (B-1 and I-1) districts containers would be confined to side or rear yards, could not occupy required parking, and would require screening and permanent-structure treatment if left on a site longer than 60 days. The draft also would prohibit stacking, ban storage on undeveloped parcels, and require containers to be enclosed and lockable.

Council members and staff debated time limits and other details. Several members said 90 days was too long for typical short-term needs such as moving or short cleanouts; after discussion the council directed staff to change the residential removal period from 90 to 45 days for general temporary use, while preserving an exception that allows containers to remain for the life of an active zoning compliance or county building permit (with removal within 30 days of final certificate issuance). Hartley noted the permit exception is intended to cover longer renovation or repair projects and emergencies.

For nonresidential parcels the draft would allow up to three temporary units, with size limits calibrated to building size (for example, under 10,000 square feet a 324-square-foot limit per unit; 15% of gross floor area for 10,000–50,000 square feet; 20% above 50,000). If units remain on-site more than 60 days they would be treated as permanent structures and would need to meet applicable setbacks, screening and anchoring requirements and other code standards.

Council members raised enforcement and equity concerns about existing containers placed around town, including examples of containers used for display or off-site advertising and containers on trailers that move between properties. Hartley said the ordinance aims to give staff clear standards—size, location, duration and permitted uses—so that lawful temporary storage is allowed while clearly commercial display or quasi-permanent storage would require the appropriate land-use approvals and permits. He advised keeping the ordinance language concise and unambiguous to reduce legal risk.

The council also discussed easements and private property issues. Staff and the consultant recommended narrowing any provision that would require the town to adjudicate private easement disputes; options discussed included limiting easement-related language to easements held by the town or other governmental authorities or removing the provision and handling private disputes through existing property-law mechanisms.

Other items the council asked staff to add or clarify before a public hearing included: an explicit prohibition on stacking in both residential and nonresidential districts; a residential limit of no more than two temporary containers per parcel; a clear definition of “shipping container” (to include pods) to be placed in the zoning ordinance’s definitions section; language requiring that temporary units not be used for off-site advertising; and an allowance, on a case-by-case basis, for brief driveway placement to accommodate delivery or removal when a container cannot be set behind a house due to site access constraints.

Hartley and staff said the draft will be revised to reflect the council’s direction (notably changing the residential time limit to 45 days and updating setback and buffer references to match the town’s ordinance) and returned for attorney review before a public hearing and formal adoption.

The work session did not include a formal vote on the ordinance; council members asked staff and the town attorney to prepare the revised text for a future meeting and indicated support for the changes summarized above.