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Belle Meade, TN Homes for Sale and 2026 Buyer's Guide

Its own city inside Davidson County, with its own tax rate, zoning and tree rules

Quick answer (as of October 2026) Belle Meade is its own city inside Davidson County, with its own Board of Commissioners, tax rate and zoning code on top of Metro Nashville's. It covers 3.07 square miles of land, and the Census Bureau estimates 2,621 people lived there on July 1, 2025. Its ZIP code is 37205, which it shares with Nashville addresses outside the city. For 2026, a Belle Meade home pays Metro's General Services District rate of $2.782 plus the city's $0.3011 per $100 of assessed value, $3.0831 combined. Minimum lot sizes run from 20,000 to 200,000 square feet depending on the zoning district. Public schools are Metro Nashville Public Schools, zoned by address.

Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.

You're looking at homes for sale in Belle Meade, and the listing sites will show you every house with a 37205 ZIP. What they won't tell you is whether the house is inside the City of Belle Meade, what its zoning district lets you build, or what the second tax line adds. A Belle Meade address comes with a city building code, a citywide conservation overlay and, for many homes, a city-maintained grinder pump. I want you to know all of that before you write an offer.

I've been selling real estate since 2013 and I've been part of more than 500 transactions. I've been investing in real estate since 2005, so I read a tax bill and a zoning table the way an owner does. I live in Thompson's Station, and I help buyers and sellers in Belle Meade. DM me, text or call 615-392-1186 and tell me what you're looking for.

Community Highlights

A quick view of what defines Belle Meade.

Davidson
City of Belle Meade, a satellite city of Metro Nashville
2,621 (Census estimate, July 2025)
37205

Where can I see homes for sale in Belle Meade, TN?

Every active Belle Meade listing is in the feed below, pulled from the MLS. Save a search and new listings come to your inbox the day they hit the market. If you’d rather skip the scrolling, text me at 615-392-1186 with your price, lot size and the streets you want, and I’ll send the ones worth seeing.

Before you fall for one, check the address against the city limits. A 37205 mailing address doesn’t put a house inside Belle Meade. Some 37205 addresses along Harding Pike sit outside the city, in the Nashville-Davidson balance, per the U.S. Census Bureau’s geocoder as of October 2026. Outside the city there’s no Belle Meade tax line, and the city’s zoning code doesn’t apply.

[LISTINGS BLOCK: city Belle Meade, TN, residential, active. “View more listings” to the Belle Meade search. Form: “Send me the details.”]

When you’re ready to price the move, my buyer closing cost calculator runs the cash-to-close side.

Is Belle Meade its own city, and what county is it in?

Yes. Belle Meade is a separately incorporated city in Davidson County, chartered in 1938 according to the city seal on its ordinances. It’s one of six satellite cities inside Metro Nashville’s General Services District, along with Ridgetop, Goodlettsville, Berry Hill, Forest Hills and Oak Hill, per the Davidson County Assessor of Property.

The city’s Board of Commissioners passes its own ordinances and sets its own tax rate. City Hall is at 4705 Harding Pike. Metro still sets the assessed value on every Belle Meade property, and the city’s tax ordinance says Metro’s assessed values apply. For the rest of the county, start with my Davidson County guide or my Nashville guide.

What is the ZIP code for Belle Meade, TN?

Belle Meade’s ZIP code is 37205, per the U.S. Postal Service’s city lookup on October 25, 2026. The ZIP is a mail route, not a city line, and it reaches well past the city limits. Search by ZIP, then confirm with Metro’s assessment notice, whose “Tax Jurisdiction” box names the General Services District, the Urban Services District or the satellite city.

What are property taxes in Belle Meade, TN in 2026?

For 2026, a home inside Belle Meade pays two rates: Metro’s General Services District rate of $2.782 and the City of Belle Meade’s $0.3011 per $100 of assessed value, $3.0831 combined. Tennessee assesses a home at 25 percent of its appraised value.

Rate (2026) Per $100 of assessed value Source
Metro Nashville, General Services District $2.782 Metro Ordinance BL2026-1378, fiscal year 2026-27, passed June 16, 2026
City of Belle Meade $0.3011 Belle Meade Ordinance 2026-6, fiscal year 2026-27, passed June 17, 2026
Inside Belle Meade, combined $3.0831 Sum of the two

On a $1,000,000 home, the assessed value is $250,000. That’s about $6,955 a year in Metro tax plus about $753 in Belle Meade city tax, about $7,708 in all.

Both rates held steady from 2025. The Tennessee Comptroller’s 2025 Tax Aggregate Report shows Belle Meade’s rate at $0.5000 in 2024 and $0.3011 in 2025, and Metro’s General Services District rate at $2.922 in 2024 and $2.782 in 2025. The city’s own instructions figure the Belle Meade tax and the Metro tax as two separate calculations, so expect two lines when you budget.

Disclosure: Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.

What is the minimum lot size in Belle Meade, TN?

Belle Meade’s Zoning Code divides the city into five districts, and the minimum lot size runs from 20,000 square feet in Residence C to 200,000 square feet in Estates A. The code was repealed and replaced by Ordinance 2024-14 on September 18, 2024.

Zoning district Minimum lot area Minimum lot width Front yard setback
Estates A 200,000 sq ft 125 ft 800 ft
Estates B 75,000 sq ft 125 ft 125 ft
Residence A 70,000 sq ft 125 ft 75 ft
Residence B 40,000 sq ft 125 ft 75 ft
Residence C 20,000 sq ft 120 ft 65 ft

The front setback is the larger of the table figure and the average setback of the homes on the same side of the street within 1,000 feet. Side yards must each be at least 20 percent of the lot width and add up to at least 50 percent.

The code also caps what you can build on the lot you buy. The house, garages and any pool house can cover no more than 8 percent of the lot in Estates A and 12 percent everywhere else. Floor area is capped at 0.20 of the lot in Estates A, Estates B, Residence A and Residence B (0.225 on lots of 40,000 square feet or less) and at 0.225 in Residence C. A home must have at least 2,000 square feet of gross floor area, and on a lot under 10 acres it can’t exceed 20,000. Hardscape, pool included, is capped at 8 percent of the lot, and pool water surface at 2 percent. Height at the front building line tops out at 40 feet, or 30 feet in Residence C and 35 feet on Residence A and B lots of 40,000 square feet or less.

What else does Belle Meade regulate before you build or remodel?

Belle Meade regulates exterior design, tree removal and building work through its own city offices.

  1. Call the city’s Planning Department before any project, interior renovations included. The city’s zoning page asks for that call first.
  2. Plan for the Historic Zoning Commission. A neighborhood conservation overlay covers all five zoning districts and the whole city, and the commission reviews exterior design and materials.
  3. Get a tree removal permit before you cut. Ordinance 2019-11 requires a permit for any tree over 4 inches in diameter, and some trees need replacements.
  4. Check permit history on the city’s CivicGov portal. Building activity since summer 2024 is searchable there under public records.

If you’re buying with a renovation or a teardown in mind, send me the address and I’ll pull the zoning district before you write an offer.

What city services come with a Belle Meade address?

Belle Meade runs its own sewer system and its own brush pickup. In 1983 the city installed gravity sewers and a pressure sewer system, and more than 900 households are on the pressure system, which uses a grinder pump at each home that the city maintains. If the red alarm light on the house wall comes on, the city’s instruction is to call City Hall at 615-297-6041, not a plumber.

The city’s chipper service picks up yard waste and limbs on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, depending on your street. Limbs can be up to 4 inches across and 8 feet long, and bagged leaves go in brown paper yard-waste bags, not plastic. The city also sets its own sewer user charges and stormwater fee; it amended both in 2026 (Ordinances 2026-7 and 2026-8).

What school district serves Belle Meade, TN?

Belle Meade is served by Metro Nashville Public Schools, per the U.S. Census Bureau’s school district layer as of October 2026. Metro’s General Services District levy for 2026 includes 90.1 cents per $100 for the school fund.

  1. Enter the home’s address in the MNPS Zone Finder at zonefinder.mnps.org. MNPS assigns students to schools in the zone where they live.
  2. Look at optional schools if you want one outside your zone. MNPS takes optional applications each spring, students new to MNPS can apply year-round where there’s space, and MNPS doesn’t provide bus service to optional schools.

Zones follow addresses, not neighborhood names. Send me the address and I’ll run it before you write an offer.

How far is Belle Meade from downtown Nashville?

Downtown Nashville is about 5.5 miles and 13 minutes from Belle Meade without traffic, on Harding Pike and West End Avenue (US 70S). Times run from Belle Meade City Hall at 4705 Harding Pike, by OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) on October 25, 2026.

From Belle Meade City Hall to Distance Time, no traffic
Downtown Nashville (State Capitol), by Harding Pike and West End Avenue about 5.5 miles about 13 minutes
Nashville International Airport (BNA), by Woodmont Boulevard and Briley Parkway about 12.1 miles about 22 minutes
Downtown Franklin (Public Square), by Harding Place and US 431 about 16.5 miles about 29 minutes

Those are free-flow numbers. Drive your real commute at the hour you’d drive it before you write an offer.

What is there to see in Belle Meade, TN?

Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery is inside the city; its arrival address, 110 Leake Avenue, falls within Belle Meade on the Census Bureau’s geocoder. The site offers guided tours of its 1853 Greek Revival mansion and tells the story of the stud farm that operated there. My Belle Meade Historic Site visitor’s guide has the 2026 tour prices, hours, the winery and the site’s full history.

Belle Meade Boulevard was laid out in 1913 as two lanes divided by a streetcar line, according to The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Its southern end stops at a low stone wall on axis with the limestone allée of Percy Warner Park.

Thinking about selling your Belle Meade home?

Your home’s value comes from recent sales near you and from what the zoning district lets the next owner build. My free home valuation starts with sold comps from your own area. I’ll also pull your zoning district, lot area and sewer setup, since buyers and their architects will ask.

Schools In The Area

Public schools around Belle Meade. Confirm any address with the school district.

Around The Area

Top rated businesses around Belle Meade.

Frequently asked questions about Belle Meade, TN

Is Belle Meade, TN its own city?

Yes. Belle Meade is a separately incorporated city in Davidson County and one of six satellite cities inside Metro Nashville’s General Services District. It has its own Board of Commissioners, its own tax rate and its own zoning code on top of Metro’s.

What county is Belle Meade, TN in?

Belle Meade is in Davidson County, Tennessee. Metro Nashville sets the assessed value on Belle Meade property, and the city levies its own tax on top of Metro’s.

What is the ZIP code for Belle Meade, TN?

Belle Meade’s ZIP code is 37205. The same ZIP covers Nashville addresses outside the city limits, so check the city line by street address before you count on the Belle Meade tax line or zoning rules.

What are property taxes in Belle Meade, TN in 2026?

For 2026, a Belle Meade home pays Metro’s General Services District rate of $2.782 plus the City of Belle Meade’s $0.3011 per $100 of assessed value, $3.0831 combined. Homes are assessed at 25 percent of appraised value, so a $1,000,000 home pays about $7,708 a year in all.

Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.

What is the minimum lot size in Belle Meade, TN?

It depends on the zoning district: 20,000 square feet in Residence C, 40,000 in Residence B, 70,000 in Residence A, 75,000 in Estates B and 200,000 in Estates A, per Table 1 of the city’s Zoning Code.

What school district serves Belle Meade, TN?

Metro Nashville Public Schools. MNPS assigns students to schools in the zone where they live, so check the home’s address in the MNPS Zone Finder.

How far is Belle Meade from downtown Nashville?

About 5.5 miles and 13 minutes without traffic from Belle Meade City Hall to the State Capitol on Harding Pike and West End Avenue, by OpenStreetMap routing on October 25, 2026. Nashville International Airport is about 12 miles and 22 minutes.

Let's find your place in Belle Meade

I'll pull the city limits, the zoning district and both 2026 tax lines on any Belle Meade address before you write an offer. Tell me what you're looking for, and I'll send the homes that fit. DM me, text or call 615-392-1186.

Belle Meade

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