Memphisculture & etiquette

Memphis Light, Gas and Water is a division of the city government and supplies all three utilities to over 400,000 customers, which is unusual anywhere in the US. Practically, that means one account to open and one bill to budget for. A newcomer with no US credit file will normally be asked for a security deposit, refundable after a period of on-time payment, so set the account up before move-in day rather than on it.

Tennessee's constitution bars a personal income tax, and the last remnant, the Hall tax on interest and dividends, was fully repealed from 1 January 2021. In exchange, sales tax in Memphis is 9.75% — the top of the Tennessee range — and it applies to groceries at a reduced state rate rather than exempting them. The combined property tax rate is the highest of Tennessee's big cities.

For 2026 the Shelby County rate is about $2.70 per $100 of assessed value and the City of Memphis rate is about $2.58, and a property inside the city limits pays both — roughly $5.28 per $100 assessed. Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value, so that works out at roughly 1.3% of market value a year. It is comfortably the heaviest property tax burden of Tennessee's large cities, and it is the direct consequence of having no income tax.

New residents are expected to obtain a Tennessee licence within about 30 days of establishing residency. Tennessee does not operate licence-exchange reciprocity with foreign countries, so a foreign licence holder should plan on the knowledge test and the road skills test. Applicants with temporary lawful status receive a temporary credential tied to the length of their authorised stay. Confirm the current document list with the Department of Safety before your appointment.

Memphis and Shelby County schools merged and then split: since 2014 the six suburban municipalities — Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland and Millington — have run their own municipal school districts, separate from Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Two houses fifteen minutes apart can be in completely different systems with completely different outcomes, and the boundary is the municipal line rather than anything visible.

The state's vehicle emissions testing programme ended in January 2022 and Tennessee has no periodic safety inspection either, which makes registering a car here simpler than in most states. Shelby County does add a local wheel tax to the state registration fee, so the renewal bill is higher than the state schedule suggests.