Exhibit 5

                       WALLER LANSDEN DORTCH & DAVIS, PLLC
                              Nashville City Center
                          511 Union Street, Suite 2700
                             Post Office Box 198966
                         Nashville, Tennessee 37219-8966


                                  July 22, 2004

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated
Suite 700
3310 West End Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37203

         Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have acted as special securities counsel to Healthcare Realty Trust
Incorporated, a Maryland corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the
preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the "Abbreviated
Registration Statement") filed by you today with the Securities and Exchange
Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and in respect of your Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-109306)
(the "Original Registration Statement," and together with the Abbreviated
Registration Statement, the "Registration Statements"). The Abbreviated
Registration Statement relates to shares of the common stock of the Company,
$0.01 par value (the "Common Stock"), with an aggregate offering price of
$28,515,000 to be offered by the Company in addition to the shares of the Common
Stock with an aggregate offering price of $142,570,963 as described in the
Original Registration Statement.

         In connection with this opinion, we have examined and relied upon such
records, documents and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or
appropriate in order to express the opinions hereinafter set forth and have
assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to original documents of all
documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies.

         Based upon the foregoing and such other matters as we have deemed
relevant, we are of the opinion that the shares of Common Stock referred to in
the Abbreviated Registration Statement, to the extent actually issued and sold
in the manner and on the terms described in the prospectus and prospectus
supplement accompanying the Original Registration Statement, will be duly and
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of the Common Stock of the
Company.




         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Abbreviated Registration Statement and further consent to the reference to us
under the caption "Legal Matters" in the Original Registration Statement.


                                     Very truly yours,


                                     /s/ WALLER LANSDEN DORTCH & DAVIS, PLLC