Tennessee building permits

Where to get a building permit in Tennessee

Apply to the building department of the city, town or county where the property is (the steps).

Our Tennessee city guides, with each department's contacts, fees, inspections and project rules:

• Nashville
• Memphis

Tennessee state agencies

These offices set statewide codes or license the trades. They do not issue permits for most home projects.

Building code in Tennessee

For homes, the residential code is the International Residential Code (IRC), 2018 edition, and Appendix Q¹, in effect since July 16, 2020¹ (statewide minimum; local governments may go further¹).

Every code family, edition and effective date is on Tennessee building codes.

State rules on which work needs a permit

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-23-.01 and -.05, 0780-02-01-.05(3)

• New one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, outside exempt jurisdictions and opted-out unincorporated county areas and municipalities. No construction of a one (1) or two (2) family dwelling or townhouse shall be started without securing a building permit from an issuing agent authorized by the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance, except in an exempt jurisdiction or in the unincorporated areas of a county or in a municipality that have opted out of these provisions.¹
• 30 square feet. No construction of an addition to a one (1) or two (2) family dwelling or townhouse of thirty (30) square feet or more of interior space shall be started without securing a building permit from an issuing agent authorized by the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance, except in an exempt jurisdiction or in the unincorporated areas of a county or in a municipality that have opted out of these provisions.¹
• Renovation is outside construction. The term “construction” shall not be construed to include excavation, site preparation or renovation.¹
• Renovation definition. Renovation means interior or exterior painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinet installation, counter top installation, reroofing, residing, glazing or replacing windows or doors, floor finishing, repairs to existing chimneys, stairs, porches, underpinnings, exterior siding or roof and similar activities, additions of exterior space and additions of less than thirty (30) square feet of interior space.¹
• Modular or manufactured home placement. The term “construction” shall also not be construed to include the construction or placement of a modular or manufactured home under T.C.A. Title 68, Chapter 126…¹
• Manufactured or modular home installation: no state residential permit. A permit is not required for the installation of a manufactured or modular home; however a permit is needed if there will be custom site work that is a part of exiting the home such as a deck, patio or stoop.²
• Factory electrical systems: no permit. No permit shall be required for installation of electrical systems by manufacturers of factory manufactured structures, recreational vehicles, or modular building units.⁵
• Local opt-out from one- and two-family standards. Whether or not it is enforcing a locally adopted code or has no code at all, a city can completely avoid state regulation of one- and two-family dwellings in its jurisdiction by opting out of the statewide standards.⁶
• Opt-out expiry. The resolution, however, expires 180 days following the date of the next election.⁶

Homeowners doing their own work

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0680-01-.22 and -.26, 0780-02-23-.05, 0780-02-01-.05(2), citing T.C.A. § 62-6-103

• License exemption for owners building for individual use. Any person, business or church that owns property and constructs single residences or buildings for their individual use shall not need a contractor’s license.⁷
• Not for resale or rental. This exemption does not apply to construction pertaining to resale, lease, rent or other similar purpose.⁷
• Property owner permit defined. Property owner’s permit means permit applied for by a record owner of the property in order to build a one (1) family dwelling in which the owner intends to live upon completion.¹
• 24 months. …an individual may obtain only one (1) property owner’s permit within a twenty-four (24) month period.¹
• No license proof for owner doing the work. …proof of licensure is not required for a property owner purchasing the permit when the property owner is performing the work…¹
• A homeowner may build a home as long as the construction is to be the residence of the homeowner (not to be sold or leased) and the homeowner has not been issued a homeowner building permit for the 24 month period prior to the application.²
• Any person may perform electrical work (for which an inspection is required) upon his/her own residence provided he/she first applies for and obtains a residential property owner’s electrical permit.⁵
• Electrical owner permit limit. This permit shall only extend to the applicant and the immediate members of the applicant’s family.⁵
• Electrical owner permit frequency. Only one (1) property owner’s permit may be obtained within a twelve (12) month…⁵
• Local example, Nashville. A property owner who presently occupies or intends to occupy a single-family residence may obtain a building permit to construct a deck.⁸
• Local example, Nashville LLC or trust. If the home ownership is in an LLC or Trust, then a self-permit can only be pulled for work under $25,000.⁸

Contractor licensing

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0680-01

• $25,000. …a subcontractor is required to be licensed in order to perform electrical, plumbing, heating ventilation, air conditioning, and roofing work when the amount is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or more…⁷
• $100,000. …masonry work when the amount is one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) or more, including materials and labor.⁷
• Citations for unlicensed contracting. T.C.A. § 62-6-103(a)(1) $50 - $1000…⁷
• State contractor license at $25,000 and above, per Chattanooga. A Tennessee State Contractors License will be required when Contract Value of Work is at $25,000 or above.⁹
• State license tiers, per Nashville. For bids or contracts over $3,000.00 and under $25,000 for construction on a single family, duplex, triplex or quad, a State Home Improvement License or a State Contractor’s License with a residential classification or a State Contractor’s License with building categories is required.¹⁰
• Residential classification limits, per Nashville. Residential Contractor (BC-A) is limited to construction or remodeling of residential buildings with maximum of four (4) dwelling units and maximum height of three (3) stories.¹⁰
• Electrical permit requires proof of license. Except for a residential property owner’s permit, proof of licensure pursuant to T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 6 or T.C.A. Title 69, Chapter 10.⁵

Deadlines for permit decisions and inspections

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-02-.05(1); Public Chapter 1044 (2026), T.C.A. § 7-51-2204 (effective January 1, 2027)

• 30 days. A local jurisdiction shall conduct an initial plans review for an average of eighty percent (80%) of the jurisdiction’s construction projects within thirty (30) days of receipt of an application.³
• 30 days. A local jurisdiction shall perform an inspection within thirty (30) days of when the request is made.³
• 10 business days. …the state fire marshal or appropriate state entity to conduct the requested inspection within 10 business days, instead of 72 hours, of receipt of the request.¹¹
• Vesting on submission. As enacted, creates a vested property right upon the submission, rather than the approval, of a development plan or building permit; specifies that the vesting period applicable when it is based on the submission of a building permit is three years.¹¹

Private plan review and inspections

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-09; Chapter 771, Public Acts of 2024; T.C.A. § 68-120-101(k)

• Third parties allowed in exempt jurisdictions. In an exempt jurisdiction, a person may engage a third-party plans examiner to perform a review of plans and specifications, and a third-party inspector to perform building construction inspections, in lieu of such examinations or inspections being performed by the exempt jurisdiction.¹²
• Registration required. A third-party inspector or third-party plans examiner must be appropriately registered with the Division at the time the inspection or examination is performed.¹²
• Each inspection separate. A single inspection by a third-party inspector for an entire project shall be rejected.¹²
• 10 business days. No later than 10 business days after receipt, the local jurisdiction must approve the application, provide a report of deficiencies, or request additional information necessary to ensure compliance with applicable codes.¹³
• 2024 enabling act. As enacted, authorizes the use of certain third-party examiners, inspectors, engineers, and professionals in lieu of a local or state examiner, inspector, engineer, or professional for certain permitted processes and requirements…¹¹
• Later act expanding requirements. As enacted, expands present law's requirements for when a person engages a third-party inspector to complete locally required building inspections, as authorized in present law's statewide building construction safety standards.¹¹

Limits on permit fees

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-23-.05(1) and -.08, 0780-02-01-.05(1); state program pages

• $15. Issuing agents shall receive no more than fifteen dollars ($15.00) for each issued permit.¹
• Permit fee table. $300,001 AND UP $550 for the first $300,000; plus $50.00 for each additional fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) above $300,000 or fraction thereof.¹
• $5. Issuing agents may charge a fee of no more than five dollars ($5.00) for the issuing of a permit.⁵
• $100. A second or subsequent re-inspection costs $100 each, which may be paid online or to any Issuing Agent.²
• $60.57. The cost of construction cannot be less than $60.57 per heated square foot of construction…²
• Electrical inspection fee, 0-200 service. 0-200 $35.00…²
• Electrical inspection fee, 201-400 service. 201-400 $40.00…²
• Electrical re-inspection fee. Re-Inspect $35.00…²

Selling a home with unpermitted work

• Related act on sinkhole disclosure. As enacted, specifies that a seller of residential property is required to disclose the presence of a known sinkhole on the property prior to entering into a contract with a buyer regardless of whether the sinkhole is indicated through the contour lines on the property's recorded plat map.¹¹

What local governments may change

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-02-.05(3), 0780-02-23-.12 · in effect April 17, 2025³

• Statewide minimum; local governments may go further. …no city, county, town, municipal corporation, metropolitan government, or political subdivision of the State of Tennessee shall adopt or enforce any ordinance prescribing less stringent standards of fire prevention, fire protection, or building construction safety than those established hereunder.¹
• Local exterior materials ordinances. A local government, as authorized by T.C.A. § 68-120-101(b)(7), may adopt an ordinance or resolution related to exterior construction materials for aesthetic purposes only.¹
• Statewide minimum; local governments may go further. Except as provided in T.C.A. § 68-120-101, or otherwise approved in writing by the Division, no political subdivision of the state of Tennessee shall adopt or enforce any ordinance prescribing less stringent standards of fire prevention, fire protection, or building construction safety than those established in this chapter.³
• Lessening local codes needs prior review. The locally adopted codes and standards may not be lessened without submitting a draft of the ordinance for local adoption to the Division for review and approval prior to becoming effective.³
• Unapproved lesser amendments invalid. If a local jurisdiction adopts less stringent codes and standards without prior approval in writing from the Division, then the locally adopted amendment to the building construction and fire safety codes shall be invalid.³
• Ordinances forwarded within 60 days. …shall forward all relevant local ordinances to the Division within sixty (60) days of adopting the ordinance.³

Can local rules be stricter?

Except as provided in T.C.A. § 68-120-101, or otherwise approved in writing by the Division, no political subdivision of the state of Tennessee shall adopt or enforce any ordinance prescribing less stringent standards of fire prevention, fire protection, or building construction safety than those established in this chapter.³

New state laws not yet in effect

These Tennessee statutes have been enacted but do not apply until the date shown; until then, the law in force applies. Each entry quotes the enacted text.

• 60 business days. Within sixty (60) business days of the submission, either approve the development application, development plan, or site inspection, or add the submission to the next available agenda of either the planning commission or the governing body…¹⁴ T.C.A. § 7-51-2204(b)(1)(A), Public Chapter 1044; in effect from January 1, 2027¹⁴
• Deemed approved if missed. If a local government fails to take any of the actions listed in subdivision (b)(1) within the timeframes established, then the submission is deemed approved.¹⁴ T.C.A. § 7-51-2204(b)(3), Public Chapter 1044; in effect from January 1, 2027¹⁴
• Development review deadlines from 2027. As enacted, requires a local government responsible for reviewing a development application, development plan, or a site inspection submitted by a developer for the purpose of developing real property in this state, within 60 business days of the submission, to approve the application, plan, or site inspection or add the submission to the next available agenda of either the planning commission or the governing body…¹¹ in effect from January 1, 2027