Franklin building department

The City of Franklin’s Building and Neighborhood Services Department (BNS) reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects construction inside Franklin city limits. It also enforces property maintenance rules, the Zoning Ordinance, and the Municipal Code. BNS issues building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, low-voltage, sign, and tree removal permits. The department has four divisions: Construction Plan Review and Inspections, Development Services, Zoning, and Neighborhood Resources. It also runs the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. BNS doesn’t permit work outside city limits, so check that your address is inside Franklin before you apply.

Office location and hours

While the new City Hall is under construction, BNS works from the interim Community Development Building at 120 9th Avenue South. Engineering and Planning and Sustainability share that building. The city’s mailing address is still 109 Third Avenue South, Franklin, TN 37064. The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Permit applications are accepted until 4:30 p.m. By appointment, inspectors can do some inspections outside working hours to reduce the impact on businesses and neighborhoods.

What needs a building permit

Franklin’s residential construction page says you need a building permit for:

• New construction, additions, and renovations
• Decks and pools
• Most repair work
• Accessory and storage buildings
• Fences over 6 feet tall

A fence 6 feet tall or shorter doesn’t need a building permit, but the Zoning Ordinance’s design standards still apply. See also do I need a permit for a fence.

The building permit doesn’t cover plumbing, mechanical, electrical, or low-voltage work. Each trade needs its own permit, pulled by a contractor licensed in that field. Replacing an HVAC unit, even as a straight change-out, needs both an electrical HVAC permit and a mechanical permit.

Any project on a property in a Historic Preservation Overlay must first go through the Historic Preservation Planner in the Planning and Sustainability Department. Only then can BNS issue permits. Under Chapter 22 of the Zoning Ordinance (effective January 13, 2026), no lot or building may be used until the city grants a temporary or final certificate of use and occupancy.

Applying through GeoCivix

Franklin accepts building permit plans only through its electronic plan review portal, GeoCivix (franklintn.geocivix.com). Plans must be PDFs, with all pages in order and labeled. Sign permits and short-term vacation rental applications also go through the portal. Trade permit applications (electrical, limited licensed electrician, low-voltage, plumbing, and mechanical) are online forms that go straight to BNS when you submit them. Use permits, such as outdoor café, sandwich board, and mobile food vendor permits, are emailed to [email protected]. Anyone can search public projects in GeoCivix by logging in as a guest or registering for a free account.

The city has warned about scam emails that impersonate the city and ask for payment. Franklin won’t ask for payment by unsolicited email or wire transfer. Pay only through the GeoCivix portal, and call (615) 794-7012 if you aren’t sure an invoice is real.

Review times

Project type	Published review time
Residential permit application	7 working days or less
Non-residential, initial review	20 working days or less
Non-residential, corrected plans	10 working days or less

Commercial plans must be stamped and sealed, with the full project address on every page. Each resubmittal needs a cover or response letter. New ground-up non-residential buildings over 10,000 square feet must be reviewed by an outside consultant from the city’s approved list. The Franklin Fire Department also reviews non-residential plans and inspects those projects before the city issues a certificate of occupancy.

One Stop walk-in review

At the One Stop Center, you can get a response on a permit application within a few hours. Building permit One Stop runs Mondays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and Wednesdays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Development One Stop, for site plans and final plats, runs on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Walk-in meetings are 20 minutes long. Eligible projects include:

• New single-family homes up to 5,000 square feet, plus additions, renovations, and homeowner projects. Floodplain and critical lots are excluded.
• Office tenant build-outs (open layout) up to 10,000 square feet
• Retail tenant build-outs up to 5,000 square feet, excluding restaurants and assembly uses

Bring a full plan set and a written scope of work. New homes, additions, decks, and porches also need a scaled plot plan. Historic properties need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Staff can scan or upload up to five sheets, no larger than 11 by 17 inches.

Fees

Starting July 1, 2026, the residential valuation fee is $0.82 per square foot. Also on that date, Franklin added new residential and fire protection plan review fees and raised its base non-residential plan review fees. BNS links the full fee schedule from its permit applications page.

Who can pull a permit

A homeowner can pull their own building permit, but only after completing and notarizing a Homeowner’s Affidavit. For a new house, the home must be your primary residence, and you can get this kind of permit only once every two years. Homeowners doing their own HVAC change-out also need the affidavit along with the trade applications. See owner-builder permits.

An unlicensed contractor can pull a permit for work under $25,000. Above that amount, Franklin requires a contractor licensed by the State of Tennessee. You also have to give BNS a copy of the state license and a certificate of insurance before it will issue the permit. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors requires a contractor’s license before you bid or negotiate any project of $25,000 or more. That includes electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, and masonry work.

Adopted codes

As of January 1, 2026, Franklin enforces these codes:

• 2024 International Building Code (Appendices D, G, and K)
• 2024 International Residential Code (Appendices CD and BO)
• 2024 International Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Property Maintenance, and Swimming Pool and Spa codes
• 2024 International Fire Code (Appendices B, C, D, and O) and 2024 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code
• 2023 National Electrical Code
• 2017 ICC A117.1 accessibility standard

For energy rules, buildings reviewed under the IBC follow the 2024 IECC. Homes reviewed under the IRC still follow the 2009 IECC. Plans and revisions submitted before January 1, 2026 are reviewed and inspected under the 2018 codes. Local amendments are in the Municipal Code.

Scheduling inspections

To request an inspection, call the 24-hour inspection line at (615) 591-5603. Give only the permit number and the inspection type, such as footing, frame, insulation, rough-in, or final. Each trade permit has its own number. Requests made before noon are scheduled for the next day, and appointments for a specific time usually aren’t possible. Each morning, the city posts that day’s scheduled inspections and results on its Daily Inspection Results page. BNS asks that you check that page rather than call the office.