Nashville building department

Metro Nashville’s Department of Codes and Building Safety issues building and trade permits, does zoning review, inspects construction, and enforces property standards across the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The office is on the first floor of the Metro Office Building, 800 President Ronald Reagan Way. It is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the main line is (615) 862-6500. Check the parcel’s zoning in Metro’s mapping tools before you apply, because zoning review is the first step.

Zoning comes first

Metro’s permit process starts with zoning, not building plans.

1. Submit the application. Turn in a residential or commercial permit application at the Zoning Help Desk. Registered contractors can use ePermits instead.
2. Zoning review. A zoning examiner is assigned. The examiner checks that the zoning allows the use and gives you a checklist of other approvals the project needs. These can include Water, Sewer, Stormwater, Health, Fire, Planning, and others, and each agency sets its own review time.
3. Plans. Commercial plans go through Metro’s electronic plans review. Paper plans are not accepted.
4. Permit issuance. Once every signoff is in, Permit Issuance collects fees, issues the permit, and gives you an inspection checklist.
5. Trade permits. Plumbing, electrical, gas/mechanical, and low-voltage permits are separate. They are pulled after the building permit is issued.
6. Closeout. After all inspections pass, the Use and Occupancy Division issues the final letter.

You can track an application’s status in ePermits under “Available Reports.”

Who can pull a permit

Building permits can go to a licensed contractor or to an owner who lives in, or will live in, the single-family home. An owner-occupant can also self-permit a rental or investment property, but only for work under $25,000. The same $25,000 limit applies when the property is held by an LLC or trust.

Self-permit applicants file a notarized Affidavit of Exemption and a Self-Permit Affidavit with the residential application. Contractors get ePermits login credentials from Permit Issuance. See owner-builder permits for more on how owner permits work.

Common residential projects

Metro’s “Building Permits Central” pages give project-specific rules:

• Decks: A permit is needed for a new or replacement deck. It is also needed to replace more than 100 sq ft of deck boards or any footings or framing. Tearing out a deck without replacing it needs no permit. Uncovered decks need a 10-foot rear setback and the full side setback, and covered decks need full rear and side setbacks. Submit a site plan showing distances to property lines, structures, and easements.

• Accessory buildings (garages, sheds, workshops, pool houses, carports): On lots under 40,000 sq ft, they are capped at 700 sq ft or 50% of the house’s building coverage, whichever is greater, and never more than 2,500 sq ft. One rear structure of 700 sq ft or less gets reduced setbacks: 3 feet from the rear line (10 feet if a garage opens onto an alley) and half the district’s side setback, but at least 3 feet. Applications need a site plan, a floor plan, and elevations of all four sides. These buildings cannot have bedrooms or kitchens. Plumbing is limited to one toilet, a hand sink, and a bar or utility sink.

• Fences: Maximum heights are 6 feet in front yards behind the 10-foot street setback and 8 feet in side and rear yards. Solid fences within 10 feet of the street right-of-way are limited to 30 inches. Height is measured on the side with the greatest exposure. Fences are not allowed in a 35-foot visibility triangle on corner lots (with Urban Zoning Overlay exceptions) or within 6 feet of a fire hydrant. Barbed wire and electric fences are prohibited.

• Interior renovations: Metro’s renovation chart says these need a building permit:

  • Removing walls, including non-load-bearing walls
  • Replacing more than 100 sq ft of drywall
  • Replacing more than 64 sq ft of roof decking
  • Changing window style or size
  • Building or remodeling stairs

  The chart lists flooring, carpet, new insulation, tile, and gutters as not needing a building permit.

Fees

The fee schedule linked from Metro’s permit-process page is dated December 2022. It sets the residential building permit fee (one- and two-family homes and IRC townhouses) at $5.00 per $1,000 of total valuation. Each building permit also carries:

• A $25 zoning examination fee
• A Codes technology fee equal to 10% of the building valuation fee
• A building plan review fee

Commercial permits use a sliding scale:

Total valuation	Fee
$0 – $2,000	$40.39
$2,000.01 – $50,000	$40.39 + $6.92 per additional $1,000
$50,000.01 – $100,000	$372.71 + $5.57 per additional $1,000
$100,000.01 – $500,000	$651.38 + $4.19 per additional $1,000
Over $500,000	$2,326.84 + $2.79 per additional $1,000

Trade permits are charged separately. Metro warns that scammers have been posing as planning and zoning staff. Pay only in person or by credit card through epermits.nashville.gov, and never by wire transfer.

Adopted codes

Ordinance BL2025-898 adopted these codes with local amendments:

• 2024 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Swimming Pool and Spa, and Energy Conservation Codes
• 2023 National Electrical Code
• ICC A117.1-2017 accessibility standard

Inspections and Use & Occupancy

Registered contractors schedule inspections in ePermits. Anyone else calls the matching line between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays with the Metro permit number ready. Requests can also be faxed to (615) 862-6499.

Inspection	Phone
Building	(615) 862-6550
Electrical	(615) 862-6560
Plumbing and gas/mechanical	(615) 862-6570
Fire Marshal	(615) 862-5230
Water/sewer/cross-connection	(615) 862-7225
Stormwater	(615) 880-2420
Urban Forestry	(615) 862-6488
Grease control	(615) 862-4590

Metro asks that the building final not be scheduled until every trade permit is finaled. To get the Use and Occupancy letter:

1. Look up the 10-digit permit number in ePermits.
2. Confirm that the “CA Permit Status U&O REPORT” and the Permit Tracking Checklist show every inspection complete.
3. Send a copy of the U&O report by email, call (615) 862-6550, or visit the Building Inspection Division on the third floor of the Metro Office Building.

The Zoning Division can be reached at (615) 862-6510 or [email protected], with Spanish-language help at (615) 862-4078. Property Standards (code enforcement) is at (615) 862-6590.