How Much Does a Building Permit Cost in Nashville?

Permit Cost by Project

Do You Need a Permit?

Metro Code 16.28.110 prices building permits for one- and two-family homes at $5.00 per $1,000 of total valuation, the full cost of the work. The Codes fee schedule adds a $25 zoning examination fee and a codes technology fee of 10% of the building fee; one- and two-family permits pay no plans examination fee. An $8,000 job pays $69, a $12,000 job $91 and a $25,000 job $162.50.

Trade permits are separate, each with a "Minimum fee (each permit)" of $75. A $15,000 bathroom remodel pays the $107.50 building permit plus plumbing and electrical permits: $257.50. A $25,000 kitchen adds a gas/mechanical permit for the cooktop line, since the Codes table lists a ducted cooktop as "Yes - G/M": $387.50. A $7,100 deck pays $64.05, and interior demolition on a $2,400 job $38.20.

Metro Code 16.04.177 requires these rates to rise every July 1 by the greater of inflation or 3%, but the fee schedule the City posts still prints the figures above. The posted schedule does not say which rates Metro Codes charges today.

Metro Codes publishes a table of home projects and the permit each needs. A permit is required for new or relocated doors, windows that change style or size, removing any wall even if it is not load-bearing, new stairs, new shower enclosures, relocating plumbing fixtures or electrical outlets, and structural carpentry. Gas/mechanical permits cover exhaust fans, ducted cooktops, wood stoves and fireplace inserts. No permit is needed for same-opening window and door replacement, gutters, insulation, flooring, painting, cabinets without plumbing or electrical work, or replacing a dishwasher or disposal.

Roofs follow the ordinance. Metro Code 16.28.030(B) says replacing an existing roof on a one- or two-family home "is considered normal maintenance and does not require a permit." The Codes table still lists a permit for replacing more than a third of a roof, and some roofers pull one, but the ordinance governs.

Starting work before the permit is issued triples the permit fee: building permits under Metro Code 16.28.130, plumbing under 16.12.230, gas/mechanical under 16.16.410 and electrical under 16.20.250(B). For plumbing the director may skip the tripled fee when an emergency exists. A $75 plumbing permit becomes $225. Re-inspections cost $50 each on the plumbing and gas/mechanical schedules.

A building permit becomes invalid unless work starts within six months of issuance, or if work stops for 180 days after it starts, and no permit is valid for more than two years; the director may grant written extensions of up to 90 days each for work being diligently pursued (16.28.240). A demolition permit must be started within 30 days and finished within 60 days of starting. A plumbing permit lapses if work does not start within six months or stops for one year (16.12.290).

A resident homeowner can get an electrical permit only after showing the board of electrical examiners, by written or oral examination, the knowledge to do the installation (16.20.200). The safest arrangement is a contract that makes your licensed contractor responsible for every permit in their name, so the inspections and code compliance stay with the people doing the work.

Nashville keeps building and trade permits separate. The building permit follows the value of the job; each trade permit starts at a $75 minimum and adds item fees above it, such as $11 per plumbing fixture. On most home jobs the trade minimums govern, so a remodel's permit cost grows mainly with the number of trades involved.

How much does a building permit cost in Nashville?

$5.00 per $1,000 of project value, plus a $25 zoning fee and a 10% codes technology fee. A $15,000 bathroom remodel's building permit is $107.50, and with plumbing and electrical permits the total is $257.50.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Nashville?

Yes, one plumbing permit at the $75 minimum. Metro's own trade-permit records show like-for-like gas tank replacements filed as a plumbing permit alone, with no second trade permit.

How much is a plumbing permit in Nashville?

The minimum is $75 per permit, with $11 per fixture above it. Most bathroom jobs stay at the $75 minimum.

Do I need a permit to build a deck in Nashville?

Yes. A $7,100 deck pays $64.05: $35.50 on valuation, the $25 zoning fee and the $3.55 technology fee.

Why does Nashville charge separate permits for every trade?

Metro Code Title 16 sets separate plumbing, gas/mechanical, electrical and building permits, each with its own fee section. Each trade permit has a $75 minimum on top of the building permit.