Building permits in Brentwood are issued by the Codes Section of the City’s Planning and Codes Department at 5211 Maryland Way (615-371-2204), and every application, plan and document can be filed through the City’s online permitting portal. Fees follow the valuation table in Ordinance 2021-16, inspections are booked on a 24-hour line (615-661-7077), and electrical permits come from the State of Tennessee.
What requires a permit in Brentwood?
Brentwood’s fee ordinance and plan review checklist name the work the Codes Section permits. A plot plan is required for nearly all of it.
Building permits
- New homes and commercial buildings
- Additions, basement build-outs, remodels and renovations
- Decks, covered porches and garages
- Accessory structures, gazebos and play structures
- Swimming pools and spas
- Fences and retaining walls
- Window and door replacement
- Solar panels and standby generators
- Demolition and moving a building
Related approvals
- Grading permit for site work
- Foundation-only permit on commercial projects
- Planning Commission site plans and plats
- Engineering review on transitional lots over 15% slope and in floodplains
- Electrical and low-voltage permits from the State of Tennessee
Who issues permits in Brentwood?
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Planning and Codes Department, Codes Section |
| Address | Municipal Center, 5211 Maryland Way, Brentwood, TN 37027 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 788, Brentwood, TN 37024-0788 |
| Phone | 615-371-2204 |
| Inspection request line | 615-661-7077 (24 hours) |
| planning-codes@brentwoodtn.gov | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Chief Building Official | Michael Rinehart, 615-577-6163 |
| Electrical | State Fire Marshal’s Office, 615-741-7170 |
Todd Petrowski is the Planning & Codes Director. The City enforces its own residential codes (the state lists Brentwood as exempt from the state residential program), but it does not issue electrical or low-voltage permits. Land outside the city limits is permitted by the Williamson County Building Codes Division.
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Get a free quote →Brentwood online permitting and contractor paperwork
Register for an account in Brentwood Online Permitting to submit applications, plans and supporting documents and to request inspections. Fees can be paid online or by a check for the exact amount, payable to the City of Brentwood and mailed to Planning and Codes – Permits at the P.O. box.
Every permit application from a contractor needs:
- A current Tennessee contractor’s licence or Home Improvement licence.
- A certificate of insurance with workers’ compensation naming the City of Brentwood as certificate holder, or the state’s workers’ compensation exemption.
- A Brentwood Business Tax License, required once a business does more than $100,000 of work in the city in its tax year, or a notarised Business Tax License Affidavit.
Homeowners doing their own work, or hiring and supervising subcontractors on the house they live in, file a notarised Workers’ Compensation Affidavit instead. A plumbing permit must be pulled by a state-licensed plumbing contractor or limited licensed plumber who does the work, or by a homeowner who signs an affidavit to do the plumbing on their own home.
The City also publishes third-party plans examiner and inspector forms with sworn statements, an Energy Code Declaration, footing and foundation report forms for engineer inspections, and temporary certificate of occupancy request forms.
Brentwood building permit fees
Ordinance 2021-16 sets the Brentwood Building Permit Fee table. Valuation is the full construction cost, including electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fixed equipment and design fees, but not land or site development. For new single-family homes the ordinance used $130 per square foot of finished space and $25 per square foot of unfinished space such as basements and garages, and it requires the per-square-foot figures to be adjusted by resolution each January 1. Other residential work is valued by contract.
| Total valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $2,000 or less | No fee unless inspected ($25) |
| $2,001 to $15,000 | $60 for the first $2,000 plus $5.50 per additional $1,000 |
| $15,001 to $50,000 | $131.50 plus $3.75 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $262.75 plus $3.75 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $450.25 plus $2.75 per additional $1,000 |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $1,550.25 plus $2 per additional $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $2,550.25 plus $1 per additional $1,000 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Commercial plan checking (sealed plans over $1,000) | Half the building permit fee |
| Window and door replacement | By valuation, capped at $100 |
| Solar panels; residential generator | $100 each |
| Demolition; moving a building | $250 each |
| Grading permit | $250 for the first acre plus $25 per additional acre |
| Commercial foundation permit | $250, non-refundable |
| Re-inspection when not ready | $50, rising by $50 each time ($100, $150, $200) |
| Work started without a permit | Double the fee, at least $100 |
| Planning Commission site plan | $350 plus $50 per acre |
A residential grading permit fee can count toward the building permit, and the City refunds $150 of it when the first plans submitted are complete. Williamson County’s privilege tax and Educational Impact Tax are separate: apply through the county’s IDT Plans site before visiting the Williamson County Codes Department.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Electrical and low voltage: Brentwood does not issue electrical permits or make electrical inspections. Both go through the State of Tennessee’s electrical permit program (615-741-7170, or the CORE system), enforcing the 2017 National Electrical Code and the City’s Special Guidelines for Electrical and Low Voltage Installation. State electrical inspections must pass before the City’s rough-in and final inspections.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Plumbing: permitted by the City; see the licensing rule above. The City’s plan review checklist asks for water and sewer tap fees or a tap certificate from the provider, because several utilities serve Brentwood: Brentwood, Harpeth Valley, Mallory Valley, Metro-Davidson and Nolensville for water, and Brentwood, Franklin or Metro-Davidson for sewer. City water and sewer fees are collected when the building permit is issued.
Mechanical and gas: new homes submit ACCA Manual J load and Manual S sizing calculations at plan review, and Brentwood’s energy code amendment requires a duct leakage test.
Plans for a new Brentwood home
The City’s 2026 residential plan review checklist for new single-family homes asks for:
- Construction drawings at 1/4 inch = 1 foot or larger, including all elevations, floor plans, bedrooms, stairs, egress windows and framing details.
- A plot plan at 1 inch = 20 feet (lots under an acre) or 1 inch = 30 feet, showing setbacks, easements, retaining walls, the driveway and culvert, the dumpster and portable restroom, and lot coverage.
- Footing, foundation, radon, waterproofing and crawl space details, with engineered lumber layouts and calculations.
- A signed Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Checklist for any land disturbance.
- Sprinkler drawings for the Fire Department where a residential sprinkler system is required.
- A Tennessee surveyor’s stamped flood elevation drawings on floodplain lots, and an engineer or architect design on transitional lots.
- Septic approval from the Williamson County Waste Disposal Department where a home is on septic.
Commercial projects follow the City’s commercial plan review checklist. Any change to approved plans has to be resubmitted to every department involved.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a Brentwood building permit: 6 steps
Confirm the parcel is inside Brentwood, and whether it is transitional (over 15% slope) or in a floodplain, which adds Engineering review.
Clear the Williamson County privilege and impact taxes and get the water and sewer tap certificate from the right provider.
Create an account and upload the application, drawings, plot plan and erosion control checklist.
Upload the licence, insurance or exemption and the business tax licence or affidavit.
Revise and resubmit until every department signs off, then pay the permit fees.
Call 615-661-7077 or use the portal, after the state electrical inspection where one is needed.
Brentwood inspections
Inspections are by appointment only. Call the 24-hour line at 615-661-7077 or request one in Online Permitting; requests made after 7:30 a.m. are inspected the next day. Inspectors can be reached by cell phone from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays; call 615-371-2204 to be put through to the inspector for your area.
Typical residential inspections are footing and foundation, foundation waterproofing and drainage, slab and radon, crawl space or basement, exterior wall covering and flashing, rough-in for framing, plumbing and mechanical, insulation, water and sewer, deck footings, pool fence, pool plumbing and pool final, and the building final. The address must be visible from the street, and the approved plans and permit card must be on site.
A builder’s engineer may inspect footings and foundations instead of the City by notifying the codes office on the day and sending an approved letter within three days. Re-inspection fees must be paid before the next inspection. Before the certificate of occupancy, new homes need the sidewalk installed and at least 25 caliper inches of trees per acre (no more than 75 per lot).
Local Brentwood rules
Construction hours: building and repair work is allowed from 7:00 a.m. to dark, and from 9:00 a.m. to dark on Sundays.
Height and coverage: homes are limited to two stories above the front grade, or three with a qualifying basement, and 52 feet overall; all residential buildings together may cover no more than 25% of the lot.
Driveways: 30 feet deep in front of the garage doors, no wider than 20 feet at the curb and no steeper than 20%. Double-access driveways need Planning approval, and driveways in an easement or within 5 feet of a property line need Engineering approval.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Job sites: a portable restroom must be on site for workers, and HOA rules or deed restrictions can be stricter than City codes.
Tennessee statewide rules
Tennessee licenses contractors through the Board for Licensing Contractors for jobs of $25,000 or more; a Home Improvement licence applies below that only in the nine counties that opted in. Tennessee rules
Official Brentwood permit resources
City permit pages, the fee ordinance and checklists, and the state electrical program:
- Tennessee residential jurisdiction classification
- Brentwood applications / codes / review resources
- City of Brentwood Planning and Codes — Codes Section — official permit information
- Brentwood Planning and Codes Department
- Brentwood contractor and homeowner permit requirements
- Brentwood schedule of permit fees (Ordinance 2021-16)
- Residential plan review checklist, new single-family (2026)
- Residential construction inspection process
- Brentwood informational documents
- Brentwood codes FAQs
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Brentwood building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Brentwood, TN?
The Codes Section of the City’s Planning and Codes Department, 5211 Maryland Way (615-371-2204). Applications are filed online through Brentwood Online Permitting.
How much is a building permit in Brentwood?
It is based on valuation under Ordinance 2021-16: for example, $450.25 plus $2.75 per $1,000 between $100,000 and $500,000. Commercial projects with sealed plans also pay a plan-checking fee of half the permit fee.
Does Brentwood issue electrical permits?
No. Electrical and low-voltage permits and inspections are handled by the State of Tennessee, and must pass before the City’s rough-in and final inspections.
Do I need a permit to replace windows or doors?
Yes. The fee is based on valuation and capped at $100.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 615-661-7077 at any hour or use the online portal. Requests after 7:30 a.m. are inspected the next day.
Can a homeowner pull a permit in Brentwood?
Yes. Homeowners working on, or hiring subcontractors for, the house they live in file a notarised Workers’ Compensation Affidavit, and a plumbing affidavit if they do their own plumbing.
What hours can construction happen in Brentwood?
From 7:00 a.m. to dark, starting at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays.
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More Tennessee permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Brentwood permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.