Maryville, Tennessee Building Permit Guide

Inside Maryville city limits, the City’s Codes Enforcement office in Development Services issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and applications are filed in the City’s iWorQ portal. The building permit is priced on valuation: $470 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000, and houses built under the residential code pay no plan-checking fee. The office is at 416 W. Broadway Avenue (865-273-3500).

What requires a permit in Maryville?

The City’s fee schedule applies to all buildings, structures and other construction in Maryville, and its permit portal lists separate applications for each kind of work:

The City’s 2018 residential pamphlet says ordinary minor repairs, such as replacing roof shingles or siding or installing a fence, may be made without a permit with the Building Official’s approval, as long as they do not break the building code. Fences up to 6 feet tall can sit on the property line and must be at least 5 feet from the right-of-way line; taller fences have to meet setbacks.

Who issues building permits in Maryville?

Codes Enforcement handles pre-submittal meetings with designers, plan review, permit issuance and inspections, and coordinates with the City’s engineering, stormwater, fire, electric and water departments. The State Fire Marshal lists Maryville as exempt from the state residential program, and Maryville is also on the state’s list of cities that run their own electrical inspections. Property outside city limits in unincorporated Blount County is permitted by Blount County Development Services, 303 McGhee Street, Maryville (865-681-9301).

Maryville permit types and the iWorQ portal

Every application starts in the City’s iWorQ portal, which also lets you look up a permit by number. The building application doubles as the building plan review application, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits each have their own form. The portal also carries the Planning and Zoning applications: site plans, subdivision plats, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Downtown Design Review Board, the Historic Zoning Commission, home occupations and short-term rental units.

For a single-family house either the contractor or the owner may apply. An owner pulling the permit signs the state Homeowner’s Affidavit, notarised, confirming they have not taken a homeowner permit in the last two years and will do or oversee the work. The City also publishes a Worker’s Compensation Affidavit and its contractor licensing requirements.

Building permit costs and fees in Maryville

The City’s posted Schedule of Permit Fees has been effective since July 1, 2017. Valuation covers all construction costs, including design fees, overhead and profit, but not land, and the Building Official may use the ICC Building Valuation Data if the stated figure looks low.

A house valued at $250,000 pays $470 plus 150 × $3, a building permit fee of $920, and no plan-checking fee. For buildings outside the residential code, the plan-checking fee is half the building permit fee, capped at $1,000.

Work started before a permit is issued pays double fees, unless it was emergency work to remove an immediate hazard and the application is filed the next business day, the violation was left by a previous owner, or the owner came forward voluntarily.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Maryville issues and inspects its own electrical permits inside city limits, so electrical work there does not go through the state program. Electricians apply for electrical permits; under the City’s 2018 pamphlet, an owner doing the electrical work may take out one electrical permit a year.

Natural gas service comes from Atmos Gas, and septic systems are approved by the Blount County Health Department (865-268-3754).

Plans and documents for Maryville applications

Residential drawings can be submitted on paper (8½ x 11 minimum) or as PDFs uploaded to the portal, drawn to scale, preferably at ¼ inch to the foot. When answering review comments, resubmit the whole set with revised sheets clouded and a written response letter.

How to apply: 6-step Maryville process

Maryville inspections and closeout

The City’s Required Inspections list (revised February 2025) gives each trade’s stages. Building and plumbing: footing, under-slab plumbing with a pressure test, slab after the moisture barrier, framing, plumbing rough-in, insulation for homes, fire-resistive penetrations, final plumbing and final building with the address numbers up. Electrical: temporary service, slab, rough-in, buried conduit, HVAC and final. Mechanical: underground, slab, rough-in and final. Engineering checks the driveway, site grading and final site, and stormwater staff inspect erosion control and drainage. Retaining walls need foundation and final inspections with the engineer’s stamped approval.

No building may be occupied until a certificate of occupancy is issued; moving furniture in counts as occupancy. For commercial projects, each department signs a Project Sign-off Card, covering fire protection, site work, utilities and building construction, and the Building Official issues the certificate only when every signature is in.

Local Maryville details

• Codes: since January 1, 2026 the City enforces the 2024 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy Conservation, Fire and Property Maintenance Codes with local modifications, and still the 2017 National Electrical Code.
• Accessory buildings: up to 12 feet tall they need 5 feet from the rear and 10 feet from the side lot line (10 and 10 in the Estate zone), plus 2 more feet for each foot of height above 12.
• City utilities: Maryville supplies water, sewer and electricity to most of the city; ask about connections on 865-273-3555.
• Design review: projects downtown or in historic zones go to the Downtown Design Review Board or the Historic Zoning Commission through the same portal.
• Permit activity: the Codes page posts yearly building permit reports.

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 Maryville permit resources

• Tennessee residential jurisdiction classification
• Maryville Codes Enforcement
• Maryville iWorQ permit portal
• Maryville Schedule of Permit Fees (effective July 1, 2017)
• Maryville Required Inspections (February 2025)
• Maryville Residential Plan Review Requirements (April 2025)
• Maryville Building and Site Plan Digital Submission Standards (May 2025)
• Maryville building setback requirements

Maryville building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Maryville?

The City’s Codes Enforcement office in Development Services, 416 W. Broadway Avenue (865-273-3500), for property inside city limits. Shawn Marshall is the Building Official.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Maryville?

It depends on valuation: $470 for the first $100,000 plus $3 for each additional $1,000. A $250,000 house pays $920, with no plan-checking fee.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Maryville?

Yes, for a single-family home, with the notarised Homeowner’s Affidavit. An owner can take one homeowner permit every two years.

Does Maryville issue its own electrical permits?

Yes. Maryville runs its own electrical inspections inside city limits; a final or temporary service up to 200 amps is $35.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Maryville?

The City’s 2018 pamphlet lists installing a fence among minor work that may be done without a permit with the Building Official’s approval. Fences still follow the City’s rules: up to 6 feet tall on the property line, at least 5 feet from the right-of-way, and taller fences set back like a building.

How do I submit plans?

Through the iWorQ portal. Commercial and site plans must be PDFs; homes may also be submitted on paper.

When can I reach an inspector?

Inspectors are in the office weekdays from 8 to 9 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m.

Simplify Maryville permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Tennessee. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Maryville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.