Construction Code Enforcement (CCE), a division of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, is the building authority for both the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, issuing permits through the Develop901 portal for six jurisdictions at once.
This Shelby County building permit guide covers what requires a permit, the joint city-county department that serves six jurisdictions, the Develop901 portal, the Memphis and Shelby County business licence, the MLGW cut-off and asbestos letters that gate a demolition, and the owner-builder carve-out that applies in Shelby and almost nowhere else in Tennessee.
Scope: unincorporated Shelby County plus Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington through CCE. Bartlett and Collierville permit their own work.
One department serves six jurisdictions. Unlike Knox or Hamilton, where the city and county run separate offices, Shelby's CCE permits Memphis, four other towns and the unincorporated county together. Only Bartlett and Collierville stand outside it. Confirm which jurisdiction your parcel is in before you file, because the portal will not.
What requires a permit in Shelby County?
Construction Code Enforcement (CCE), a division of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, is the building authority for unincorporated Shelby County — and, unusually, for most of the incorporated county too. CCE reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction for Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County from a single office. Bartlett and Collierville are the two exceptions: they run their own permitting, so a parcel in either goes to the town rather than to CCE.
This joint city-county structure is the thing to understand first, because it is the opposite of the pattern in most Tennessee metros. In Knox and Hamilton counties the city and the county run separate departments; in Shelby, one department covers six of the eight jurisdictions. Tennessee does not have one permitting model, it has three, and which one applies decides who your building official actually is. A jurisdiction that has adopted codes meeting the state minimum and enforces them is an exempt jurisdiction: it runs its own plan review, permits and inspections, and the state stays out except for state buildings, schools and a handful of licensed occupancies. A jurisdiction that has not is non-exempt, and the State Fire Marshal's Office is the building official there, working through contracted deputy building inspectors who cover several counties each. And a jurisdiction that has passed a two-thirds resolution under T.C.A. § 68-120-101(b)(1)(B) is an opt-out or non-code jurisdiction, where one- and two-family dwellings sit outside the statewide standards altogether.
Shelby County enforces the 2018 editions of the technical codes. Applications, plan submissions, fee payments and inspection scheduling all run through the Develop901 portal, which is Accela-based, and the same portal carries planning, zoning, engineering and fire permits alongside construction — so the building permit is one application type among several you may need to file.
No political subdivision of Tennessee may adopt or enforce standards of fire prevention, fire protection or building construction that are less stringent than the state minimum. Local amendments can add to the code; they cannot subtract from it.
Permit required
- New residential and commercial construction, and additions
- Structural alterations, repairs, and changes of occupancy
- Detached accessory buildings above the exemption size
- Swimming pools beyond the shallow prefabricated exemption
- Demolition — with MLGW cut-off and an asbestos letter
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas work
- Signs, and construction in public areas (engineering permits)
- Floodplain development and land-disturbing activity
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and cosmetic finishes
- Treehouses, expressly exempt under the county code
- Routine maintenance not altering structure or a regulated system
- Work inside Bartlett or Collierville, which permit their own
Shelby County building department: who handles permitting
CCE sits inside the Division of Planning and Development, and the division is genuinely multi-desk: building, planning, zoning, engineering and fire each review through the same Develop901 portal but as separate application types. Whether your project needs more than the building permit — a zoning approval, an engineering permit for work in the right-of-way, a fire review — depends on scope, and the portal's Application Wizard is the county's own tool for working out which ones apply.
The contractor side has a Shelby-specific wrinkle. A contractor licensed by the State of Tennessee must also hold a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and be registered with CCE before the permit issues. That is a separate credential from the state contractor licence, obtained through the county, and it is checked at registration rather than waved through. Budget the time to obtain it if you are new to the county.
Appeals and code questions run to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners through CCE, and the board is required to meet within a set window of an appeal being filed. As with every Tennessee jurisdiction, the cadence of the board calendar, not the merits of the argument, is usually what sets the timeline on a contested interpretation.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Construction Code Enforcement (CCE), Division of Planning and Development |
| Covers | Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington, and unincorporated Shelby County |
| Runs their own | Bartlett and Collierville |
| Portal | Develop901 (Accela) — develop901.com |
| Develop901 office | (901) 636-7384 |
| Contractor requirement | State licence plus a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and CCE registration |
| Demolition prerequisites | MLGW cut-off verification and a Health Department asbestos letter |
| Codes enforced | 2018 technical codes |
| Owner-builder | Two-year restriction does NOT apply — Shelby exceeds the 777,113 population line |
Register before you file. A state contractor licence is not enough on its own in Shelby County — you also need a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and CCE registration, and the county checks for it. Start in Develop901 with the Application Wizard if you are unsure which permit types your project needs, because building is only one of several application families the portal carries.
Two things to confirm from the parcel before you file. First, whether the site is in Bartlett or Collierville, the two Shelby municipalities that permit their own work rather than through CCE. Second, that you are looking at Shelby County, Tennessee — there is also a Shelby County in six other states, and permit aggregators routinely conflate them.
Shelby County permits: record types and what each covers
CCE runs residential and commercial construction records, with trade permits and the specialised engineering and fire families filed separately through the same portal. These are the records you are likely to file:
Residential permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | New dwellings, additions, and accessory structures above the local size threshold | Plan review against the adopted residential code, plus zoning; the state floor is the 2018 IRC with Appendix Q | Valuation-based |
| Addition | Added interior space, including additions of thirty square feet or more | Structural and energy review; the thirty square foot interior trigger is smaller than most applicants expect | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural changes, layout changes, or added plumbing, mechanical, or electrical | Plan review scaled to scope; renovations of existing one- and two-family dwellings sit outside the state minimum standards | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Roof covering replacement, recover, and structural deck repair | Deck and dry-in inspection; plan review rarely required | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Rooftop or ground-mount arrays, with or without battery storage | Structural review of the attachment locally, with the electrical scope usually permitted and inspected by the state | Flat or system-size based |
| Battery energy storage | Wall or floor-mounted storage added to a dwelling | Electrical review plus fire separation and location check | Flat or per-permit minimum |
| Electrical | Service changes, panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, and rewiring | In most of Tennessee a state record bought through CORE and inspected by a contracted Deputy Electrical Inspector, not a local one | Per-permit or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and water heater replacement | Trade review; performed by a licensed plumber or a Limited Licensed Plumber below the contractor threshold | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Changeouts, new ductwork, and refrigeration | Trade review; the contractor licence attaches once the trade portion reaches the statutory threshold | Per-permit minimum or per-unit |
| Deck and porch | New decks, screened porches, and structural rebuilds | Structural review of footings, ledger attachment, and guards | Valuation or flat |
| Swimming pool | In-ground and above-ground pools | Barrier, bonding, and electrical review; the bonding scope generally follows the state electrical record | Valuation or flat |
| Manufactured home set-up | Placing or re-siting a manufactured home | Zoning, floodplain, and anchoring review; manufactured homes sit outside the state minimum building standards but not outside local zoning | Flat or per-unit |
| Demolition | Full or partial demolition of a dwelling or accessory structure | Utility disconnect confirmation and site restoration check | Flat |
| Demolition permit | Removing a residential structure | Requires MLGW cut-off verification and a Health Department asbestos letter first | By cubic footage |
| Detached accessory building | A garage or workshop above the exemption size | Building review against the 2018 codes; the tiered minimum fee applies | Per square foot |
Commercial permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New commercial construction | Ground-up commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings | Concurrent review against the adopted building code, fire, and zoning; the state floor is the 2021 IBC with Tennessee amendments | Valuation-based |
| Tenant improvement / upfit | Interior fit-out of an existing tenant space | Building, trade, and life-safety review; accessibility attaches on change of use | Valuation-based |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building or space to a different use group | Occupancy classification, egress, and accessibility review | Valuation or flat |
| Commercial electrical | Service, distribution, and branch circuit work | State record in most jurisdictions unless the municipality is one of the roughly thirty-five authorised to inspect its own electrical | Per-permit or valuation |
| Commercial plumbing | Process piping, fixtures, backflow, and grease waste | Trade review; backflow and grease interceptor sign-off where applicable | Per-fixture or valuation |
| Commercial mechanical | Rooftop units, kitchen exhaust and hood systems, and refrigeration | Trade review; hood and suppression systems draw fire review alongside mechanical | Per-unit or valuation |
| Commercial reroof | Roof covering replacement on a commercial structure | Deck, dry-in, and attachment inspection | Valuation or squares |
| Signage | Wall, ground, and illuminated signs | Zoning review for size and placement, plus electrical where illuminated | Flat or per-sign |
| Land disturbance | Clearing, grading, and stormwater-triggering site work | Erosion and sediment control review, separate from the building permit | Acreage-based |
| Commercial demolition | Full or partial demolition of a commercial structure | Utility disconnect, asbestos notification, and site restoration | Flat or valuation |
| State Fire Marshal plans review | Occupancies requiring State Fire Marshal approval, including schools and certain licensed facilities | Filed with the state through the plans submittal portal, in addition to and not instead of the local record | State fee schedule |
| Engineering permit | Sidewalks, curb cuts, or work in the public right-of-way | Reviewed by the engineering family in Develop901, separately from building | Valuation-based |
| Fire permit | Fire safety systems in a commercial building | Reviewed by the Memphis Fire Department through the same portal | Flat |
Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- The electrical record is usually a separate state permit, not a line on the building permit
- Contractor licence attaches at the statutory threshold; a Home Improvement licence may apply below it in nine counties only
- Septic properties need TDEC approval before ground is broken
Commercial — multi-discipline
- Concurrent review across building, trades, fire, and zoning
- Signed and sealed plans across every affected discipline
- The licensee's monetary limit caps the job value, separately from the permit
- Accessibility and life-safety review attach to any change of occupancy
Records you will actually see in Shelby County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New homes, additions, and repairs |
| Commercial building permit | Commercial construction and tenant work |
| Detached accessory building | Structures above the exemption size threshold |
| Demolition permit | With MLGW cut-off and Health Department asbestos letter |
| Engineering permit | Sidewalks, curb cuts, and construction in public areas |
| Fire permit | Fire safety systems, reviewed by the Memphis Fire Department |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas |
| Sign permit | Wall, ground, and illuminated signs |
Solar permits in Shelby County
Solar is reviewed on two tracks at once in Tennessee, and in most of the state those two tracks belong to two different governments. The structural side — attachment detail, rail spacing, and whether the existing framing carries the added dead load — is a local building review. The electrical side — conductors, overcurrent protection, rapid shutdown, labelling, and the service or supply-side connection — usually runs on a state electrical record instead, against the National Electrical Code edition the state programme enforces.
A residential solar installation in Shelby County is a building permit for the structural attachment plus an electrical permit, both filed through Develop901. Because the electrical trade runs through CCE here rather than a separate state authority in most cases, the solar job stays within the joint department rather than splitting across two governments. Confirm the panel and interconnection details against the current codes, and remember that a contractor doing the work needs the Memphis and Shelby County business licence as well as the state credential.
That split is the most common cause of a stalled Tennessee solar job. An installer who files the building record locally and assumes the electrical inspection comes with it will sit waiting for an inspector who was never booked. Confirm at the outset whether your jurisdiction is one of the roughly thirty-five municipalities authorised to run its own electrical inspections, or whether the electrical permit has to be bought from the state.
Interconnection runs on a third clock. Tennessee is served by the Tennessee Valley Authority through local power companies — municipal electric systems and rural electric cooperatives — and each sets its own application, meter and witness-test sequence. Permission to operate is not something the building department controls, so plan for the tracks to finish at different times.
Roofing permits in Shelby County
A roof covering replacement needs a permit in most Tennessee jurisdictions that enforce their own codes. The permit is usually quick, but it is not optional, and the inspection that matters happens before the covering goes on rather than after.
Tennessee has no statewide product-approval database, so there is no approval number to search for or cite on the application. The assembly has to comply with the adopted code and the manufacturer's listed installation instructions, and that pairing is what the inspector checks — which makes the manufacturer's instructions a document worth having on site.
Reroofing requires a permit in Shelby County and is filed through Develop901 like any other building record. A residential reroof is charged against the value of the improvements rather than a new-construction valuation, and the usual exemptions for cosmetic work do not extend to structural roof changes or sheathing replacement. On a tear-off that exposes framing, expect the inspection to look at the deck, not just the covering.
Sequencing is where reroofs go wrong. The deck and dry-in condition has to be visible when the inspector arrives, so covering it first means opening it back up. Where a previous layer has been torn off, expect attention to deck fastening and to any sheathing replaced along the eaves. Note also that a roofing subcontractor is licensed on the value of the roofing portion alone once that portion reaches the statutory threshold.
Shelby County permit cost
Shelby County construction fees are valuation- and size-based, published by CCE for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing separately. New construction and additions are charged per square foot with tiered minimum fees that step up by addition size, and demolition is charged by cubic footage. The published CCE fee schedule, viewable through Develop901, is the authority — not a rule of thumb.
Fees are assessed against the submitted scope, and because several application families run through the same portal, a single project can carry building, trade, and engineering or fire fees at once. Confirm the full set against the portal before budgeting, and remember that the Memphis and Shelby County business licence is its own cost, separate from the permit fees.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Basis | Valuation and square footage; building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing separately |
| New construction / additions | Per square foot, with tiered minimum fees by size |
| Demolition | Charged by cubic footage |
| Business licence | Memphis and Shelby County business licence, separate from permit fees |
| Portal | Fees viewed and paid through Develop901 |
| Multiple families | Building, trade, engineering, and fire permits can all attach |
| Septic properties | TDEC approval required before ground is broken |
| Confirm | Against the published CCE fee schedule before budgeting |
Want a precise number for a specific Shelby County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Shelby County trade permits
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas each need their own permit and a Tennessee-licensed contractor, filed through Develop901. Four Shelby specifics decide whether your application moves:
The county business licence is a gate
A state contractor licence alone will not clear registration. CCE requires a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and registration with the department before the permit issues. New entrants should obtain it before the first application, not during.
Demolition is a two-agency job
Before CCE issues a demolition permit you need written MLGW cut-off verification for electrical and gas, plus an asbestos letter from the Shelby County Health Department. Neither comes from CCE, and both take their own time.
MEP drawings are case-by-case
Whether mechanical, plumbing and electrical design drawings are required at submittal depends on the work. CCE answers this project by project, but any real work in those trades will usually need some drawings before review.
Six jurisdictions, one portal
CCE serves Memphis and five other jurisdictions, so confirm from the parcel that your site is not in Bartlett or Collierville, which permit their own. The portal will accept an application; it will not tell you that you filed with the wrong government.
Shelby County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Shelby County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
CCE covers Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County. Bartlett and Collierville permit their own work. Settle which government your parcel belongs to before you open an application.
A state contractor licence must be paired with a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and CCE registration. Obtain both before filing, and keep your state certificate and registration input documents ready.
Register for a Develop901 account and use the Application Wizard if you are unsure which permits your project needs. Building is one family; zoning, engineering and fire are separate applications through the same portal.
Plans, site plan, and — for a demolition — MLGW cut-off verification and a Health Department asbestos letter. On septic properties, TDEC approval comes before the county can issue.
Upload plans and pay fees through Develop901. MEP drawings are required case by case; expect to provide them for real trade work. Fees cover building and any trade, engineering or fire families your project triggers.
Book inspections through Develop901 and run them through to the certificate of occupancy. A certificate of occupancy is required before legal occupancy or use of the completed building.
Inspections in Shelby County
CCE publishes a checklist of inspection deadlines and inspection types for contractors and homeowners, and inspections are scheduled through Develop901 against the issued permit. Typical checkpoints run footing and foundation, trade rough-ins, framing, insulation and final, with the permit and approved plans available on site.
The demolition path is where Shelby differs most from a routine build. Because the MLGW cut-off verification and the Health Department asbestos letter are prerequisites rather than closing items, the inspection sequence effectively starts before the permit — the utility and environmental sign-offs have to exist first. Treat them as the first inspections on the job, not the last.
A certificate of occupancy for any new building comes from Construction Code Enforcement once all inspections are approved. On existing buildings, the permit history searchable through Develop901 is the fastest way to confirm what was previously permitted before a change of occupancy, which is where unpermitted-work problems usually surface.
Develop901 lets you search and download permits and associated documents for submitted applications, which is the record to check before taking on an existing building. Match what was permitted against what is standing before you file a change of occupancy, because the gap becomes your problem at inspection.
Shelby County permit search and official resources
Construction Code Enforcement publishes its submittal documents, fee information and permit search through Develop901, with the state and county licensing and utility resources that sit alongside them.
- Develop901 — Construction Enforcement
- Develop901 permit portal (Accela)
- Develop901 fee information
- Memphis and Shelby County zoning (UDC)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors
- State electrical permits (CORE)
- State Fire Marshal codes enforcement
- Shelby County code of ordinances
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Shelby County, TN?
Construction Code Enforcement (CCE), a division of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. CCE serves Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County. Bartlett and Collierville run their own permitting.
Is Memphis a separate permit from Shelby County?
No. The same department, CCE, permits both the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, along with four other municipalities, through the shared Develop901 portal. Only Bartlett and Collierville permit separately.
How do I apply for a Shelby County building permit?
Through Develop901, the Accela-based portal at develop901.com. Register for an account, then use the Application Wizard if you are unsure which permit types your project needs. Building, zoning, engineering and fire are separate application families in the same portal.
Do I need a licence beyond my state contractor licence?
Yes. A contractor licensed by the State of Tennessee must also hold a Memphis and Shelby County business licence and be registered with CCE before a permit issues. That county credential is checked at registration, so obtain it before filing.
What do I need to demolish a building in Shelby County?
Two documents from other agencies before CCE will issue: written cut-off verification from Memphis Light, Gas and Water for electrical and gas, and an asbestos letter from the Shelby County Health Department. Both take their own time, so line them up early.
Which codes does Shelby County enforce?
The 2018 editions of the technical codes. As with every Tennessee jurisdiction that enforces its own codes, the county is a local building authority under the statewide minimum standards, and confirming the current adopted set against the department is worthwhile before you design.
Can I pull my own permit as the owner in Shelby County?
An owner building on their own property for their own use, not for resale, lease or rent, is exempt from the contractor licensing requirement. Importantly, the usual restriction limiting an owner to one residence permit in two years does not apply in Shelby, because the county exceeds the 777,113 population line in the statute.
Why does the owner-builder two-year rule not apply here?
T.C.A. 62-6-103(a)(2)(B) suspends the one-residence-in-two-years restriction in counties of 777,113 or more on the 1980 or any later federal census. Shelby County is above that line, so the two-year limit that applies in most of Tennessee does not apply here.
Do I need a Home Improvement licence in Shelby County?
Shelby is one of nine Tennessee counties where the Home Improvement licence applies, for residential improvement work from three thousand dollars up to just under the twenty-five thousand dollar contractor threshold. Above that threshold a full state contractor licence is required.
Where do trade permits come from in Shelby County?
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits are filed through Develop901 and performed by Tennessee-licensed trade contractors. Whether MEP design drawings are required at submittal is decided case by case, but real trade work usually needs some drawings before review.
Does Shelby County check my HOA covenants?
No. Deed restrictions, covenants and subdivision regulations are private matters between the owner and the subdivision. A permit that clears CCE can still breach a covenant, and the county will not have checked.
How do I confirm what was permitted on a Shelby County property?
Develop901 lets you search and download permits and associated documents for submitted applications. On an existing building, check that record against what is standing before filing a change of occupancy, because unpermitted work surfaces there.
Simplify Shelby County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Shelby County's joint CCE department, the county business-licence gate, the Develop901 application families, and the two-agency demolition path all reward applicants who arrive registered and complete rather than discovering the prerequisites at the counter.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Shelby County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — CCE or one of Bartlett and Collierville, resolved from the parcel rather than the address.
- Registered first — state licence paired with the Memphis and Shelby County business licence and CCE registration before filing.
- Demolitions cleared — MLGW cut-off verification and the Health Department asbestos letter lined up before the application.
- Complete oversight — every Shelby permit, trade record and inspection tracked across your jobs in one place.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service in Tennessee. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.
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More Tennessee permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Shelby County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.