Building Permits in Tennessee

How much does a building permit cost in Tennessee?

Most building permits in the United States cost between $150 and $2,000, with a national median around $1,300. Permit fees are usually set as a percentage of the declared project value — commonly 0.5% to 2% — or on a per-$1,000-of-valuation schedule, so a larger Tennessee project pays a proportionally larger permit fee.

Across the 53,746 Tennessee permits we currently track, the average declared project value is about $234,000. At a typical 0.5%–2% permit-fee schedule, that implies roughly $1,200–$4,700 in permit fees for an average Tennessee project — though your city's fee schedule and project scope set the exact figure.

Tennessee Building Permit Activity

Across 8 Tennessee cities we tracked 7,671 new building permits in the last 30 days, representing $242M in declared construction value. That's down 9.5% from the prior 30 days.

Fastest-growing Tennessee markets this month

• Clarksville — 20 permits, up 42.9% vs the prior month
• Memphis — 5,106 permits, up 2.4% vs the prior month
• Shelby County — 2,062 permits, up -17.9% vs the prior month
• Hendersonville — 235 permits, up -18.4% vs the prior month
• La Vergne — 84 permits, up -28.2% vs the prior month

Biggest project in Tennessee this month

$32.9M addition permit in Memphis at 5414 Tulane Rd, Memphis 38109, filed by Omega Foundation Services.

Tennessee Construction Market

We're tracking 53,746 active building permits across 8 Tennessee cities, led by Knoxville with 26860 tracked permits.

PermitGrab pulls this data daily, directly from Tennessee municipal permit offices — so you see new residential renovations, commercial buildouts, and major developments as they're filed, before your competition finds them.

Browse the cities above to explore specific markets, or sign up for Pro to get daily email alerts and full contact information for permit holders.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tennessee Building Permits