Do I need a demolition permit in Nashville? Yes, for any structure or part of one

The rule

Metro Codes' Residential Building Permit Procedures (read 23 October 2026) put demolition on the list of work that needs a building permit, next to new construction, additions and structural repairs. Normal maintenance is exempt, defined as painting, papering, glazing, floor finishing, "minor repairs to chimneys, stairs, porches, underpinning" and roof repairs up to 33% of the roof; taking out a wall that carries load is not maintenance, because the list of permit work includes "removing or altering load bearing timbers, replacing supporting walls".

Metro also asks for a site plan with "the proposed location of project with distances to property lines, existing structures and easements labeled"; homeowners can usually use a mortgage loan survey.

Who may pull it

Tennessee licensing applies to the contractor: a state contractor's license from $25,000, and in Davidson County a home improvement license for residential jobs over $3,000 and under $25,000 (Nashville contractor license lookup). With a usual demolition value of $10,000, most house demolitions fall in the home improvement band. Check the firm on verify.tn.gov.

Before the wrecking crew: three other agencies

Historic Zoning Commission. In a historic preservation or neighborhood conservation overlay, demolition "in whole or in part" needs a free preservation permit before the building permit, and demolition of a main historic building usually goes to a public Commission meeting rather than staff (Apply for a Preservation Permit; details in Nashville historic overlay rules). Check whether your parcel is in an overlay before you sign a demolition contract.

Pollution Control (asbestos). Metro Public Health's Regulation No. 4 covers "regulated facilities", which for houses means residential buildings "consisting of five or more dwelling units" or part of a larger demolition project. For those, an asbestos inspector surveys the building, and the Pollution Control Division must receive the survey, a Notification of Demolition/Renovation and the permit fee, "postmarked ten (10) working days prior to any activity which may disturb ACM". Noncompliance can bring "a monetary penalty of up to $25,000 per day for each violation" (Regulation No. 4 brochure). Several houses demolished as one project can count; Pollution Control is on (615) 340-5653.

Waste Services. Jobsites must be kept free of litter under Metro code §10.24.080, and the Department of Waste Services points to lead-based paint on old windows, doors and siding and to EPA's asbestos rules (40 CFR 61, Subpart M) for what must be removed or abated before the building comes down (Practice Proper Disposal).

How to apply

1. Check the overlay and get the preservation permit first if you are in one.
2. Assemble the Residential Permit Application and the site plan; for a self permit, the two notarized affidavits.
3. Submit by email as the Residential Building Permit Procedures page directs, or as a registered contractor through ePermits. A zoning examiner is assigned and contacts you with questions.
4. Asbestos notification, if Regulation No. 4 applies, ten working days before work.
5. Inspection. Metro's inspection division field-checks the work; Metro Codes' Requesting an Inspection page explains how to book one.

What 1,670 Nashville demolition permits show

Demolition is the most scattered trade in our Nashville file. The five busiest firms filed only 12.2% of permits, and 55.8% of firms filed one; home builders appear among the busiest filers, pulling the demolition ahead of the replacement house. Prices are tight: half of firms' usual demolition jobs fall between $8,000 and $12,000, so a bid far outside that should say why (a basement, a slab, a pool, asbestos). Only 58.4% of firms matched an active Tennessee license by name, so ask for the license number rather than assume one. The Nashville demolition cost page breaks values down by home value.

See every Nashville demolition contractor by permits filed →

Related

What usually follows: Nashville new home permit. Overlays: Nashville historic overlay rules. Checks: Nashville contractor license lookup, how to check a contractor's license in Tennessee, Nashville building permit search. Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for demolition. Prices and choices: house demolition cost, hiring a demolition contractor. Counts by year and month: Nashville permit statistics.

What this does not tell you

Our Nashville file has no usable final date for demolition permits, so we show no finished share or days to final. Filed values are the applicant's estimate. License status is our name match to Tennessee's file and misses firms whose permit name differs from their license name. We did not find a published demolition permit fee on Metro's pages; Metro Codes quotes it at application.