Nashville
Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office
In short
Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office issues 3 permits we publish for Nashville, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck Vending Permit for the Public Right-of-Way (NDOT)only if it applies to you | Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office | Set under the truck vending permit program that NDOT administers under rules of the Traffic and Parking Commission (Metro Code § 13.08.100 B); Metro Code prints no amount. Ask the NDOT Permit Office for the current fee. | set by the truck vending permit program rules | 2026-10-09 |
| Sidewalk Café Permit (NDOT)only if it applies to you | Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office | $250 non-refundable application fee, plus an annual right-of-way use fee of $200 (under 500 sq ft of right-of-way), $300 (500–1,000 sq ft) or $500 (over 1,000 sq ft). Renewal is annual with the same application and right-of-way use fees. | one year, renewable annually; renewal applications at least 30 days before expiry | 2026-10-09 |
| Parklet / Streatery Permit (NDOT)only if it applies to you | Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office | $150 non-refundable application fee. A streatery also pays an annual fee equal to the lost revenue for the metered parking spaces it occupies plus a lower rate for any non-metered spaces, as determined by the NDOT director. | one year; renewal applications at least 30 days before expiry | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Truck Vending Permit for the Public Right-of-Way (NDOT)
Metro Code § 13.08.100, added by Ordinance BL2024-391 in 2024, authorizes NDOT to run a truck vending permit program for vendors who 'operate, park, and sell food, beverages, and other merchandise, from trucks or other motor vehicles' in Metro's public rights-of-way, with rules set by the Traffic and Parking Commission. Under § 13.08.100 C vending from a motor vehicle in the public right-of-way without a current NDOT truck vending permit is a violation of the Metropolitan Code, and under § 13.08.100 D the requirement does not apply to truck vendors operating outside the public right-of-way, such as on private property. NDOT's Mobile Food Vendor page lists the documents an application needs: menu, photographs of the unit, business license, Health Department letter or score, Metro Public Health commissary agreement, Metro Water Services wastewater discharge agreement, Fire Department letter and permit, driver's license, tax identification number and a unit layout. Applications go through ePermits.
Sidewalk Café Permit (NDOT)
Ordinance BL2026-1358, passed by the Metropolitan Council on June 16, 2026, added Metro Code § 13.02.020, whose fee table sets the sidewalk café permit at $250 and the annual right-of-way use fee at $200 (<500 sf), $300 (500–1000 sf) and $500 (>1000 sf), unchanged through and after July 1, 2028, and rewrote § 13.32.165 C to refer to that table. NDOT's Sidewalk Café Permit page (last updated July 2, 2026) states 'New right-of-way permit fees effective July 1, 2026 per BL2026-1358' and lists the same $250 non-refundable application fee and annual use fees. Under § 13.32.165 operating a sidewalk café in the public right-of-way without a permit is a misdemeanor; permits last one year and must be posted; at least five feet of sidewalk must stay clear; $1 million liability insurance is required, plus $1 million liquor liability insurance if alcohol is served; and food preparation on the right-of-way is prohibited. Apply through ePermits with the site address and a seating plan.
Parklet / Streatery Permit (NDOT)
Metro Code § 13.32.166 defines a streatery as up to two parking stalls or a loading zone used as an extension of, or a stand-alone, sidewalk café for patrons of a nearby restaurant or bar, and a parklet as a small public gathering space in up to two parking stalls; operating either in the right-of-way without a permit is a misdemeanor. The § 13.02.020 fee table added by Ordinance BL2026-1358 (passed June 16, 2026) sets both the parklet permit and the streatery permit at $150 through and after July 1, 2028, and § 13.02.020 C.2 sets the streatery's annual fee from the lost metered-parking revenue plus a lower rate for non-metered spaces, as determined by the NDOT director. Section 13.32.166 E requires a site plan, letters of support from fronting property owners, an indemnity agreement, $1 million liability insurance (and liquor liability insurance where alcohol is served), interdepartmental review including the beer board, water and fire, and a construction permit; state and local food rules apply to a streatery where food is served.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Nashville
- Phone
- 615-862-5000
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Metropolitan Code, Chapter 13.08 — Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks (§ 13.08.100 truck vending permit program)Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Metropolitan Code, Chapter 13.32 — Streets and Sidewalks Regulations (§§ 13.32.165 sidewalk cafés, 13.32.166 parklets and streateries)Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Mobile Food Vendor — NDOT permit pageMetropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Ordinance BL2026-1358 — NDOT fees, new Metro Code § 13.02.020 (passed June 16, 2026; linked from NDOT's Sidewalk Café Permit page)Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County (Legistar) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Sidewalk Café Permit — NDOT (page last updated July 2, 2026)Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Other offices serving Nashville
- Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety
- Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax Division
- Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division
- Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office
- Metro Water Services, Environmental Compliance (Grease Management)
- Metropolitan Beer Permit Board
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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