12 permits · verified 2026-10-27
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Blount County Tn?
In short
A retail store in Blount County Tn, TN has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Blount County Development Services charges $100 per sign permit, per the fee schedule effective January 1, 2020 for the sign permit. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-27 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Blount County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Beer Permit (unincorporated areas)only if it applies to you | Blount County Beer Board | $250 non-refundable application fee, plus the $100 annual beer privilege tax due each January 1 and collected by the County Clerk (prorated by month for a new permit) | the permit is good only at the location in the application and is not transferable (Beer Ordinance § 4, item 9); the $100 privilege tax is annual | 2026-10-27 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Blount County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change of Occupancy / Conditional Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | Blount County Development Services | Varies — formula on the Blount County Tn page | per project | 2026-10-27 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | Blount County Development Services | $100 per sign permit, per the fee schedule effective January 1, 2020 | per permit | 2026-10-27 |
| County Business License (Standard or Minimal Activity)only if it applies to you | Blount County Clerk | $15 registration fee per new business, paid to the County Clerk (county license only; a business inside a city also obtains that city's license) | annual; the license is renewed each year upon payment of the business tax, for no additional fee (per CTAS) | 2026-10-27 |
| Building Permit and Plans Review | Blount County Development Services | Varies — formula on the Blount County Tn page | per project | 2026-10-27 |
| Zoning Applications: Special Exception, Variance, Rezoning, Site Plan and Zoning Lettersonly if it applies to you | Blount County Development Services | Varies — formula on the Blount County Tn page | one-time, per application | 2026-10-27 |
| Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit and Site Evaluationonly if it applies to you | Blount County Department of Environmental Health | Varies — formula on the Blount County Tn page | per system | 2026-10-27 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TN registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | no expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Revenue | $15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the tax | annual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | annual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Tennessee Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiry stated | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Blount County Tn?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a retail store in Blount County Tn, TN, 2 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
6 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all.
The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Blount County Tn permits page and the TN state page.
Is Blount County Tn expensive for a retail store?
Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Blount County Tn sits where the table below puts it against every other TN jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
County Business License (Standard or Minimal Activity): Blount County Tn charges $15. Across 5 jurisdictions it runs from $15 in Rutherford County to $15 here, with a median of $15. 4 charge exactly the same.
Read the spread rather than the rank. County Business License (Standard or Minimal Activity) varies by $0 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.
Which offices issue these permits in Blount County Tn?
Permits for a retail store in Blount County Tn, TN come from 6 separate offices: Blount County Development Services, Blount County Clerk, Blount County Beer Board, Blount County Department of Environmental Health, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Blount County Development ServicesIssues 4 permits on this page: Change of Occupancy / Conditional Certificate of Occupancy, Sign Permit, Building Permit and Plans Review, Zoning Applications: Special Exception, Variance, Rezoning, Site Plan and Zoning Letters303 McGhee Street, Maryville, TN 37801 · 865-681-9301blounttn.gov/296/Development-Services
- Blount County ClerkIssues 1 permit on this page: County Business License (Standard or Minimal Activity)Blount County Courthouse, 345 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804blounttn.gov/310/County-Clerk-Responsibilities
- Blount County Beer BoardIssues 1 permit on this page: County Beer Permit (unincorporated areas)c/o Blount County Clerk, Blount County Courthouse, 345 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804blounttn.gov/310/County-Clerk-Responsibilities
- Blount County Department of Environmental HealthIssues 1 permit on this page: Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit and Site Evaluation303 McGhee Street, Maryville, TN 37801 · 865-681-9301blounttn.gov/299/Environmental-Health
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), For-Profit Corporation Charter, Annual Report312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 6th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 · (615) 741-2286tncab.tnsos.gov
- Tennessee Department of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Standard or Minimal Activity Business License, Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration500 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37242 · (800) 342-1003www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
What does a retail store need in Blount County Tn that other businesses do not?
Shared with other businesses in Blount County Tn
- County Beer Permit (unincorporated areas) — Blount County Beer Board, $250 non-refundable application fee, plus the $100 annual beer privilege tax due each January 1 and collected by the County Clerk (prorated by month for a new permit), the permit is good only at the location in the application and is not transferable (Beer Ordinance § 4, item 9); the $100 privilege tax is annual. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Blount County Tn, TN; what each one involves is set out on the Blount County Tn permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TN and are covered on the TN state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Blount County Tn?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Commercial Plumbing-Only and Gas/Mechanical-Only Permits, Food Service Establishment Permit and Certified Food Protection Manager, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Sources
Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Blount County Tn permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.