What do these permits involve in Nashville?

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Metro Business Tax License

Tennessee's business tax is a state-imposed tax administered through the local clerk — because Nashville/Davidson is consolidated, that is the Davidson County Clerk, operating as the Metro Clerk for business services. The Clerk's own current page confirms the local license-fee split directly: 'The license fee will be $30 if your business is located within Nashville city limits (Urban Service District – USD)... The license fee will be $15 if your business is located outside the Nashville city limits, but in Davidson County (General Service District – GSD).'

Use and Occupancy (U&O) Permit / Certificate of Occupancy

Metro Code § 16.36.010 provides that 'No new building shall be occupied and no change in occupancy of a building or part of a building shall be made until after the department of codes administration shall have issued a certificate of occupancy therefor', and § 16.36.040 covers certificates for existing buildings. Under § 16.28.110 E, 'For the issuance of a use and occupancy permit or certificate of compliance where there has been no building permit issued, the fee shall be fifty-five dollars'; Metro Codes' December 2025 Fee Schedule prints the same $55. Metro Codes' Commercial Permit FAQ (6/2026) states that 'A U&O permit is required for all restaurants even when the previous use was a restaurant', that a business license or another agency's permit does not exempt a business from a change-of-use permit with Metro Codes, and that after all inspections pass on a building permit the owner requests a U&O letter from the Inspection Division. A temporary certificate may be issued for a part of a building that can safely be occupied before completion (§ 16.36.030).

Commercial Building Permit and Plans Examination (Metro Codes)

Metro Code § 16.28.010 requires a permit from the director of codes administration before anyone constructs, alters, repairs, enlarges or demolishes a building, installs regulated equipment or erects a sign. The valuation table, plans examination fees, $50 re-inspection fee and tripling of fees for work begun before a permit (§ 16.28.130) are the Metropolitan Code's own text (Supplement 53). Metro Codes' Fee Schedule, posted December 2025 and linked as 'Fee Calculations' from the Codes General Publications list, reproduces the same table and states that the total cost of a building permit includes a 'Zoning Examination Fee of $25' and a 'Codes Tech Fee: 10% of the Building Valuation Fee'; the technology fee rests on Ordinance BL2022-1254 (passed June 21, 2022), which assesses '10% technology fee … on top of applicable Department of Codes' permit fees'. Metro Codes' Commercial Permit FAQ (6/2026) says applications go to the Zoning Help Desk, a zoning examiner e-mails a checklist of the Metro reviews required, plans are submitted electronically only, and the building permit is issued last after the other agencies' reviews. Trade work needs separate plumbing, gas/mechanical and electrical permits.

Sign Permit (Metro Codes)

Metro Code § 16.28.110 C sets the fee for 'the erection, construction or alteration of any sign, billboard, awning, marquee or similar structure' from the commercial valuation schedule and states that 'The minimum fee for a permit to erect a sign shall be fifty-five dollars.' Metro Code § 16.20.250 lists 'Electric signs (excluding service), each' at $20.00 within an electrical permit, whose minimum fee is $75.00 per permit; Metro Codes' December 2025 Fee Schedule reproduces both provisions. Metro Codes' Commercial Permit FAQ (6/2026) says 'a separate permit will be required for signage' and that a sign permit 'will not be issued until there is a permit on file establishing the zoning use of the business with Codes', through a building permit or a use and occupancy permit. A business putting up or replacing a sign therefore applies to Metro Codes after its use is established.

Burglar and Fire Alarm Registration Permit

Metro Code § 10.60.020 A requires every person who owns, operates or leases a burglar or fire alarm system in Nashville and Davidson County, 'prior to use of the alarm system', to register for a permit with the Nashville Fire Department, which took over alarm registration from Metro Codes under Ordinance BL2025-1003. Section 10.60.020 B sets annual renewal fees of fifty dollars for commercial users, due by the end of the month in which the permit was issued, with a five-dollar late fee. The Fire Department's Alarm Registration page says all residential and commercial properties with an alarm system must register, that registration and renewal are done through ePermits (a 2.3% card convenience fee applies), that permits are not transferable, and that a business that moves must cancel and reapply at the new location. Questions to NFDAlarmRegistration@nashville.gov or 615-862-6779. A business with no alarm system needs no alarm permit.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Metro Business Tax License	Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax Division	A minimum tax of at least $22 a year applies once a business is required to register; per the Department of Revenue's Registration and Licensing page, the Minimal Activity License starts above $3,000 of gross receipts, so businesses under $3,000 need no license at all, and $3,000–$99,999 need only a Minimal Activity License. Rates above that vary 0.02%–0.1875% by classification. The Davidson County Clerk's own current page states the license fee itself is $30 for a business located within Nashville's old city limits (Urban Services District) and $15 for a business located elsewhere in Davidson County (General Services District).	annual, tied to the state business tax return	2026-09-05
Use and Occupancy (U&O) Permit / Certificate of Occupancy	Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety	$55 per use and occupancy permit or certificate of compliance where no building permit has been issued (Metro Code § 16.28.110 E)	one-time, per occupancy or change of use	2026-10-09
Commercial Building Permit and Plans Examination (Metro Codes)	Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety	Building permit by total valuation (commercial): $0–$2,000 = $40.39; $2,000.01–$50,000 = $40.39 + $6.92 per additional $1,000; $50,000.01–$100,000 = $372.71 + $5.57 per additional $1,000; $100,000.01–$500,000 = $651.38 + $4.19 per additional $1,000; over $500,000 = $2,326.84 + $2.79 per additional $1,000. Plans examination (non-refundable, in addition): one-half of the building permit fee up to $275,000 valuation; $1,338.54 + $0.18 per additional $1,000 to $5,000,000; $2,181.82 + $0.07 per additional $1,000 above. Metro Codes' Fee Schedule adds a $25 zoning examination fee and a Codes technology fee of 10% of the building valuation fee. Re-inspection $50. Fees are tripled when work starts before the permit is issued.	per permit	2026-10-09
Sign Permit (Metro Codes)only if it applies to you	Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety	Fee from the commercial building-permit valuation table in Metro Code § 16.28.110 A.2 ($40.39 up to $2,000 of valuation, then per-$1,000 increments), with a minimum of $55 per sign permit. An electric sign also needs an electrical permit: $20 per electric sign (excluding service) under § 16.20.250, subject to the $75 minimum electrical permit fee.	per permit	2026-10-09
Burglar and Fire Alarm Registration Permitonly if it applies to you	Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office	Commercial premises: annual renewal $50, plus a $5 late fee for a renewal filed after the due date. Initial registration $50 — the Nashville Fire Department's Alarm Registration page states 'The permit fee is $20.00 for residential systems and $50.00 for commercial systems', while Metro Code § 10.60.020 B words the initial fee as fifty dollars 'for each alarm device if the system is maintained on commercial premises'.	one year; renewals due on or before the end of the month in which the permit was issued	2026-10-09

Business licenses and permits in Nashville, Tennessee

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Nashville