11 published records
Business licenses and permits in Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County, Tennessee (county seat Memphis) layers its county requirements through four offices. The Shelby County Clerk's Business Tax Division issues the $15 county business license under the Tennessee Business Tax Act to businesses throughout the county; the Clerk's page states that 'A separate city business license is required if operating within a municipality', and for a Memphis location the Clerk collects the $15 Memphis city license fee alongside the county's $15. The Shelby County Beer Board, whose applications are filed at the Clerk, permits beer sales in the unincorporated areas. The Shelby County Health Department permits and inspects food service establishments, mobile food units and temporary food events countywide as one of the Tennessee Department of Health's food 'Contract Counties', charging the state fee schedule plus a county mobile food permit set by the Shelby County Code. The Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development) issues building permits for Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County, as its own page states, and registers contractors. The county's 'Cities in Shelby County' page lists seven incorporated municipalities: Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Millington, Arlington and Lakeland. Each city runs its own business license, zoning and permit requirements, which stack on the county requirements. The population figure of 910,530 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Shelby County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Shelby County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancy | Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development) | Commercial plan review by valuation: $80 ($0–$25,000); $160 ($25,001–$50,000); $325 ($50,001–$100,000); $650 ($100,001–$200,000); $875 ($200,001–$500,000); $1,200 ($500,001–$1,000,000); $1,600 ($1,000,001–$2,000,000); $2,000 ($2,000,001–$5,000,000); $3,000 ($5,000,001 and up). Commercial building permit: minimum $75; $5.00 per $1,000 up to $25,000; $125 + $3.50 per $1,000 from $25,001 to $1,000,000; $3,537.50 + $2.25 per $1,000 from $1,000,001 to $25,000,000; $57,537.50 + $1.75 per $1,000 above $25,000,000. Certificate of occupancy $125. Add a $4 administrative charge and a $5 commercial surcharge ($9) to each commercial total. | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
| County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)only if it applies to you | Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division | $15 county license per location (county-only); for a Memphis location the Clerk also collects a $15 Memphis city license fee, $30 in total ($15 county + $15 city) | continuing; renewed at no fee once the annual state business tax return is filed and paid | 2026-10-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Shelby County?
Commercial Building Permit, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancy
Per the 2022 Fee Schedule of the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement, which the office's Construction Enforcement page links as its 'Permit Fee Schedule', commercial plan review runs from $80 for work valued up to $25,000 to $3,000 above $5,000,000, and the commercial building permit is $5.00 per $1,000 up to $25,000 (minimum $75), then $125 plus $3.50 per $1,000 up to $1,000,000, $3,537.50 plus $2.25 per $1,000 up to $25,000,000, and $57,537.50 plus $1.75 per $1,000 above that. The schedule lists a certificate of occupancy at $125.00, a reinspection fee of $50, and a double fee for work begun before the permit is issued. All of its fees exclude a $4.00 administrative charge and a $5.00 commercial surcharge, so $9 is added to each commercial total. The Construction Enforcement page says the office 'reviews plans, issues construction permits, and inspects new buildings and building components for projects in Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington, and unincorporated Shelby County'. Call 901-222-8300.
County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)
As published on the Shelby County Clerk's Business Tax Division page, a business must 'Register with the County Clerk within 20 days after commencing business', and '$15 must be submitted with each application'. T.C.A. § 67-4-723(a)(1) and (b)(1) set the same $15 fee for the standard license (gross receipts of $100,000 or more) and the minimal activity license ($3,000 to $100,000), and under § 67-4-723(a)(2)–(3) the license is renewed at no fee once the business tax return is filed and paid. The $15 is the county license. The Clerk's current application form prints 'Shelby County License Fee $15.00' and 'If located in Memphis, add City License Fee $15.00', so a Memphis business pays $30 at the Clerk: $15 county plus $15 city. The Clerk's page states that 'A separate city business license is required if operating within a municipality'; a business in Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Millington, Arlington or Lakeland gets its city license from that city. Veterinary practices: the Department of Revenue's June 2026 Business Tax Manual, citing T.C.A. § 67-4-708(3)(C)(xiv), exempts only services in the practice of veterinary medicine, and says veterinarians are liable for business tax on sales of grooming services, animal food and medicine, collars, leashes and other goods they sell. Call the Clerk at (901) 222-3059.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement — 2022 Fee Schedule (linked as the current 'approved Fee Schedule' from develop901.com's own Fee Information page); Signs: erection/construction/relocation/alteration/maintenance $1.25/sq ft, $25 minimum, plus a $4 administrative charge and $5 commercial surcharge; annual reinspection $25 (up to 150 sq ft) or $50 (over); installation before permit issuance is triple the feeShelby County Government, Office of Construction Code Enforcement · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Construction Enforcement (jurisdiction, 'Permit Fee Schedule' link, FAQ)Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Shelby County Business Tax Application (county licence fee $15; Memphis city licence fee $15)Shelby County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Shelby County Clerk — Business Tax Division, fee and thresholdsShelby County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Tennessee Code § 67-4-723 — business tax license feeState of Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated, via FindLaw) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Tennessee Business Tax Manual, June 2026Tennessee Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Cities in Shelby CountyShelby County Government · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Who issues business permits in Shelby County?
Permitting in Shelby County is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Shelby County issuing agencies
- Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety ProgramFood service establishment, child-care food service, mobile food unit and temporary event permits countywide, as a Tennessee Department of Health food contract county · Barbershop sanitation permits under Shelby County Code §§ 8-106 to 8-107 (outside the municipalities)4 permits
- Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development)Building permits, plan review and certificates of occupancy for Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County · Contractor registration before permits are pulled · County tire business permits for unincorporated Shelby County (Shelby County Code § 8-655)3 permits
- Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax DivisionCounty business license (standard and minimal activity) under the Tennessee Business Tax Act, and collection of the Memphis city license fee for Memphis locations · Beer permit applications for the Shelby County Beer Board (unincorporated areas) · Going-out-of-business and liquidation sale permits (unincorporated areas) · Flea market and show booth fee collection3 permits
- Shelby County Beer BoardIssues, suspends and revokes beer permits for establishments in the unincorporated areas of Shelby County (Beer Board Rules § D.1)1 permit
Other Tennessee jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.