City of Germantown

Germantown local approvals are required for homebuilding, pools, grading, drainage improvements, retaining walls, demolition, and other city-regulated work. Shelby County then issues the construction permit for the regulated building work.

Note: Thin public data: Germantown does not publish one consolidated exemption list for all local and county permit layers. Rely on project-specific city sheets and Shelby County adopted-code exemptions for the construction permit, and verify with Germantown before proceeding.

Building code

Germantown building permit issuance runs through Shelby County Construction Enforcement, which publicly states it enforces the 2021 I-Codes and 2020 NEC. Germantown also enforces its own zoning and development ordinances.

Permit validity

Public Germantown site materials do not publish a separate citywide validity rule for all permit types; Shelby County permit and application expiration rules still apply to the construction permit.

Owner-builder

No standalone Germantown owner-builder instruction page was clearly found in the reviewed public materials. Verify directly with Germantown and Shelby County for current homeowner self-permit eligibility and affidavit requirements.

Contractor requirements

Germantown engineering permit pages state contractors must have a City of Germantown business tax license. Shelby County contractor registration and Tennessee state licensing rules also apply for the construction permit.

1. 01
   Complete Germantown city-side prereview first. The Homebuilders Guidelines say the city process must be completed prior to applying for any Shelby County building permits.
2. 02
   Obtain Germantown sprinkler permit if applicable, then stormwater or grading permit, then final site-plan approval and foundation permit where required.
3. 03
   Submit city-side packets to engineeringpermits@germantown-tn.gov or the applicable city online form.
4. 04
   After local approvals are complete, apply for the Shelby County building permit through Develop901/Accela.
5. 05
   Upload Germantown-approved sprinkler permit, stormwater permit, foundation survey with approved final site plan, and paid utility form as part of the Shelby County application where required.
6. 06
   Obtain driveway and sidewalk permits from Germantown Engineering if applicable.

Typical processing time: Germantown states complete foundation-permit applications are reviewed for completeness within 2 business days and, once complete and fee received, issuance is within 10 business days.

Source: Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement for building permits, with City of Germantown Engineering, Planning, Fire Marshal, and Code Compliance prereview functions ↗

Germantown requires checks made payable to the City of Germantown for certain city permits and utility fees.

Fees change periodically. Confirm at the official fee schedule ↗ before budgeting.

• City permit-specific workflows and Shelby County procedures (other)

Typical sequence: Germantown homebuilding sequence is sprinkler review if applicable, grading permit, site-plan approval, foundation survey/foundation permit, Shelby County building permit, then driveway or sidewalk permit and final closeout.

Source: Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement for building permits, with City of Germantown Engineering, Planning, Fire Marshal, and Code Compliance prereview functions ↗