County Building Permits

Rutherford County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)

How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Rutherford County, Tennessee. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.

Tennessee Updated March 2026

Permit Authority

Covers unincorporated Rutherford County. Incorporated municipalities such as Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne, and Eagleville have their own local permit authority for work inside city limits.

Department
Rutherford County Building Codes Department
Address
1 South Public Square, Room 101, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone
615-898-7734
Website
https://rutherfordcountytn.gov/building-codes

Online Permit Portal

Open

Platform: None identified for full building permit submission • Account required: No • Submission: In-person only

Additional resources:

Application Process

  1. Determine whether the project is in unincorporated Rutherford County and identify the permit path from the Building Codes pages.
  2. Use the residential permits, plans review, demolition, pool, or code forms pages to gather the correct application packet and supporting forms.
  3. Submit applications and required plans through the county office workflow; commercial projects use the plans review process and county fee schedules.
  4. Pay applicable permit, development tax, school facilities tax, and trade fees as required.
  5. Receive the issued permit.
  6. Request inspections through the county inspection request pages before concealment/final completion.

Typical processing time: No universal processing-time estimate was found on the county pages reviewed.

Source: Rutherford County Building Codes Department

General Requirements

County Building Codes administers residential building permits, swimming pools, demolition, plans review, electrical permit coordination, and related code functions for the unincorporated county.

Required Documents

  • Scope-specific forms from the county forms/applications pages
  • Plans for plan-review projects
  • Tax/fee items tied to development and school facilities where applicable
Permit validity
No general permit expiration rule was clearly stated on the reviewed county pages.
Building code
County maintains a Building Code Adoption and Updates page and applies county building code administration under its adopted code set; verify current code edition directly from that page before filing.
Owner-builder
County pages include residential permit and form workflows, but owner-builder rules were not clearly summarized on the public pages reviewed.
Contractor requirements
Trade and contractor licensing may involve Tennessee state requirements in addition to county permit intake. Electrical permits are issued through the state program with county coordination.

Fees

Minimum permit fee
Commercial permit schedule starts at $24 for $1 to $500 valuation. Residential permit schedule is published separately and should be checked directly for exact class-specific minimums.
Plan check fee
Commercial plans review is $125 for listed minor reviews and 20 percent of permit fee for all others.
Permit fee formula
Commercial schedule uses valuation tiers plus occupancy/construction-class multipliers and states "all others" commercial plans review at 20 percent of permit fee, with minor commercial plan review at $125. Residential fee schedule is separately published by square-foot/class chart.
Payment note
County fees can interact with development tax and school facilities tax pages depending on project type and location.

Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule (effective 2023).

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

Contact the Rutherford County Building Codes Department to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.

Inspections

How to Schedule

  • County request-building-inspection and request-electrical-inspection pages (county_portal)
Inspection hours
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with no permits issued after 4:15 p.m.

Typical inspection sequence: Scope-dependent county inspections generally follow residential footing/foundation, framing, applicable trades, and final approvals; electrical inspections are coordinated through the state electrical program.

Additional Resources

Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Rutherford County Building Codes Department before applying.

Need help with your project?

Navigating permits in Unincorporated Rutherford County can be complicated.

Jaspector connects you with local experts who can review your scope, verify your contractor, and help you understand what permits your project actually needs.

Learn how Jaspector works
Important: This page is an educational resource provided by jaspector.com. It is not legal advice, and it does not substitute for official guidance from the permit authority listed above. Permit requirements, fees, and processes change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with the issuing department before beginning any construction project. Use of this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Jaspector assumes no liability for any outcomes arising from reliance on this information.
← Back to Rutherford County permit guides