New Commercial Building Permit

Mixed use commercial building

New Construction includes the construction of a building or structure from the ground up, placement of a pre-manufactured building, or relocation of a legally pre-existing structure from another site. 

To construct a new building or structure please follow these steps:

Online

Step 1.Process Overview

Please follow the detailed steps below to submit your permit application. After the application is processed, the applicant will receive emails with the next steps. Plans review is required for any new commercial structure so a review fee will be assessed for this portion of the process which covers the initial review by all offices except Engineering; additional review fees may be assessed by the Engineering office during the review process. If you would like to review the currently adopted fee schedules, please visit the ‘Fees’ section of the FAQ page.

After the plan review fee is paid, the applicant will receive an email invitation to upload plans to the KnoxPlans portal for electronic review. The uploaded plans and documentation will be made available to all groups that need to be involved in the permit approval process (building, zoning, engineering, utilities, fire, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing). After plans are approved, a permit fee will be assessed and, following payment, the permit will be issued to the permit holder associated with the project.

Step 2.Collect Documents

Construction of a new commercial structure will need at least a site plan and building plans. Additional specifications for typical plan requirements are listed at the bottom of this page. Specific requirements will vary by project. Plans will not be submitted in this application – an invitation to submit plans to the electronic review portal will be sent to the applicant following application processing. Having your plans prepared at the time of application will help avoid project delays.

Step 3.Have License / Registration Number and Citizen Access Account Information

To submit an application, a Citizens Access account is required. This account will be used to manage the project through permitting and inspections. If you do not have a Citizens Access account, follow the link below to register. It is recommended that companies or firms apply for a single account, under a common company email address, that all applicants at the company or firm can use to submit applications.

Apply for Citizens Access Account

Note: This process must be completed prior to beginning the application process.

To issue a permit and unlock inspection requests, the registration number for the permit holder is required to be associated with the application. For a Commercial New Construction Building Permit, providing the permit holder information can be deferred until the plans review process is complete but this information must be provided prior to permit issuance. If you know who the permit holder will be now, have the registration number available so it can be associated during the application process. If the individual responsible for the permit has not yet been issued a permit holder registration number, save this link so they can register at a later date (link is also available on the main landing page).

Application for Permit Holder

NoteFailure to associate an appropriate license number to any application, other than for plans review, will result in extensive processing delays. 

Step 4.Submit Online Application

Complete the online form below.  After completing the basic information section you will log into your Citizens Access account to review your selections and finalize the application for submittal.  One of our staff members will contact you regarding the next steps for processing of your application.

Step 5.Application Review

A member of the administrative staff will review the application and be in contact with the applicant within 1-2 business days if additional information is required.

Step 6.Pay Fees

Once the submitted application is approved for processing, you will receive an email that an invoice has been generated which you will pay using the Citizens Access portal.  We can accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover for payments not exceeding $5,000. Checks may be delivered to the office for payments greater than $5,000. Please email bldginspections@knoxvilletn.gov with any questions or concerns regarding your online experience. The initial review and, if needed, two resubmittal reviews are covered by the original review fee; the forth and all subsequent review cycles will incur additional charges for processing.

Step 7.Await Results

Project reviews are processed in the order received. Current staffing levels and the higher than normal demand for services mean that comments for the first review cycle will generally be returned after approximately 3 to 4 weeks from the date plans are accepted by intake staff. Subsequent review cycles after often prioritized since these evaluations are generally verification of requested details and comments associated with these reviews can frequently be returned in 1 to 2 weeks. You can check the status of your review using the Project Status Inquiry page. Staffing levels, project volume, and review complexity may contribute to deviations in estimated turn-around times.  When the review cycle is completed you will receive a request via email for additional information or directions for completing the permit process. 

Step 8.Begin Application Process

Application for New Construction Building Permit

Step 9.Required Inspections

Once the permit has been issued, the following inspections are required to be completed before the permit can be closed - 940 Fire Final Inspection and 960 Final Building Inspection. Depending on the scope of work, additional inspections may be required. To discuss additional inspection requirements or inspection timing with a field inspector, schedule an 800 Building On-Site Inspection. 

Inspections can be scheduled here.

 

 

 

In Person

Our Department is working to create a quick and effective path to schedule in person reviews and permit aid. Thank you for your patience. Please contact our Development Services Department for any further questions. 865-215-4311

For information on Pre Submittal Conferences with our entire review staff or for information on Project Discussion Meetings with select members of our review staff please contact our Development Services Department. 865-215-4311

Plan Specifications

Site Plan Requirements

A preliminary site plan is required before permits are issued. A final (as-built) site plan may be required prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy and/or release of a bond. A good resource for a site plan is a survey issued for a recent mortgage or refinance closing or KGIS maps

A site plan includes the entire lot, drawn to scale, with the following:

  • Lot lines with dimensions and road frontage shown.

  • All existing and proposed buildings and structures with overall dimensions and, for proposed buildings and structures, the distance measured from all adjacent lines to the closest point of the proposed construction.

  • Existing and proposed driveways, parking spaces, patios, pool decking, and walkways with area and surface material identified.

  • All existing and proposed impervious surfaces clearly itemized and listed in square feet and as a percentage of the net lot size. This can be shown on the site plan or an attached impervious calculation worksheet.

  • All easements, buffers and flood hazard areas (FEMA or flood-prone soils).

  • Parcel identification number (PIN), address of property, north arrow, scale of the site plan, bar scale, and date map prepared (and any revision dates). 

  • If parcel is less than 5 acres, scales of 1" = 20', 30', 40', 50', 60' or 100' are acceptable..

  • For a parcel of 5 acres or more, scales of 1” = 100’, 200’, 300’, 400’ or 500’ are acceptable in addition to the scales listed above and may be on any size paper. If the paper is larger than 11” x 17”, or the scale is smaller than 1”=100’, an inset or separate sheet must also be provided showing the proposed construction at a scale of 1” = 20’, 30’, 40’, 50’, 60’ or 100’.

  • As-built surveys must be labeled as such, be completed by a professional land surveyor and include all the above. The date the as-built is prepared must be on or after the initial building final.

Further information regarding requirements of the Stormwater programs may be obtained from City of Knoxville Development Services at 865-215-4311.

Please note these are minimum requirements. Special circumstances or small lots may necessitate further requirements

 

 

Building Plan Requirements

Minimum requirements for residential building plans submitted to the City of Knoxville for plans review are required to be designed to meet the 2018 International Residential Code and all locally adopted ordinances.

This is a minimum plan review checklist, additional information may be added by the applicant, required by the plans examiner or requested in the field, by the inspector, to determine code compliance. Permit holders remain responsible for meeting all code requirements, regardless if the subject item was a review item or not. This minimum review checklist is intended to help prevent any major non-compliance issues from being built in the field, which typically results in significant cost and delays on a project.

All plans submitted for permitting are required to match site plan layouts exactly, including I-Joist, floor and roof truss layouts. 

General
  • Name of the person preparing the construction documents; such as the designer, engineer, or architect, with address and phone number.

  • If plans are stamped by a State of Tennessee architect or engineer, their seals are required to be signed and dated.

  • Indicate heated square footage, garage square footage, unheated square footage, deck/porch square footage.

  • Number of bedrooms on the plans are required to match permit application.

  • All options being used need to be clearly marked. Please eliminate or mark out options not being used.

  • Drawings to scale (minimum 1/8").

  • Details demonstrating compliance with energy code requirements for insulation (slab, floors, walls and ceiling) and windows/doors. 

Elevations / Floor Plans
  • Front, sides and rear elevations

  • Building height, mean roof height and story height

  • Roof pitches

  • Glazing U-Factor

  • Rooms labeled as to their intended use. Please do not use bonus, flex or office.

  • Mark all unheated / unfinished areas.

  • Room, hallway and stair dimensions

  • Window and door sizes and locations

  • Label and show all fireplaces, prefab or masonry. 

Foundation / Floor Framing
  • Continuous exterior footing width and thickness, installation depth and reinforcement (if required/provided).

  • Foundation wall type, size and reinforcement (if required).

  • Pier footing size width and depth, reinforcement (if required). 

  • Pier sizes and solid cap

  • Slab footings and layouts for mono-slabs

  • Slab thickness and details, reinforcement (if required). 

  • Crawl space ventilation or enclosed crawl space marked on plans with installation details

  • Crawl space access size

  • Girder size, number of members, species, grade and spans

  • Floor joist direction, size, on-center spacing, species, grade and spans

  • If using I-Joist, plans or layout will need to list manufacturer, series, size and on-center spacing. I-Joist design is required to be approved by architect or engineer of plans.

  • If using open web floor trusses, layout from manufacturer required.

  • Openings in floors, headers and trimmers marked

  • Floor sheathing type and thickness 

Wall & General Framing
  • Wall stud size, on-center spacing, species and grade

  • Wall header size, number of members, species, grade and spans

  • Number of jack and king studs for each opening

  • Beam type or species/grade, size, number of members and span

  • Stud column size, number of members, species and grade for beams and point loads

  • Wall sheathing type and thickness

  • Wall bracing method used

  • Portal/narrow wall bracing detail, if required

  • Point loads marked with load path and blocking requirements

  • If brick veneer used, list lintel requirements. 

Roof Framing
  • Roof rafter plan or layout from manufacturer if using engineered roof trusses

  • Roof rafter direction, size, on-center spacing, species, grade and spans

  • Roof tie down method and continuous load path

  • Collar ties and rafter ties size and spacing

  • Ridge board, hip and valley sizes

  • Ceiling joist direction, size, on-center spacing, species, grade and spans

  • Openings in ceilings or roof, headers and trimmers marked

  • Roof sheathing type and thickness

  • Roof ventilation or plans marked as unvented with installation details

  • Attic access size and location 

Decks and Porches
  • Dimensions – outside dimensions, spans between supports posts and footings.

  • Footing sizes – width, depth and locations.

  • Posts size.

  • Beam sizes, number of members and spans between supports.

  • Post-to-Beam attachment details

  • Floor joist direction, size, on-center spacing and spans.

  • Floor joist-to-Beam attachment details.

  • Bracing details for free standing decks and decks attached to structures with a floor height 4’ or taller.

  • Deck to house band attachment details.

  • Header size, number of members and spans between posts

  • Ceiling joist direction, size, on-center spacing and spans

  • Roof rafter direction, size, on-center spacing and spans

  • Ridge size
     

Note: All structural information must comply with the 2018 International Residential Code and all adopted ordinances. Structural elements not found in 2018 International Residential Code must be sealed by a professional engineer or architect registered in the State of Tennessee or comply with the requirements of the 2018 International Building Code.