General building work permit checklist — Knoxville, Tennessee
Assembled from Knoxville’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Knoxville requires a permit for general building work.
Section R105.2 of the locally adopted 2018 International Residential Code allows building-permit exemptions for limited work; items include one-story detached accessory structures with a floor area of 200 square feet or less, fences not over 7 feet high, retaining walls not over 4 feet tall that do not support a surcharge, water tanks up to 5,000 gallons supported directly on grade, painting, tiling, cabinets and similar finish work, prefabricated swimming pools less than 24 inches deep, playground equipment, small window awnings, and small detached ground-level decks. Most projects still require application and review to confirm an exemption, and an exemption does not authorize work that violates the residential code, the zoning code, or other city ordinances.
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Sources
- building — permit rules, building — fee schedule ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Knoxville publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Knoxville before you build.