Plumbing Contractor Permit Requirements in Nashville, TN

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Tennessee Contractor License (Plumbing)

   Required to perform plumbing contracting work in Tennessee on projects of $25,000 or more. Issued by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Applicants submit a financial statement, show experience, name a qualifying agent who passes the trade exam and the Business and Law exam, and provide proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation. Smaller plumbing work falls under the Board's Limited Licensed Plumber credential ($75 initial or reinstatement, $50 renewal), and residential remodeling of $3,000-$24,999 falls under the Home Improvement Contractor license in the nine counties where it applies, including Davidson.

   Official government source

   $250 for the initial application, reinstatement, or change of ownership; $200 to renew - not $100 per year. Exam fees are separate and set by the Board's testing vendor, Prov as of July 1, 2026 (Prov replaced PSI), with a $50 charge for pre-approval requests on certain plumbing and mechanical exams.·Contractor licenses renew on a two-year cycle. Renewal opens within 90 days of the expiration date and the Board asks for submission at least 30 days before it; late renewal costs $20 per month for up to 12 months. The Board publishes no initial processing time - timing depends on exam scheduling, and Prov took over exam administration from PSI on July 1, 2026, with PSI honoring already-scheduled appointments through September.

   $250 for the initial application, reinstatement, or change of ownership; $200 to renew - not $100 per year. Exam fees are separate and set by the Board's testing vendor, Prov as of July 1, 2026 (Prov replaced PSI), with a $50 charge for pre-approval requests on certain plumbing and mechanical exams.

   Contractor licenses renew on a two-year cycle. Renewal opens within 90 days of the expiration date and the Board asks for submission at least 30 days before it; late renewal costs $20 per month for up to 12 months. The Board publishes no initial processing time - timing depends on exam scheduling, and Prov took over exam administration from PSI on July 1, 2026, with PSI honoring already-scheduled appointments through September.

2. Tennessee Home Improvement Contractor or Limited Licensed Plumber (for smaller jobs)

   For plumbing work below the $25,000 Contractor threshold, the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors - there is no separate 'Home Improvement Contractors Licensing Board' - issues two smaller credentials. A Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) license covers residential remodeling projects of $3,000 to $24,999, and is required only in Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, and Shelby counties; Nashville is in Davidson County, so it applies here. A Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license covers limited plumbing work. Projects under $3,000 need no state license.

   Official government source

   Home Improvement Contractor: $250 initial, reinstatement, or ownership change; $200 renewal; late renewal $10 per month up to 3 months. It also requires a $10,000 surety bond (or cash/property bond or irrevocable letter of credit), general liability insurance, and workers' compensation. Limited Licensed Plumber: $75 initial or reinstatement, $50 renewal.·The Board publishes no application processing time. Renewal opens within 90 days of the expiration date and the Board asks for submission at least 30 days before it; contractor licenses run on a two-year cycle. Where an exam is required, Prov took over exam administration from PSI on July 1, 2026, with PSI honoring already-scheduled appointments through September.

   Home Improvement Contractor: $250 initial, reinstatement, or ownership change; $200 renewal; late renewal $10 per month up to 3 months. It also requires a $10,000 surety bond (or cash/property bond or irrevocable letter of credit), general liability insurance, and workers' compensation. Limited Licensed Plumber: $75 initial or reinstatement, $50 renewal.

   The Board publishes no application processing time. Renewal opens within 90 days of the expiration date and the Board asks for submission at least 30 days before it; contractor licenses run on a two-year cycle. Where an exam is required, Prov took over exam administration from PSI on July 1, 2026, with PSI honoring already-scheduled appointments through September.

3. Tennessee Business Entity Registration (Secretary of State)

   A plumbing business that operates as an LLC or a corporation registers with the Tennessee Secretary of State's Business Services Division. An LLC files Articles of Organization (form SS-4270); a for-profit corporation files a Charter (form SS-4417). Filing is done online through TNCaB or by mail using the PDF forms on the Secretary of State's Business Forms and Fees page. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships file nothing with the Secretary of State. Registering the entity is not a licence to do plumbing work - that comes from state contractor licensing and from Metro Codes, which requires a licensed contractor with an e-permit account to pull plumbing permits - and it does not replace the county business licence from the Davidson County Clerk.

   Official government source

   $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (SS-4270), calculated at $50 per member and capped at $3,000; $100 for a for-profit corporation Charter (SS-4417). Amendments and most later filings are $20. The corporate annual report is $20; the LLC annual report follows the same $300 minimum / $3,000 maximum structure.·An online filing through TNCaB is effective on filing - there is no multi-day queue. Mailed paper filings are processed in the order received; the Secretary of State publishes no standard turnaround.

   $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (SS-4270), calculated at $50 per member and capped at $3,000; $100 for a for-profit corporation Charter (SS-4417). Amendments and most later filings are $20. The corporate annual report is $20; the LLC annual report follows the same $300 minimum / $3,000 maximum structure.

   An online filing through TNCaB is effective on filing - there is no multi-day queue. Mailed paper filings are processed in the order received; the Secretary of State publishes no standard turnaround.

1. Metro Nashville — Plumbing Contractor Licensing and Trade Permits

   Before a plumbing contractor can pull permits in Nashville it needs standing with the Department of Codes and Building Safety. Metro states that only licensed contractors with an e-permit account can apply for a trade permit through its online system; anyone who is not a licensed contractor or has no account applies in person at 800 President Ronald Reagan Way. The local body behind trade licensing and appeals is Metro's Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Examiners and Appeals Board, and existing licences are renewed online through the Codes department's License Renewal system at ePermits. No plumbing permit is valid until the prescribed fees are paid, and amendments to an existing permit require the additional fee before approval.

   Official government source

   Metro does not publish a licence or registration fee on nashville.gov; confirm the current amount with Codes at 615-862-6500. The permit fees are published in the Codes Fee Schedule (16.12.220): minimum $75.00 per permit, $11.00 per plumbing fixture, $32.00 per additional building drain, $80.00 each for a sewer connection, a water service connection or a septic tank and disposal field, $43.00 per hot water heater, and $50.00 per re-inspection.·Metro publishes no processing time for licensing. Once licensed with an e-permit account, permits are pulled through ePermits without a review queue; counter service is Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

   Metro does not publish a licence or registration fee on nashville.gov; confirm the current amount with Codes at 615-862-6500. The permit fees are published in the Codes Fee Schedule (16.12.220): minimum $75.00 per permit, $11.00 per plumbing fixture, $32.00 per additional building drain, $80.00 each for a sewer connection, a water service connection or a septic tank and disposal field, $43.00 per hot water heater, and $50.00 per re-inspection.

   Metro publishes no processing time for licensing. Once licensed with an e-permit account, permits are pulled through ePermits without a review queue; counter service is Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

2. Nashville Metro Business License

   Business licenses in Nashville are issued by the Davidson County Clerk's Business Services office. A business with Tennessee gross receipts over $3,000 but under $100,000 needs a minimal activity license; a business at $100,000 or more needs a standard business license and must also register for and remit Tennessee business tax. Contractors are subject to this requirement.

   Official government source

   $15 flat if your business is outside Nashville city limits but in Davidson County (General Service District); $30 flat if within Nashville city limits (Urban Service District) - a flat fee, not scaled to gross receipts·Issued by the Davidson County Clerk when you apply and pay (online, in person, or by mail); standard (non-minimal-activity) licensees must first register for business tax with the TN Department of Revenue, which takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat if your business is outside Nashville city limits but in Davidson County (General Service District); $30 flat if within Nashville city limits (Urban Service District) - a flat fee, not scaled to gross receipts

   Issued by the Davidson County Clerk when you apply and pay (online, in person, or by mail); standard (non-minimal-activity) licensees must first register for business tax with the TN Department of Revenue, which takes up to 10 business days.

Official Sources

• Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors
• Metropolitan Nashville Codes Administration

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