Memphis, TN
Memphis building permit cost
A Shelby County building permit is the commercial valuation ladder plus plan review plus $4.00 admin and a $1/$5 surcharge.
Commercial new construction is $5.00 per $1,000 to $25,000; $125 plus $3.50 a thousand to $1,000,000; $3,537.50 plus $2.25 to $25,000,000; $57,537.50 plus $1.75 beyond, with a $75 minimum and no rounding to whole thousands — the schedule never prints "or fraction thereof". The plan review is nine flat bands from $80 to $3,000 by valuation. Residential is $0.07 a square foot ($125 floor) for new construction and $5.00 per $1,000 ($50–$325) for an alteration.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative charge — $4.00 per permitOther fee | $4.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Surcharge — commercial, $5.00 per permitOther fee | $5.00 flat fee | building class is commercial | — |
| Surcharge — residential, $1.00 per permitOther fee | $1.00 flat fee | building class is residential | — |
| Building permit — commercial new construction, $0 to $25,000: $5.00 per $1,000Permit fee | $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation | building class is commercial and Project valuation up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit — commercial, $25,001 to $1,000,000: $125 plus $3.50 per $1,000 above $25,000Permit fee | $125.00 + $3.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000 | building class is commercial and Project valuation over $25,000 and Project valuation up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit — commercial, $1,000,001 to $25,000,000: $3,537.50 plus $2.25 per $1,000 above $1,000,000Permit fee | $3,537.50 + $2.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000 | building class is commercial and Project valuation over $1,000,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000,000 | — |
| Building permit — commercial, $25,000,001 and up: $57,537.50 plus $1.75 per $1,000 above $25,000,000Permit fee | $57,537.50 + $1.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000,000 | building class is commercial and Project valuation over $25,000,000 | — |
| Building permit — one- and two-family dwellings, alteration/repair, $5.00 per $1,000 ($50 min, $325 max)Permit fee | $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation | building class is residential and residential scope is alteration | min $50.00 · max $325.00 |
| Building permit — one- and two-family dwellings, new construction or addition, $0.07 per square foot ($125 minimum)Permit fee | $0.07 per sq ft | building class is residential | min $125.00 |
| Building permit — commercial, $75.00 minimumPermit fee | the shortfall up to the $75.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | building class is commercial | — |
| Plan review — tiered by valuation, $80 to $3,000 (nine bands)Plan review | Project valuation — $80.00 up to $25,000; $160.00 from $25,000 to $50,000; $325.00 from $50,000 to $100,000; $650.00 from $100,000 to $200,000; $875.00 from $200,000 to $500,000; $1,200.00 from $500,000 to $1,000,000; $1,600.00 from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000; $2,000.00 from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000; $3,000.00 above $5,000,000 | building class is commercial | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A $750,000 commercial addition at a Memphis shopping center.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $750,000 |
| Building class | commercial |
Example total
$3,871.50
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 5Rules considered 11
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Administrative charge — $4.00 per permitOther feeThe cover sheet's "ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE OF $4.00" carried on every permit as an `other` component, outside the base the minimum measures.Show the working
| $4.00 flat fee | $4.00 |
Surcharge — commercial, $5.00 per permitOther feeThe cover sheet's "SURCHARGE OF $5.00 FOR COMMERCIAL" — so a commercial permit totals $9.00 of `other` ($4 + $5).Show the working
| $5.00 flat fee | $5.00 |
Building permit — commercial, $25,001 to $1,000,000: $125 plus $3.50 per $1,000 above $25,000Permit feeThe schedule's "$25,001 - $1,000,000 $125 + $3.50/1,000" row. The $125 is the published add factor; the $3.50 is charged on the amount above $25,000.Show the working
| $125.00 + $3.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000 | $2,662.50 |
Building permit — commercial, $75.00 minimumPermit feeThe commercial section's own "MINIMUM FEE $75.00" row, carried as the shortfall on the permit fee. A $5,000 job at $5.00 per $1,000 computes $25.00 and pays $75.00.Show the working
| $75.00 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $2,662.50 calculated | $0.00 |
Plan review — tiered by valuation, $80 to $3,000 (nine bands)Plan reviewThe "PLAN REVIEW FEE" table on the building page: $0–$25,000 $80; $25,001–$50,000 $160; $50,001–$100,000 $325; $100,001–$200,000 $650; $200,001–$500,000 $875; $500,001–$1,000,000 $1,200; $1,000,001–$2,000,000 $1,600; $2,000,001–$5,000,000 $2,000; $5,000,001 AND UP $3,000. One flat amount per valuation bracket.Show the working
| $1,200.00 for project valuation from $500,000 to $1,000,000 | $1,200.00 |
| Total | $3,871.50 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Surcharge — residential, $1.00 per permit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — commercial new construction, $0 to $25,000: $5.00 per $1,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — commercial, $1,000,001 to $25,000,000: $3,537.50 plus $2.25 per $1,000 above $1,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — commercial, $25,000,001 and up: $57,537.50 plus $1.75 per $1,000 above $25,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — one- and two-family dwellings, alteration/repair, $5.00 per $1,000 ($50 min, $325 max) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — one- and two-family dwellings, new construction or addition, $0.07 per square foot ($125 minimum) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 5 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The valuation fee, band 2: $25,001–$1,000,000 is "$125 + $3.50/1,000" above $25,000. $725,000 above $25,000 at $3.50 is $2,537.50, plus $125 is $2,662.50. No rounding — the schedule never prints "or fraction thereof", so $25,000.01 is $125.00 plus a few ten-thousandths of $3.50 rather than a whole $3.50.
The plan review, valuation $750,000: the $500,001–$1,000,000 band is $1,200. The two other charges are the cover sheet's own: $4.00 admin plus $5.00 commercial surcharge, $9.00 in all. Total: $3,871.50 — three components, each on its own base.
The ladder chains: $125 is $5.00 × 25 (indeed $125), and $3,537.50 at $1,000,000 is $125 + 975 × $3.50 — so the commercial bands meet without the sixteen-cent and fifty-four-cent seams Nashville prints in the next county. A $25,000 commercial job computes $125.00 and pays $125.00 (above the $75 minimum); a $5,000 commercial job computes $25.00 and pays the $75 minimum.
A 2,000 sq ft house is the residential shape: $0.07 × 2,000 = $140.00, above the $125 floor, plus $5 of other charges ($4 + $1 residential) — $145.00.
What is different in Memphis
The building page is really three: a commercial valuation ladder, a plan-review tiered table, and a residential area-and-valuation split. The commercial ladder is $5.00 per $1,000 to $25,000 (so $25,000 is $125.00), $125 plus $3.50 per $1,000 above $25,000 to $1,000,000 ($3,537.50 at the top), $3,537.50 plus $2.25 to $25,000,000 ($57,537.50 at the top), and $57,537.50 plus $1.75 beyond, $75 minimum, prorated — which is why this schedule's printed bases *chain* where Nashville's sit $0.16–$0.54 off the band below. A $750,000 commercial addition is $2,662.50 plus $650 of plan review ($100,001–$200,000 is $650; $200,001–$500,000 is already $875) plus $9 of other charges ($4 admin, $5 commercial surcharge).
The plan review tiers are six-figure wide above $100,000, which is how a valuation that crosses $500,000 changes the plan review by $325 while the valuation fee moves only cents per thousand. A $150,000 commercial valuation is $562.50 of building fee and $650 of plan review; a $1.5M valuation is $4,662.50 of building fee and $1,600 of plan review, because the plan review sits in the $1,000,001–$2,000,000 band.
Residential answers a different question — square feet. "NEW CONSTRUCTION OR ADDITION PER SQ. FT. $0.07" with "MINIMUM FEE FOR NEW SFR OR DUP $125.00": 1,000 sq ft is $70 charged at $125, 2,000 sq ft is $140, 5,000 is $350. Alteration/repair is the same $5.00 rate commercial uses at its bottom, clamped rather than tiered: "ALTERATION/REPAIR ($5.00/1,000) $50.00 MIN / $325.00 MAX" — a $4,000 alteration is $50, a $30,000 alteration is $150, a $100,000 alteration is $325.
And underneath all of it, every permit adds two other charges the cover sheet names: $4.00 data processing and a $1.00 residential / $5.00 commercial surcharge — so a residential permit totals $5 of other charges and a commercial one totals $9.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the OCCE building permit fee. It excludes:
- Sign erection, construction, relocation, alteration or maintenance — $1.25 per sq ft of sign area, with a $25.00 minimum, and its own plan review tiers.
- Demolition and roofing — demolition $9.00 per 25,000 cu ft ($70–$560); commercial roofing $5.00 per 1,000 ($70–$560).
- Temporary construction office/storage — $45 per six months, and portable building move $224.
- Miscellaneous construction — tower/stack/pool/retaining wall $5.00/1,000 ($70 minimum), gate/wall/fence, implosion $1,120.
- Mechanical and gas — Sections M and G, the other OCCE trades, at $15/$8/$3 per $1,000.
- The doubling penalty — work before permit issuance doubles the fee.
- Zoning compliance and research letters — $50–$100 per letter, separate from the building permit.
What you need before applying
- Every permit adds $4.00 admin plus a $1 (residential) or $5 (commercial) surchargeRequired
The cover sheet's line in full: "ALL FEES BELOW DO NOT INCLUDE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE OF $4.00 AND A SURCHARGE OF $1.00 FOR RESIDENTIAL OR $5.00 FOR COMMERCIAL (ADD $5 TO RESIDENTIAL TOTAL AND $9 TO COMMERCIAL TOTAL)" — so a residential total is $5.00 of other charges and a commercial total is $9.00. The arithmetic checks: $4 + $1 = $5, $4 + $5 = $9.
- The commercial building ladder is prorated, not rounded to whole thousandsRequired
Each commercial building band writes "$5.00/1,000", "$3.50/1,000" etc. with no "or fraction thereof". The rate is therefore charged on the exact valuation: $10,500 of valuation is $52.50 on the $5.00 band rather than $55.00 — the opposite of Nashville's ladder, kept distinct.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Memphis?
Commercial: $5.00 per $1,000 to $25,000; $125 + $3.50 per $1,000 to $1,000,000; $3,537.50 + $2.25 to $25,000,000; $57,537.50 + $1.75 beyond, $75 minimum, plus a $4.00 admin charge and a $1 (residential) or $5 (commercial) surcharge on every permit — so $750,000 of commercial construction is $2,662.50 + $1,200 + $9.00 in all. Residential new construction is $0.07 per sq ft ($125 minimum); residential alteration is $5.00 per $1,000, $50 minimum and $325 maximum.
How much is plan review in Memphis?
A flat tiered table by valuation, not a percentage of the permit fee: $0–$25,000 $80; $25,001–$50,000 $160; $50,001–$100,000 $325; $100,001–$200,000 $650; $200,001–$500,000 $875; $500,001–$1,000,000 $1,200; $1,000,001–$2,000,000 $1,600; $2,000,001–$5,000,000 $2,000; $5,000,001 and up $3,000.
How much is a residential building permit?
New construction or addition: $0.07 per square foot, $125 minimum — so 1,000 sq ft is $125, 2,000 is $140. Alteration or repair: $5.00 per $1,000 of valuation, $50 minimum and $325 maximum — so a $4,000 alteration is $50, a $30,000 alteration is $150. Detached accessory buildings have their own floors ($25 / $50 min), and one- and two-family dwellings carry a $50 new/addition application fee ($25 for alterations) with plan review at $125 to 2,500 sq ft and $150 beyond.
Why does the small commercial ladder not round up to whole thousands?
Because the schedule never prints "or fraction thereof". Nashville's ladder prints the phrase on every band, rounding the chargeable part up to a whole $1,000 — $25,000.01 on the $6.92 band buys a whole $6.92 step; Shelby County's $5.00/1,000 does not, so $25,000.01 is $125.00 plus a few ten-thousandths of $3.50. The opposite reading, kept distinct.
What surcharges ride a Memphis permit?
Two, stated on the cover sheet: "AN ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE OF $4.00 AND A SURCHARGE OF $1.00 FOR RESIDENTIAL OR $5.00 FOR COMMERCIAL (ADD $5 TO RESIDENTIAL TOTAL AND $9 TO COMMERCIAL TOTAL)" — so a residential permit totals $5.00 of other charges ($4 + $1) and a commercial one totals $9.00 ($4 + $5). They are `other` components so they never enter the minimum's base.
Who does the Shelby County OCCE cover?
Memphis, Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County — the six jurisdictions whose building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits the OCCE issues from one office at 6465 Mullins Station Road, and whose single 2022 Building Fee Schedule the Develop 901 portal links as the approved schedule.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CountyPrimary source
Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement — 2022 Building Fee Schedule
Read 2026-09-25 with pymupdf in blocks mode and pdftotext in layout mode (9 pages, 357,947 bytes, HTTP 200). The cover line is the whole surcharge mechanism: "ALL FEES BELOW DO NOT INCLUDE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE OF $4.00 AND A SURCHARGE OF $1.00 FOR RESIDENTIAL OR $5.00 FOR COMMERCIAL (ADD $5 TO RESIDENTIAL TOTAL AND $9 TO COMMERCIAL TOTAL)". Commercial building: "NEW CONSTRUCTION/ ADDITIONS/ ACCESSORY BUILDINGS COMMERCIAL" at $5.00/1,000 to $25,000, $125 + $3.50/1,000 to $1,000,000, $3,537.50 + $2.25 to $25,000,000, $57,537.50 + $1.75 beyond, minimum $75; plan review at nine flat bands ($80-$3,000); signs by valuation; residential at $0.07 per sq ft ($125 minimum) and alteration/repair at $5.00/1,000 ($50-$325). Electrical E-0 to E-8 (issuance $20, minimum $15, new multi-family by amperage with $1.00 per tenant, existing residential by circuit count, commercial KVA ladder). Plumbing P-1 (fixtures $7.50, residential sewer $30, commercial sewer/water/fire/medical gas at $8.00/1,000, water service by size). Mechanical and gas tables at $15/$8/$3 per $1,000.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.