Memphis, TN
Memphis electrical permit cost
A Memphis electrical permit is issuance $20 plus a trade minimum and a price list gated by scope.
New multi-family is three amperage bands — $70 to 150A, $125 at 151–400A, $250 above 400A — plus $1.00 for each tenant device. Existing residential is $30 for 1–5 circuits and $45 beyond. Service/feeder/panel replacement is $50; low voltage $30; commercial 120/240V $1.00 per amp and excess 480V first 10,000 KVA $1.50 per KVA. The $15 minimum sits on the permit fee, and every permit adds $4 admin and a $5 commercial surcharge where that scope is stated.
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 electrical permitOther fee | $4.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Surcharge — electrical commercial/new-service permits, $5.00Other fee | $5.00 flat fee | electrical scope is commercial new service | — |
| Electrical permit — commercial, new service 120/240V single phase, $1.00 per ampPermit fee | $1 per ampere | electrical scope is commercial new service and electrical voltage is 120 240 | — |
| Electrical permit — commercial, excess of 480V, first 10,000 KVA at $1.50 per KVAPermit fee | $1.50 per kilovolt-ampere | electrical scope is commercial new service and electrical voltage is over 480 | max $15,000.00 |
| Electrical permit — existing residential, 1 to 5 circuits, $30.00Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | electrical scope is existing residential and circuits up to 5 | — |
| Electrical permit — existing residential, over 5 circuits, $45.00Permit fee | $45.00 flat fee | electrical scope is existing residential and circuits over 5 | — |
| Electrical permit — issuance cost, $20.00 per permitPermit fee | $20.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Electrical permit — residential low voltage, $30.00Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | electrical scope is low voltage | — |
| Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent 0–150A, $70.00Permit fee | $70.00 flat fee | electrical scope is new multifamily and amperage up to 150 | — |
| Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent 151–400A, $125.00Permit fee | $125.00 flat fee | electrical scope is new multifamily and amperage over 150 and amperage up to 400 | — |
| Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent over 400A, $250.00Permit fee | $250.00 flat fee | electrical scope is new multifamily and amperage over 400 | — |
| Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, $1.00 per tenant (main overcurrent devices per tenant)Permit fee | $1.00 per dwelling unit | electrical scope is new multifamily | — |
| Electrical permit — in-ground residential swimming pool, $100.00Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | electrical scope is pool | — |
| Electrical permit — service, feeder or panel replacement, $50.00Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | electrical scope is service replacement | — |
| Electrical permit — $15.00 minimum feePermit fee | the shortfall up to the $15.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Electrical permit — reinspection fee, $50.00Inspection fee | $50.00 flat fee | reinspection is true | — |
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 new 12-tenant apartment building, 300A main, Memphis — the ordinary new multi-family electrical permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Service amperage | 300 A |
| Dwelling units | 12 |
| Electrical scope | new_multifamily |
Example total
$149.00
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 4Rules considered 16
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Administrative charge — $4.00 per electrical permitOther feeThe same $4.00 data processing charge, on the electrical permit.Show the working
| $4.00 flat fee | $4.00 |
Electrical permit — issuance cost, $20.00 per permitPermit feeSection E-0: "FEE ISSUANCE COST PER PERMIT EXCEPT FOR METER PUT BACKS (E-5.2) $20.00" — the permit's opening charge, beside the $15.00 minimum (E-3.1) which is the same figure as the refund minimum and the residential issuance on the plumbing page.Show the working
| $20.00 flat fee | $20.00 |
Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent 151–400A, $125.00Permit feeSection E-6.1's second band: "151 – 400 AMPS $125.00".Show the working
| $125.00 flat fee | $125.00 |
Electrical permit — $15.00 minimum feePermit feeSection E-3.1 "MINIMUM FEE $15.00" carried as the shortfall on the permit fee. A permit that computes $10.00 pays $15.00.Show the working
| $15.00 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $145.00 calculated | $0.00 |
| Total | $149.00 |
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 — electrical commercial/new-service permits, $5.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — commercial, new service 120/240V single phase, $1.00 per amp — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — commercial, excess of 480V, first 10,000 KVA at $1.50 per KVA — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — existing residential, 1 to 5 circuits, $30.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — existing residential, over 5 circuits, $45.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — residential low voltage, $30.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent 0–150A, $70.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, main overcurrent over 400A, $250.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — new multi-family residential, $1.00 per tenant (main overcurrent devices per tenant) — dwelling unit count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Electrical permit — in-ground residential swimming pool, $100.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — service, feeder or panel replacement, $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — reinspection fee, $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Limits of this estimate
- dwelling unit count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "units").
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
E-6.1: 151–400A is $125.00. Main overcurrent devices per tenant $1.00 adds $12.00. Issuance $20.00 sits on top. The permit computes $157.00 — above the $15 minimum, so no shortfall — plus $9 of other charges on a commercial-class permit ($4 admin, $5 commercial surcharge) where that class is stated.
Existing residential is the other shape: 4 circuits at an existing duplex is "1 TO 5 CIRCUITS $30.00" plus $20 issuance = $50.00; 9 circuits is "OVER 5 CIRCUITS $45.00" plus $20 = $65.00. Neither pays the KVA rate, because neither states that voltage.
Commercial new service at 120/240V 200A is $200.00 of amperage plus $20 issuance = $220.00 — the dollar-per-amp figure that makes the amperage row chargeable as a currency-per-unit percent.
What is different in Memphis
The electrical page is really five permits under one header. It opens with "FEE ISSUANCE COST PER PERMIT $20.00" (E-0), the same $20 plumbing and mechanical open with, and "MINIMUM FEE $15.00" (E-3.1) as a `permit_minimum` on the base — so a permit that computes $5.00 pays $15.00 of shortfall, not $15 on top.
New multi-family branches three ways on one fact: main overcurrent amperage — 0–150A $70, 151–400A $125, over 400A $250 — and the line above those three is a count at $1.00: "MAIN OVERCURRENT DEVICES PER TENANT $1.00" — one device per tenant, charged alongside whichever amperage band fires. A 300A service for 12 tenants is $125 + $12. Existing residential (1 & 2 family and multi-family alike, same two rows) branches on circuit count: 1–5 circuits $30, over 5 $45 — the kind of two-band flat table that no per-unit rate can express, because one unit above the threshold does not buy one unit of rate. Service/feeder/panel replacement is $50 (one inspection), residential swimming pool $100 (two), low voltage $30, temporary meter center $25, manufactured homes $50.
Commercial new/increased service is the KVA ladder's mirror: the same E7 and E8 sections print both. 120/240V single phase is $1.00 per amp; 277V single phase $1.50/$2.00 by amperage; excess 480V is a KVA table — first 10,000 KVA $1.50, 10,001–50,000 $0.50, over 50,000 $0.25 — whose two higher bands are registered as `needs_review` here rather than guessed as marginal tiers on a count that is not a money basis. Reinspection is $50 as an inspection component, and the $4 + $1/$5 cover line rides as `other`.
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 electrical schedule (E-0 to E-8) at the prices the 2022 fee schedule prints. It excludes:
- Excess 480V KVA bands above 10,000 — 10,001–50,000 $0.50 and over 50,000 $0.25 — transcribed and registered as `needs_review`, not charged as marginal tiers on a non-money count.
- Commercial 277V rows — 277V single phase over/under 400A at $1.50/$2.00 — named on the schedule beside the 120/240V row.
- Elevator/escalator and amusement — elevator $15/$8/$3 per $1,000, renewals by landings, the same $15/$8/$3 mechanical and gas open with.
- The doubling penalty — work before permit issuance doubles the fee.
- State and county zoning — LUCB, BZA and planning fees on the same fee directory.
What you need before applying
- Work without a permit doubles the fee; signs without a permit triple itRequired
E-2.1/M-2/G-2 "WORK COMMENCING BEFORE PERMIT ISSUANCE DOUBLE FEE" on every trade, and the sign-erection row "INSTALLATION PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF PERMIT TRIPLE FEE" — two multipliers on the fee, stated on every page rather than charged as a rule.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in Memphis?
Issuance $20 plus the trade: new multi-family $70/$125/$250 by amperage plus $1.00 per tenant device; existing residential $30 for 1–5 circuits and $45 beyond; service/feeder/panel replacement $50; low voltage $30; swimming pool $100; commercial 120/240V $1.00 per amp and excess 480V first 10,000 KVA $1.50 per KVA, minimum $15, reinspection $50 and $4 admin + $1/$5 surcharge.
How much is the new multi-family electrical permit?
Three amperage bands — 0–150A $70, 151–400A $125, over 400A $250 — plus $1.00 per tenant for each main overcurrent device. A 300A service for 12 tenants is $125 + $12 plus $20 issuance.
How much is an existing residential electrical permit?
1 to 5 circuits $30, over 5 circuits $45 — the same two rows for 1 & 2 family and multi-family alike — plus the $20 issuance. The $15 minimum governs a permit whose own rows compute less.
What does the KVA row mean?
Electrical service for industrial loads priced at excess of 480 volts: "FIRST 10,000 KVA $1.50" (so 2,000 KVA is $3,000), then "BETWENN 10,001 AND UP TO 50,000 KVA $0.50" and "GREATER THAN 50,000 KVA $0.25" — the latter two transcribed and registered as `needs_review` rather than charged as marginal tiers on a non-money count, because the schedule does not state them as marginal rates.
Does the schedule charge before a permit is issued?
"WORK COMMENCING BEFORE PERMIT ISSUANCE DOUBLE FEE" on electrical (E-2.1), mechanical (M-2) and gas (G-2) — and "INSTALLATION PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF PERMIT TRIPLE FEE" on sign erection — multipliers on the fee, not separate fees.
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.