Inside the Chattanooga city limits
Permits come from the city's Land Development Office. For work on an existing house the city has a Residential Modification Permit, described as being for modifications to existing structures that do not alter the footprint. Applications are made online through the city's permit portal.
The examples on that page are decks, porches, roofs, windows, doors and siding; foundations are not named. So have the contractor confirm with Building Plans Review, at (423) 643-5894, which permit covers your repair and whether the city wants an engineer's drawing or letter with the application. Get the answer before work starts, and ask for the permit number once it is issued.
What the city asks of a contractor
The city's residential permit page lists what a contractor must provide: a State of Tennessee contractor's license, proof of workers' compensation cover or a state exemption, and a business license issued in Tennessee. A company that cannot produce those cannot pull the permit in its own name.
Owners may take out a permit themselves for a house they live in, with limits: the city allows it when the owner has not been issued an owner's permit in the previous 24 months and the work is for their own use, not for resale, lease or rent. For structural repair done by a company, the company should be the one applying.
Outside the city: which office?
Hamilton County's Building Inspection Department covers the unincorporated county and the towns that do not run their own inspections. Its rule is short: a building permit is required for any new work, alteration, addition or repair to a structure. Several towns have their own offices.
| Where the house is | Office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | Land Development Office, 1250 Market Street | (423) 643-5800 |
| Unincorporated Hamilton County, Walden, Ridgeside | Hamilton County Building Inspection, 1250 Market Street | (423) 209-7860 |
| East Ridge | Building Codes Department, 1517 Tombras Avenue | (423) 867-7711 |
| Signal Mountain | Building and Codes, 1111 Ridgeway Avenue | (423) 886-2177 |
| Soddy-Daisy | City Hall, 9835 Dayton Pike | (423) 332-5323 |
| Collegedale | City Hall, 4910 Swinyar Drive | (423) 396-3135 |
| Red Bank | The city issues its own permits; start at Red Bank City Hall |
Rules that differ by town
East Ridge requires an engineer's stamped drawing for retaining walls four feet high or more, and has a floodplain permit of its own; see the East Ridge page. Signal Mountain lists crawl space encapsulation as work needing a building permit; see the Signal Mountain page. Across the state line the permit offices and the licensing law are Georgia's, covered on the north Georgia page.
Why the permit matters to you
- An inspector who does not work for the contractor looks at the job.
- The permit record shows a later buyer that the repair was done openly.
- Applying for it means the company has had to show its license and insurance paperwork to the city or county.
- Unpermitted structural work can be stopped part-way. East Ridge, for one, states that it will issue a stop work order.
If a company suggests skipping the permit to save time, treat that as information about the company.