Do You Need a Demolition Permit in Tennessee?
In Montgomery County, yes. The county wants a building permit whenever someone will demolish any building or structure. Its demolition permit waits on two things: a release from each utility and the state asbestos notification letter.
Inside Clarksville city limits, demolition is its own city permit type, applied for through the city’s Self-Service Portal. Other towns and counties set their own rules, so call that building department before work starts. Once the paperwork is in, shed and barn demolition is the part we handle.
What paperwork does a demolition permit take?
Each row below comes from a published government page or form. Rules change, so confirm each one with the building department.
| Step | Who or where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Utility releases | The owner or agent notifies every utility with a connection in the building | Before the county will issue the permit |
| State notification, Form CN-1055 | The building owner or operator, or a designee, sends it to TDEC | At least 10 working days before the work starts |
| County Application for a Demolition Permit | Filed with Montgomery County Building and Codes | Not issued until the utility releases are in |
| Clarksville demolition permit | City of Clarksville, through the Self-Service Portal | Stays valid when work begins within six months |
| Tennessee 811 locate ticket | Each person responsible for the excavating or demolishing | 3 to 10 working days before the work begins |
| Permit for a new building | The building department | Before a new barn or shed goes up |
Do you need a permit to tear down a shed?
Montgomery County’s Building and Codes FAQ says a building permit is needed to demolish any building or structure. A shed or barn falls under that wording. Ask Building and Codes at 931-648-5718 before the teardown goes on the calendar.
The state asbestos form is a separate question. Whether a small backyard shed needs it is the county building department’s call. Ask about both in the same phone call.
Do you need a permit to demolish a house in Montgomery County?
Yes, and the county’s FAQ gives the first step. Download and complete the Application for a Demolition Permit. Then submit it to the Building and Codes Department.
Two things come before the permit itself. The county will not issue it until each utility signs a release. Building and Codes also has to receive the state asbestos notification letter.
How does a demolition permit work inside Clarksville city limits?
Clarksville’s permitting page lists demolition as its own permit type: removal of existing structures. Applications go through the city’s Self-Service Portal. The city’s permit FAQ says a permit stays valid when work begins within six months of getting it.
How do the utility releases work?
Montgomery County’s demolition packet puts the utilities first. Before a building or structure comes down, the owner or agent notifies every utility with a service connection in it. That means water, electric, gas, sewer and any other connections.
Each utility then gives a release. It states that the connections and equipment, such as meters and regulators, are removed or sealed and plugged. The county does not issue the permit until those releases are in.
The release page lists Clarksville Gas and Water or a utility district for gas, water and sewer. For power it lists Clarksville Department of Electricity or CEMC. The property owner signs the same page to give permission for the demolition work. That page goes in with the building permit application.
What is the state asbestos notification form?
The county packet includes the state’s form, the Notification of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation. It is Form CN-1055, and it goes to TDEC’s Division of Air Pollution Control. The building owner or operator, or a designee, fills it out.
It goes in at least 10 working days before the work starts. On this form, weekday holidays count as working days, and Saturday and Sunday do not. If the start date changes, the form says the notice must be revised.
Do you need the asbestos form if there is no asbestos?
For a demolition project, the state’s notification form says yes. Its instructions say it is required even if no asbestos is present at the site. They define demolition as wrecking or taking out any load-supporting structural member of a facility, with any related handling.
The form asks whether asbestos is present in the building, with a copy of the inspection report. Owners and operators must determine if and how much asbestos is present. If asbestos has to come out first, the form has a line for the asbestos removal contractor.
For a small backyard shed, whether this form applies is a question for the county building department. Ask Building and Codes before you set a date for the teardown.
Do you have to call Tennessee 811 before a demolition?
Yes. The state utility commission’s 811 FAQ covers demolition projects as well as digging. Notice goes in at least 3, but not more than 10, working days before the work begins.
Each person responsible for the excavating or demolishing gets a locate ticket. There is no charge for requesting the line markings.
Can you burn demolition debris in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee’s open burning page lists what not to burn, and demolition debris is on it. So are asphalt shingles and other asphalt roofing, plus asbestos-containing materials. The list also names building material, construction debris, and buildings and mobile homes themselves.
Improper outdoor burning can draw fines up to $25,000. Inside Clarksville, the city’s burn ordinance also bans open burning of refuse, garbage or salvage materials.
Where does demolition debris go around Clarksville?
Montgomery County’s demolition packet says all debris is disposed of by methods TDEC’s Solid Waste Division approves. Bi-County Solid Waste takes most of the trash from Montgomery and Stewart counties. Its main landfill sits on Dover Road in Woodlawn.
That site includes a Class I landfill for household waste and two Class III landfills for construction and demolition. Construction and demolition debris is on Bi-County’s accepted list. Bi-County lists its demolition charges this way:
- The $5 monthly user fee covers a standard pickup truck bed, SUV or passenger vehicle.
- Private individuals pay $10 a cubic yard for demolition waste.
- Commercial loads pay the current gate rate for demolition yardage.
The St. Bethlehem Construction and Demolition Landfill is on Guthrie Highway at exit 4 on I-24. It is for commercial use only.
What happens to the spot after the teardown?
Once the debris is gone, the bare spot still needs work before anything new goes up. Brush and trees that crowd an old barn come out as part of clearing the overgrown lot around it. Then site prep and grading levels the ground for the next building.
A new building on that spot needs its own building permit. Montgomery County’s permit list names barns, sheds and utility buildings.
Who tears down old sheds and barns near Clarksville?
Tearing down old outbuildings is part of our work out of Woodlawn, just west of Clarksville. That covers sheds, barns, detached garages and other small structures.
An excavator takes the building down, and the debris gets loaded out. Then the spot is cleared for what comes next. Estimates are free, so call or text (931) 572-8673.