Knox County

Bathroom Remodel Permits and Inspections in Knox County

Who issues them, what the categories are, and the number to call. Sourced from the county, not from us.

Knox County Codes Administration865-215-2325The county decides, not this page
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The permitting authority is Knox County Codes Administration. Start there.

Most contractor pages about permits are vague on purpose, because being specific means being accountable for the specifics. Here is what Knox County Codes Administration actually publishes, with nothing added.

The office

City County Building, Suite 547, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Phone 865-215-2325. Its stated mission is protecting the safety, health, welfare and property of Knox County citizens through administration, education and enforcement of building regulatory codes. Check the county's own site for current office hours.

The permit categories that touch a bathroom

Knox County references remodeling and alteration, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits. A bathroom remodel can involve all four, depending on scope: alteration for the room itself, plumbing if anything moves, electrical for lighting and outlets, mechanical for ventilation. Whether your specific job triggers any of them is the county's call, and the way to find out is the phone number above.

Who can apply

Both homeowners and licensed contractors can apply. Homeowners must provide an affidavit, and the county publishes a Homeowner Permit Affidavit form for it. There is also a Worker's Comp Exemption Affidavit on the same forms list.

You may not need to go downtown

Knox County states it directly: if the permit is filled out and submitted online, you do not need to visit the office.

Fees

The county publishes a schedule of fees, including one effective July 1, 2023. Read the current one on the county's own site rather than trusting a number republished elsewhere, including here.

Inspections

A Permit Inspection Lookup is available where you can view inspection results and look up scheduled inspections. If your job is permitted, inspections are part of it and they sit in the schedule, which is worth knowing when you are planning around the room being out of service.

Which codes

Every construction handout Knox County Codes Administration publishes carries a 2018 prefix, and the list names 2018 IBC ADA Information, 2018 Mechanical Ventilation, 2018 Energy Requirements, 2018 Gas Pipe Sizing and 2018 Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms among others. Two of those are directly relevant to a bathroom: mechanical ventilation, because a bathroom exhaust is a code item and not a preference, and the alarm requirements, which get looked at when electrical work happens. The county is the authority on what applies. This page is a starting point and a phone number.

What to ask on your own call

  • Does this specific scope need a permit, and which categories
  • Who is pulling it, you or the contractor
  • What inspections come with it, and at which stages
  • What that does to the schedule

The first question goes to Knox County at 865-215-2325. The rest are worth raising with the crew at the free consultation. Call (865) 269-6735.

Who applies for the permit is one of several things worth settling before anybody starts work, and it sits alongside checking the state license and getting the scope in writing. How to choose a bathroom remodeler in Knoxville walks through all three.

More ways we help

What else does the crew handle in Knoxville?

How long a remodel takes →Full Bathroom Remodel →Lighting and ventilation →Accessibility & Aging-in-Place →Bathroom cost guide →
Good questions

What do Knoxville homeowners ask most?

Who issues building permits for a bathroom remodel around Knoxville?
Knox County Codes Administration, at the City County Building, Suite 547, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902, on 865-215-2325. Check their office hours on the county's own site before you drive anywhere.
Does my bathroom remodel need a permit?
The county decides that, not this page and not a contractor's website. What is published is that remodeling and alteration, plumbing, electrical and mechanical are all permit categories, which covers most of what a bathroom remodel touches. Call 865-215-2325 and describe your job, and you will get an answer that applies to you.
Can I pull the permit myself?
Per the county, both homeowners and licensed contractors can apply, and homeowners must provide an affidavit. The county publishes a Homeowner Permit Affidavit form for that. Whether you should is a different question from whether you can, and it is worth raising on the call so everyone knows who is doing it.
Do I have to go downtown?
Not necessarily. Knox County states plainly that if the permit is filled out and submitted online, you do not need to visit the office.
What do Knox County permits cost?
There is a published schedule of fees, including one effective July 1, 2023. The amounts are on the county's own documents rather than here, because a fee schedule someone else maintains is not a number this page should be repeating from memory. Read the current one on the county's site.
How do I find out when my inspection is, or how it went?
A Permit Inspection Lookup is available where you can view inspection results and look up scheduled inspections. If your job is permitted, inspections are part of it and they sit in the county's schedule as well as the crew's, which is worth knowing when you are planning around the room being out of service.
Which code edition applies?
Every construction handout Knox County Codes Administration publishes is on the 2018 cycle, and the list names 2018 IBC ADA Information, 2018 Mechanical Ventilation, 2018 Energy Requirements and 2018 Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms among others. The county is the authority on what applies to your project.
Do you handle the permit for me?
This page does not promise that, because the operator does not publish it. Ask on the call who is pulling the permit for your job and get a direct answer rather than an assumption. Either way the county is the one issuing it.
What should I ask on my own call to the county?
Four things: whether this specific scope needs a permit and which categories, who is pulling it, what inspections come with it and at which stages, and what that does to the schedule. The first question goes to Knox County at 865-215-2325. The rest are worth raising with the crew at the free consultation.
When in the job do permits and inspections come up?
At rough-in, the stage where anything inside the wall or under the floor happens: plumbing moves, electrical for lighting, ventilation. That is where a permit and an inspection enter the picture if the job needs them. Our timeline page walks through the stages in order and what each one is waiting on.

Questions about scope, not about code?

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