Storm Damage Repairs in Nashville: Permits Step by Step

After a tornado, flood or ice storm, the urge is to get the house closed up and back to normal fast. In Metro Nashville, a little order helps. Metro Codes' guide How to Obtain Permits Associated with the Repair of Weather Damaged Homes (written in March 2021 and reposted in 2026) sets out what needs a permit and the order inspections must happen in. This post walks through it, along with the electrical reconnect process Codes used after January 2026's ice storm.

Cleanup: no permit. Rebuilding: permit.

Codes' starting point is that ordinary maintenance and repair doesn't need a building permit, but "the repair of a weather damaged home or building is far from 'ordinary.'"

• No permit needed for demolition and cleanup: tearing out wet drywall, damaged carpet, doors and so on.
• Permit needed before you hang new drywall and before you repair any damaged electrical, plumbing or mechanical (HVAC) system.

Codes also points out that evidence of permits and inspections may be required for an insurance claim or a sale. Skipping them can cost you later.

Who should pull the permit

Codes says a property owner who lives in (or intends to live in) a single-family home, or a licensed contractor, may get the building permit. It then gives a pointed warning:

• When a licensed contractor pulls the permit, the contractor is responsible for making all the work, including subcontractors', meet code, and its permit bond can be used to fix violations.
• When an owner pulls the permit, the owner becomes responsible for code compliance, even if a contractor does the work.

Codes' advice: if you've hired a contractor, require the contractor to obtain the building permit. See our license guide for what license your contractor needs.

Some properties need other approvals first. Codes notes that historic properties may need Historic Commission sign-off. A zoning examiner will tell you if yours does.

The repair sequence

Codes lays out the order like this:

1. Get the building permit.
2. Hire licensed electrical and HVAC contractors to inspect the damaged equipment.
3. Don't install drywall or cover anything up until the electrical and HVAC contractors have pulled their own permits, made repairs, and passed Codes inspections.
4. Insulate. After the trade inspections, insulation must meet the energy code. The guide says walls must be insulated to R-13 and floors to R-19.
5. Framing inspection. After insulation and before drywall, call Codes' Building Inspection Division for a framing inspection.
6. Finish. Once framing is approved, hang drywall and complete the repairs. At the end you should have final approvals for building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical.

The most common mistake is closing walls too early. If you drywall before the inspections, expect to open them up again.

Getting the power back on

If the storm damaged the service mast, meter base or wiring, NES can't reconnect until Codes approves the repair. On its 2026 ice storm page, Codes describes the process:

1. Hire a licensed electrical contractor to make all needed repairs. Verify the license before work starts.
2. The contractor calls the on-duty Metro Codes electrical inspector.
3. Codes does a virtual inspection of the repair.
4. Once it passes, Codes issues a release number to NES, and NES restores service.

Codes says it provides 24-hour help with emergency reconnects.

Fee waivers after declared disasters

After Winter Storm Fern in January 2026, Metro suspended fees for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for storm repairs, if the owner showed proof of storm damage and got the permit on or before August 31, 2026. That deadline has passed. After future disasters, check Metro's announcements, because relief like this is decided storm by storm.

Roof repairs and insurance

Two Tennessee laws protect you when a roofing job depends on an insurance claim:

• Cancellation right (§ 62-6-602). If your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim isn't covered, you can cancel the roofing contract by written notice before midnight on the third business day after you get that notice.
• Payment timing (§ 62-6-604). The law limits payment until coverage is confirmed or the cancellation period runs out, with an exception for emergency repairs.

Our roofing guide covers the details. Read any "contingency agreement" carefully before you sign.

Outside Metro

Suburban cities run their own codes departments. Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville and the rest each have their own permit processes and inspection scheduling. Expect a similar order of trade, insulation and framing inspections, but confirm it with your city before you start. Find yours on our Nashville area page and the other area hubs.