Memphis, TN Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Ordinance No. 5710, adopted December 18, 2018, enacted Chapter 14-6 of the Memphis Code of Ordinances, which adopts the 2015 Edition of the ICC International Building Code 'by reference' as the governing standard for when a building permit is required and how construction is reviewed citywide. A copy of the adopted code is kept on file in the Office of Council Records of the Memphis City Council for public inspection. Rather than adopting every appendix that comes with the IBC, the city council picked five to incorporate locally: Appendix A, which sets the building permit, plans review and inspection fee schedule; Appendix C, covering Group U agricultural buildings; Appendix D, the fire district provisions; Appendix F, rodent-proofing requirements; and Appendix H, sign regulations.

Every other IBC appendix is 'specifically not adopted,' meaning it carries no legal force in Memphis. Because the 2015 IBC is incorporated wholesale, its permit-application procedures, its list of work exempt from a permit, and its plan-review and inspection requirements all apply directly to Memphis construction projects; the local ordinance does not restate those mechanics but instead directs builders, contractors and code officials to the adopted ICC text and its five named appendices, with the fee schedule spelled out in Appendix A rather than in the ordinance itself.

The Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement administers permitting under the adopted code, working alongside companion chapters adopted the same day, the Electrical Code (Ch. 14-5), the Existing Building Code (Ch. 14-7) and the Energy Conservation Code (Ch. 14-9), that together make up the 2018 Memphis and Shelby County Building Code family.