Nashville, TN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Base permit application fee
- $50
- Council-resolution encroachment fee
- $100, needs 21 affirmative votes
- Issuing agency
- Metropolitan Department of Public Works
- Post-violation penalty
- 6-month permit ban after conviction
Summary
Nashville requires a permit before installing any aerial cable, canopy, sign, or other structure that crosses over or across a sidewalk or public right-of-way, with violators barred from future permits for six months.
No person may construct, maintain and/or operate any aerial cable, canopy, sign or other encroachment over and/or across any sidewalk or public right-of-way without first obtaining a permit from the metropolitan government. Any person convicted of a violation of this section by constructing, maintaining or operating such encroachments within the previous six months of making an application for a permit for such an encroachment shall not be granted a permit by metropolitan government.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metro Nashville's Department of Public Works issues encroachment permits for aerial cables, canopies, signs, awnings, and similar structures that extend over or across a sidewalk or public right-of-way. Applicants pay a fifty-dollar processing fee under Metropolitan Code of Laws § 13.16.020. Larger encroachments, cables, canopies, or other structures maintained on an ongoing basis, require the metropolitan county council to grant the encroachment by resolution passed with twenty-one affirmative votes, plus a one-hundred-dollar fee, under § 13.16.030. Anyone caught operating an unpermitted encroachment within six months of applying is denied the permit outright.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining an unpermitted aerial cable, canopy, sign, or other encroachment over a sidewalk or right-of-way is a code violation; anyone convicted forfeits eligibility for a permit for six months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a sign or awning over the sidewalk in Nashville?
How much does an encroachment permit cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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