State coverage plus Metro Water Services' local grading and stormwater rules: what a Nashville-area site actually needs, including the pre-construction meeting most contractors get wrong.
Building in Davidson County? Nashville runs one of the busiest construction markets in Tennessee, and it also runs one of the state's most hands-on local stormwater programs. Two layers apply to most sites here: the statewide Construction General Permit administered by TDEC, and Metro Water Services' local grading and stormwater rules. Skipping either one can stop your job.
Answer a few questions about your site and get a field-ready SWPPP built to TDEC permit TNR100000, ready to review, sign, and submit.
Get startedIf your project disturbs one acre or more, including a single lot inside a larger common plan of development or sale, you need coverage under Tennessee's Construction General Permit (TNR100000). That means a written SWPPP, a Notice of Intent filed with TDEC (form CN-0940), twice-weekly inspections documented on form CN-1173, and a Notice of Termination once the site is finally stabilized. If you are new to that process, start with Do I need a SWPPP in Tennessee? and how to file your NOI in MyTDEC.
Nashville and Davidson County are served by Metro Water Services (MWS), which runs a Phase I MS4 stormwater program governed by the Metro Stormwater Management Manual (SWMM). The local trigger is much lower than the state's. MWS requires a Grading Permit for land-disturbing activity over 10,000 square feet, well below the one-acre state threshold. So a site can be too small for a state SWPPP but still need a Metro grading permit, and a larger site needs both.
| Threshold | What it triggers |
|---|---|
| Over 10,000 sq ft disturbed | Metro Water Services Grading Permit (local) |
| One acre or more (or part of a larger common plan) | State CGP coverage: SWPPP + NOI + inspections |
Metro ties the two layers together through a pre-construction meeting (Pre-Con). For sites of one acre or more, you generally must obtain your TDEC Notice of Coverage under the state permit before MWS will schedule the Pre-Con. The TDEC Level I certified EPSC professional who will perform your routine inspections is required to attend that meeting, and no land disturbance (beyond installing your initial erosion and sediment controls) may begin until the grading permit is issued. Plan the sequence early: get your SWPPP and coverage in place, then schedule the Pre-Con with your inspector on the calendar.
Davidson County sits on karst geology, so many sites drain toward sinkholes or drainage wells, and Metro requires you to delineate and address those tributary areas. Expect to preserve water-quality buffers along Metro's community waters (streams, rivers, springs, ponds, and wetlands), apply stabilization to denuded areas promptly (Metro references stabilization within about 15 days of disturbance), and meet floodplain and hillside standards on steeper lots. One quirk worth knowing: the incorporated satellite cities (Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Goodlettsville, Oak Hill, and Ridgetop) are not bound by the Metro program, so confirm which authority governs your parcel.
Your SWPPP has to satisfy the state permit and line up with what Metro will review at the Pre-Con. Practically: prepare the SWPPP, secure your state Notice of Coverage first, bring your certified EPSC professional to the Pre-Con, and make sure your plan addresses buffers, sinkholes, and stabilization the way MWS expects. When in doubt, call Metro's Development Services Division at 615-862-7225 before you move dirt.
SWPPP Builder generates a field-ready Tennessee SWPPP built to the state Construction General Permit in about an hour. Pricing is flat and posted up front: $349 for a standard non-engineered contractor SWPPP, $99 for a single-family homebuilder plan (built on TDEC form CN-1249), and $499 when your site needs engineered or pre-approved plans. That is a fraction of the $1,500 to $5,000 a consultant typically charges, and you keep the file in your account to reuse and update as the job changes.
Often yes. Metro Water Services requires a grading permit for land disturbance over 10,000 square feet, while the state SWPPP and NOI kick in at one acre. A larger site needs both, at different stages.
Metro requires a grading permit for disturbance over 10,000 square feet. State Construction General Permit coverage (SWPPP and NOI) is triggered at one acre, or any size lot that is part of a larger common plan of development.
The TDEC Level I certified EPSC professional who will perform your routine site inspections must attend, and typically the project engineer and contractor as well. For one-acre-plus sites you generally need your state Notice of Coverage before Metro schedules it.
Metro Water Services' Development Services Division handles grading permits and plan review; the published number is 615-862-7225. Confirm current submittal requirements with them directly.