Davidson County · Tennessee
Metal buildings in Nashville, TN.
We supply shops, garages, barndominium shells, commercial buildings and more across Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Our work reaches from Clarksville to Columbia, and anywhere else you’re building. On a Nashville lot under about an acre, a detached building can cover 700 sq ft or half the house’s footprint, whichever is larger, and never more than 2,500 sq ft.
Lots under 40,000 sq ft
700 sq ft or 50% of house
Cap on those lots
2,500 sq ft
Height, smaller lots
1 story or 16 ft
Height, 40,000 sq ft and up
2 stories or 24 ft
These are Metro Nashville rules for Davidson County. The surrounding counties and cities run their own.
What people build around Nashville
Tight city lots give way to acreage in the outer county, and fast-growing towns surround the metro on every side.
Garages & workshops
On city lots, the footprint and height limits decide the size before anything else does.
Acreage shops
Out in Joelton, Whites Creek and the edges of the county, larger lots open up bigger shops. Tubular is hard to beat up to sixty feet wide.
Commercial & contractor
Contractor shops and storage buildings serve one of the busiest building markets in the country. Past eighty feet, red iron takes over.
Finished space
Steel truss takes drywall directly, so there’s no wood wall to build inside the steel.
We also work in cold-formed steel. See what a steel building costs.
Permitting metal buildings in Nashville and Davidson County
Metro Codes and Building Safety permits every detached accessory building, and a zoning examiner reviews its use, setbacks, footprint and height.
Setbacks
- A rear building of 700 sq ft or less gets reduced setbacks: half the district’s side setback, never under 3 ft, and 3 ft at the rear.
- Over 700 sq ft, it needs the district’s full setbacks.
- Only one rear building per lot gets the reduced setbacks.
Use
- Garages, workshops, home offices, gyms, storage and pole barns are all allowed uses.
- No bedrooms or kitchens are allowed, and plumbing is limited to one toilet, hand sink, bar sink and utility sink.
Overlays
- In historic and conservation overlays, the Historical Commission sets the size and height and issues its own permit.
- In the Urban Zoning Overlay, the building can’t top the house.
- Metro Codes is at 800 President Ronald Reagan Way. Call (615) 862-6500.
Past 700 sq ft, the setbacks jump. A 24′ × 28′ shop keeps the reduced setbacks. A 30′ × 40′ needs the district’s full side and rear setbacks, which on a narrow lot can decide the width. We lay the building out on your survey and check the overlays before you settle on a size.
Towns we work around Nashville
Each town and county runs its own rules. Pick yours for the local detail.
We also serve Brentwood, Mt. Juliet, Hendersonville, Smyrna, Spring Hill, Goodlettsville and the acreage between them. See all of Tennessee.
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your Nashville project.
Tell us what you’re planning and where you’re building. We’ll help you work out the next steps.
- Tell us what and whereSend us the size, how you’ll use the building and the address.
- We check the siteWe confirm who permits the address and which code and loads apply.
- You get a clear recommendationWe recommend the frame that fits and price it against the alternatives.
Or call
417-218-8348