Roof permits and contractor licensing in Clarksville and Montgomery County
Two separate systems govern roofing work here, and they are easy to confuse. Montgomery County permits the job. The State of Tennessee licenses the contractor. Knowing which is which is the fastest way to tell a legitimate roofer from somebody passing through after a storm.
The permit: Montgomery County Building Codes
Roof replacements and major repairs in Clarksville and across Montgomery County are permitted through the Montgomery County Building Codes Department, which you can reach on 931-648-5718. The fee is $0.38 per square foot with a $25 minimum. The contractor can pull the permit on the homeowner's behalf, and a reputable one will, before the tear-off rather than after somebody notices.
| Job | Permit? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full roof replacement | Yes | Pulled before tear-off begins |
| Major structural repair | Yes | Where decking or framing is involved |
| Replacing a few shingles | No | Ordinary repair |
| Pipe boot or flashing repair | No | Ordinary repair |
| Gutters, soffit and fascia | Generally no | Confirm for larger scopes |
| Permit fee | $0.38/sq ft | $25 minimum |
If your property is outside Montgomery County, the authority changes. Oak Grove and Hopkinsville are in Christian County, Kentucky; Springfield is in Robertson County; Pleasant View and Ashland City are in Cheatham County; Dover is in Stewart County. Each has its own requirements and they are not the same as Clarksville's. Any contractor quoting you in Oak Grove while explaining Montgomery County fees has not checked where they are standing.
The licence: the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors
Tennessee requires a state contractor licence for any project of $25,000 and above, issued by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, with roofing falling under its own classification. Contractors are also expected to carry general liability insurance and workers' compensation.
The $25,000 threshold is the part worth understanding, because it explains something you will see in Clarksville every spring. Below that figure the state licence is not required, which is precisely how an out-of-town crew can work a neighbourhood of repairs for a season without one. It is legal. It also means the protection a licence represents is absent on exactly the jobs where people are most likely to be approached door to door after a storm.
You can verify any contractor's licence status yourself at verify.tn.gov. It takes a minute and it is free. Ask for the exact name the licence is held under — from us, and from everybody else.
How to check a roofer before you sign
- Get the licence name and look it up at verify.tn.gov. Not a number on a flyer — the name to search.
- Ask for a local address you could actually drive to. A PO box and a mobile number is not an office.
- Ask for the insurance certificate — general liability and workers' compensation. If somebody is hurt on your property uninsured, that becomes your problem.
- Ask who honours the workmanship warranty in year five, and what happens if the company stops trading or leaves the state.
- Ask whether the permit is included and who pulls it. A contractor suggesting you skip it is telling you how they handle the rest of the job.
- Never sign on the first visit. No legitimate roofing job requires a signature today. Any urgency being applied is being applied for the contractor's benefit, not yours.
- Be wary of deductible offers. Your deductible is yours to pay, as Tennessee law requires. An offer to absorb it is not a discount, and it creates a problem for you as well as for them.
Why this matters more here than in most places
Clarksville sits in Dixie Alley and takes hail most springs. Every significant event draws crews from out of state who work hard and fast door to door and are gone before any workmanship warranty means anything. That is the local context for all of the above, and it is why we would rather you checked us properly than took our word for it. A contractor who is annoyed by these questions has given you your answer.
Common questions
Who pulls the permit, me or the roofer?
The contractor can and should pull it on your behalf, and we do on every replacement. Montgomery County Building Codes handles it at $0.38 per square foot with a $25 minimum. You can call them on 931-648-5718 to confirm anything independently — that is a perfectly normal thing for a homeowner to do and no honest contractor will mind.
Do I need a permit to replace a few shingles?
No. Ordinary repairs — shingles, pipe boots, flashing, sealing — do not require a permit in Clarksville or Montgomery County. Permits apply to replacements and major structural repair. If a repair turns out to be large enough to need one, we will tell you and pull it rather than carrying on quietly.
What happens if work is done without a permit?
It creates problems that usually surface later rather than immediately: complications at sale when a buyer's inspector or the county record raises it, potential issues with an insurance claim on unpermitted structural work, and no inspection record that the job met code. The permit is a small cost relative to those headaches.
Is a Tennessee contractor licence required for all roofing?
No — it is required for projects of $25,000 and above. Below that the state licence is not mandatory, which is worth knowing because it explains how storm-chasing crews operate legally on repair-sized work. Insurance is the question to ask on smaller jobs, and licence verification on larger ones.
How do I check a licence?
Go to verify.tn.gov and search the contractor's name. Ask them for the exact name the licence is held under, because searching a trading name that does not match will return nothing and tell you less than you think. It takes a minute and it costs nothing.
Does any of this apply in Oak Grove or Hopkinsville?
The Tennessee licensing rules do not apply across the state line, and the permitting is Christian County, Kentucky's rather than Montgomery County's. We confirm what applies to your specific address and scope before starting work. See the Oak Grove and Hopkinsville pages.
Related: Roof replacement · Replacement cost · Storm damage and insurance · About us · Roof inspection