Under Tennessee law (T.C.A. § 68-120-101), qualified local jurisdictions are given the authority to enforce building and fire codes. However, if a municipal building department is facing an extensive backlog, the state provides a legal mechanism for owners and contractors to engage a state-registered, independent professional to perform the code compliance review in lieu of utilizing local municipal examiners.

The right to utilize our services is triggered by a strict statutory timeline:

1. The 10-Day Clock: The moment you submit your commercial plans and pay your initial fees to the local building department, the city has exactly 10 business days to take action.

2. The Trigger: If the 10th business day passes and the city has failed to either approve your plans, issue a specific report of code deficiencies, or request targeted changes, the city enters statutory default.

3. The Pivot: At that exact moment, you have the legal right to file a notice of withdrawal from the local queue and hand your construction documents to an SFMO-Registered Plans Examiner to expedite your project.

No. You will never pay two separate plan review fees for the same project. If a Tennessee municipality fails to act on your plans within the required 10-day window, they are legally required to refund your municipal plan review fee. Those recouped local funds are simply redirected to cover our independent review contract.

No. The city only forfeits the plan review portion of your upfront payment. The city always keeps the core Building Permit Fee. Because local municipal inspectors must still come to the job site to perform physical trade inspections and ultimately issue your final Certificate of Occupancy, they retain the exclusive right to collect the physical permitting fee.

To protect your timeline and insulate your project from mounting soft costs. Sitting dead in a municipal backlog for weeks or months doesn't stop your financial carrying costs—construction loan interest and property carrying costs continue to accumulate daily. Choosing a guaranteed independent review timeline keeps your project moving forward so you can pull your permit and get equipment on the dirt.

Once we verify that your construction documents comply with all applicable state and local building and fire codes, we issue an official, stamped Sworn Statement of Code Compliance alongside your approved plans. You take this compliance package straight back to the local building department. Because your plans have already been legally vetted by an SFMO-registered professional, the local jurisdiction can immediately process and issue your physical building permit without further administrative review delays.

No. Our statutory authority as an SFMO-registered reviewer is strictly limited to building, fire, life-safety, and accessibility (ADA) compliance. Local municipal departments retain exclusive jurisdiction over local zoning ordinances, storm-water management, environmental regulations, and site-specific utility hookups. Those local approvals must still run parallel to our code review.

No. Gridline operates strictly as an independent, third-party regulatory consultancy. To maintain absolute statutory integrity and avoid conflicts of interest, we do not produce design documentation or structural engineering stamps. We collaborate directly with your chosen Architect of Record (AOR) or structural engineer to audit their completed sets for compliance prior to jurisdictional submission.

Gridline specializes in commercial building, life safety, fire code, accessibility (ADA), and energy compliance evaluations under the International Building Code (IBC) framework.

Note: Certain high-risk occupancies under the direct jurisdiction of the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO)—such as state-owned property, K-12 educational facilities, and institutional daycares requiring state-level licensing inspections—must remain in the standard state queue and cannot be bypassed via third-party review.

Our services are structured into clear, predictable engagement tiers based on the depth of the review requested—ranging from high-level "Redline" design audits to full statutory certifications under PC 771. Fees are billed transparently with an initial retainer required upon project intake, ensuring clear milestone alignment from kickoff to compliance delivery.

To verify if your project's local municipality or county is legally authorized to utilize independent third-party reviews, you can consult the official Tennessee SFMO Commercial Exempt Jurisdictions List.