What's New in DPD

When homeowners visit either of our Service Centers, a very common document that they complete for a residential permit application is the homeowner’s affidavit. This document describes to the homeowner that the project their seeking a permit for is for their primary residence and that they are accepting the responsibilities of pulling a residential permit. This affidavit also must be notarized before being submitted with the permit application.

The homeowner’s affidavit has been updated to include state guidance about the misuse of the homeowner’s affidavit involving unlicensed contractors directing homeowners to pull the necessary permits instead, shifting any workers’ compensation and legal liability from the unlicensed contractor to the unsuspecting homeowner. Homeowners should be aware of the risks they take in hiring unlicensed contractors, much like the risks and responsibilities of homeowners pulling a permit for DIY projects.

The State License Search is available for public use to perform any research related to licensed contractors, especially verifying the licenses of any contractors you’re looking to work with for a residential project. Additionally, any state-licensed contractors and tradespeople must be registered with our Construction Enforcement department to pull permits within Shelby County, so to confirm if a prospective contractor is registered, call the Construction Enforcement department at (901) 222-8300 to verify their licensure and registration within the county.

Knowledge and awareness help homeowners to make well-informed decisions about the projects they want to undertake in their homes.

Beginning March 3, 2025, the Office of Construction Code Enforcement will implement a new policy involving preapproved residential building plans for an expedited Plan Review process. This new policy emerges as part of our continuing efforts to streamline the permitting process and as a direct result of customer feedback concerning the plan review process for many builders.

Before a plan can be considered as preapproved, it must undergo the traditional plan review process to ensure compliance with the 2021 International Residential Code. Once approved, a Plan Examiner will assign the plan a distinct file number that will allow for retrieval in future application submissions, and any minor modifications to a preapproved plan must be approved prior to permit issuance. The normal plan review fee—determined by square footage of the structure—will still apply for each permit application using preapproved plans.

The full policy is available to review here.

The Unified Development Code (UDC) provides guidance for development and land use within Shelby County. As the county grows, the necessity to evaluate the effectiveness of the latest version of the UDC increases. The UDC Steering Committee, the Land Use & Development Services department, and the Comprehensive Planning department have been reviewing the current UDC and past and current development applications to better understand what guidelines are potentially out-of-date and counterintuitive to their original intent and purpose.

The new UDC Update website is available to keep you informed about the contents of the UDC, what’s involved in the update process, and what opportunities are available for you to get involved.