Tennessee Foundation Repair Rules: What Clarksville, TN Homeowners Should Know
If you own a home in Clarksville, TN, a foundation job comes with a few rules worth knowing. Some come from the State of Tennessee and others from the City of Clarksville or Montgomery County. This page sorts them out in plain words, so you can ask clear questions before anyone starts digging.
Rules at a Glance
Tennessee asks for a state contractor's license on jobs of $25,000 or more. A separate home improvement license applies only in nine counties, and Montgomery County is not one of them. The City of Clarksville runs its own contractor registration. Permits split along city limits, sinkhole work has its own County rules, and state consumer laws cover home sales, deposits and false claims. This page covers Tennessee; for Hopkinsville, KY, see our Hopkinsville page. This is a summary of public law, not legal advice.
What TN Requires of Foundation Contractors
Under the rules of Tennessee's Board for Licensing Contractors, a company must hold a state contractor's license before it bids on, or quotes a price for, a project worth $25,000 or more. Each license carries a classification that says what kind of work it allows. BC-5 is the "Foundations" classification. For heavy work, HC-3 covers foundation drilling and stabilization.
The home improvement license is a separate rule that each county opts into. It covers home projects from $3,000 to under $25,000, but only in Bradley, Davidson, Haywood, Hamilton, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford and Shelby Counties. Robertson is on that list, so the rule reaches Springfield and Greenbrier. Montgomery and Cheatham are not, so it does not reach Clarksville, Pleasant View or Ashland City.
Inside city limits, the City of Clarksville lists Contractor Registration among its permit types. On projects valued at $25,000 or more, the City wants the work done by a contractor holding a state license classified for it, sent in with the application, plus a liability insurance certificate and proof of workers' comp. That value counts all labor and materials, excavation and grading included.
So ask what licenses and City registration the specialist holds, and check the papers yourself:
- License number and classification. On a $25,000-plus job, ask for both and look them up on the state's license verification site.
- City registration. Inside Clarksville city limits, ask about the City's contractor registration.
- The home improvement license. For a $3,000 to $25,000 job in Springfield or Greenbrier, ask to see it.
- An insurance certificate. Current, and in the company's own name.
Insurance Exclusions for Settling
Many homeowner policies leave out settling and earth movement. Only your insurer can say how your policy's wording applies to your house, so ask your own insurer what your policy covers before you count on a claim.
We offer no help with claims, and we never pay, waive or rebate a deductible. If you decide to hire a public adjuster, Tennessee says that adjuster must tell you in writing about any pay or financial interest tied to a construction firm.
Changing Your Mind After Signing
Tennessee's Home Solicitations Act covers many sales made at your home. If you sign at home, you usually have through midnight on the third business day after that to cancel the deal. The seller then has 10 days to refund you. Some sales are excluded, such as cash sales under $25, so read the contract's cancel notice.
As for deposits, Tennessee's consumer guidance says home improvement contractors generally can't collect more than one-third of the price before the work. Tennessee also makes it a crime for a home improvement provider to set out to cheat a customer, for example by keeping a deposit without doing substantial work.
After the governor declares an emergency, state law bars repair or construction prices grossly above the usual rate. The Tennessee Consumer Protection Act outlaws unfair or deceptive acts, among them saying a repair is needed when it is not, false claims of sponsorship or approval, bait advertising, and posing as a licensed contractor without a license. Complaints go to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do You Need an Engineer's Letter?
For ordinary foundation repair, no City of Clarksville or Montgomery County page we read asks for an engineer's letter. That doesn't settle it for your job. Put two questions to the specialist: will a licensed professional engineer evaluate the home or seal the repair plan, and who covers that fee? Then confirm with the Building and Codes office for your address.
Sinkholes are the exception. They are a common feature of Montgomery County, formed as water moves through limestone. Before anyone fills one, the County wants the owner to consult a civil engineer or a geotechnical professional. Its karst policy requires a report from a Tennessee-licensed geotechnical professional or engineer for any sinkhole remediation.
County stormwater rules also keep a 60-foot undisturbed buffer around sinkhole throats. A change that sends more runoff into a sinkhole needs an underground injection permit from the state environment department, TDEC. Treat sinkhole work as its own project.
Downtown Clarksville has an H-1 historic district and a Downtown Urban Design Overlay. Exterior changes there may need design review before a permit, so check with the Regional Planning Commission early.
Local Building Offices in the Clarksville, TN area
Structural repair work usually needs a permit, though no office below names foundation repair, piers or underpinning on the pages we read. Ask the specialist who pulls any permit, and confirm with the office for your address before work starts. Montgomery County adopted the 2018 International Residential Code, effective January 1, 2021.
- Inside Clarksville city limits. The City of Clarksville Building & Codes Department takes applications through the City's online self-service portal; see the city's website for office details.
- Montgomery County, outside city limits. Montgomery County Building and Codes, 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 309 (Veterans Plaza), Clarksville. A homeowner may pull his or her own permit, signing a state-law notice that anyone hired for $25,000 or more must hold a state license. Contractors show a state license or a County business license.
- Springfield, TN. City of Springfield Building and Codes Department, 405 North Main Street. Homeowners may pull permits for their current primary residence. A $3,000 to $24,999 job needs a contractor with a Tennessee home improvement license, a larger one a Tennessee contractor's license, each with an insurance certificate on file.
- Greenbrier, TN. City of Greenbrier Building Department, 2414 Hwy 41. Its residential form asks the foundation type and has spaces for a state contractor license and a city business license. Ask which apply, and whether your repair needs a permit.
- Pleasant View, TN. Town of Pleasant View Department of Building and Codes, 1008 Civic Court. Its form lists no repair work type, so ask.
- Ashland City, TN. Town of Ashland City Building and Codes Department, at 405 N. Main Street, inside town limits. The town says a hired prime contractor should pull the permit and that anyone paid over $25,000 must hold a state license.
- Cheatham County, outside town limits. Addresses here go to 338 Frey Street in Ashland City, the Cheatham County Department of Codes, Building Safety, and Land Use. Ask whether a permit applies.
Common Rules Questions
Is the $25,000 license line the only rule that matters?
No. The City of Clarksville runs its own contractor registration, and in Springfield and Greenbrier a home improvement license covers jobs from $3,000. Ask what licenses and City registration the specialist holds, and check any license number on the state's verification site yourself.
Can I cancel a contract I signed at my kitchen table?
Often, yes. Tennessee usually lets you cancel a sale made at your home until midnight of the third business day after you sign, and the seller has 10 days to refund you. Some sales are left out, so read the cancel notice in the contract. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who handles permits if I live just outside Clarksville?
That depends on the address, not the mailing city. Inside city limits, the City of Clarksville Building & Codes Department handles permits. Outside them, Montgomery County Building and Codes at 350 Pageant Lane does. Ask the specialist who will pull any permit, and confirm with the right office before work begins.
Where can I report a contractor problem?
Unfair or deceptive practices go to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs. The Board for Licensing Contractors oversees state licenses, and the state's verification site shows each license record. Permit and inspection questions belong with the office that issued the permit.
Primary Sources
Statutes are paraphrased above and cited here once each, from the copies named below.
- Board for Licensing Contractors, license threshold: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractor (read 2026-10-18)
- License classifications (BC-5, HC-3): https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/classification-outline.html (read 2026-10-18)
- Home improvement license counties: https://tn.gov/commerce/regboards/hi/county-information-adopting-the-home-improvement-law.html and https://tn.gov/commerce/regboards/hi/home-improvement-licensing-requirements.html (read 2026-10-18)
- State license verification site: https://verify.tn.gov
- Contractor definition and license requirement, T.C.A. § 62-6-102 and § 62-6-103: https://www.nascla.org/sites/default/files/content-files/Supplemental%20Forms/tn_conliclaw.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, T.C.A. § 47-18-104: https://syfert.com/tennessee/sections/47-18-104.html (read 2026-10-18)
- Home Solicitations Act, T.C.A. § 47-18-701 et seq.: https://www.tn.gov/news/2010/2/5/division-of-consumer-affairs-offers-tips-on-home-solicitation-sales-and-the.html (read 2026-10-18)
- Deposit advice: https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/working-for-tennessee/consumer/resources/materials/door-to-door.html and https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2024/10/1/pr24-70.html (read 2026-10-05)
- Home improvement fraud, T.C.A. § 39-14-154: https://dag.knoxcountytn.gov/community-resources/home-improvement-service-provider-fraud/ (read 2026-10-18)
- Price Gouging Act of 2002, T.C.A. § 47-18-5103: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/consumer/consumer_affairs/scams-schemes-&-swindles/price-gouging-faqs.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Public adjuster disclosure, T.C.A. § 56-6-914(c): https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-56-insurance/tn-code-sect-56-6-914/ (read 2026-10-18)
- City of Clarksville permitting and contractor registration: https://www.clarksvilletn.gov/1454/Permitting (read 2026-10-18)
- Montgomery County Building and Codes, office sheet: https://montgomerytn.gov/storage/departments/comm/Building%20%26%20Codes.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Montgomery County Building and Codes, location and FAQ: https://montgomerytn.gov/building-codes/location and https://montgomerytn.gov/building-codes/faq (read 2026-10-18)
- Montgomery County homeowner permit notice: https://dev1.mcgtn.org/storage/departments/building-codes/Homeowners%20TCA%20Notice.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Montgomery County adopted codes: https://dev1.montgomerytn.gov/building-codes/adopted-codes (read 2026-10-18)
- Montgomery County karst and sinkhole rules: https://montgomerytn.gov/storage/departments/stormwater/MC_Karst_Feature_Policy.pdf and https://montgomerytn.gov/storage/departments/stormwater/SinkholeInformation.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Downtown historic district (news report): https://clarksvillenow.com/?p=571460 (read 2026-10-18)
- City of Springfield permits: https://springfieldtn.gov/414/Building-Codes and https://springfieldtn.gov/416/Permitting (read 2026-10-18)
- City of Greenbrier permit form: https://www.greenbriertn.org/documentcenter/view/537 (read 2026-10-18)
- Town of Pleasant View permit form: https://townofpleasantview.com/assets/Building-Permit-Application-Fillable.pdf (read 2026-10-18)
- Town of Ashland City building: https://www.ashlandcitytn.gov/building (read 2026-10-18)
- Cheatham County codes: https://cheathamcountytn.gov/bldg_codes.html (read 2026-10-18)
Next, Talk to a Foundation Pro
Once you're ready, tell us what you've seen around the house, from cracked brick to a floor that slopes, and we'll set up a visit with a local foundation specialist. The inspection, the written estimate and any permit filing belong to the specialist, and the choice to hire stays with you. Sending the form costs nothing, so take this page's questions along to the visit.