What is statewide in Tennessee, and what is local
Tennessee's planning law is enabling. TCA 13-3-413 (regional) and 13-4-310 (municipal) let planning commissions write site plan review and approval powers into their subdivision regulations [8]. So the rules that shape a hotel layout (permitted districts, overlays, setbacks, parking geometry, design review) are local. What is statewide is the seal line, the state permits, the building code and two planning rules that reach any project.
Under TCA 13-4-104 (municipal) and 13-3-404 (regional), no street, park, public way, public building or public utility, whether publicly or privately owned, may be built or authorized until its location and extent have been submitted to and approved by the planning commission, and the local legislative body can overrule a disapproval [9]. Under TCA 13-3-401, a subdivision in a regional planning area includes any division of a tract of less than five acres for sale or building development [10], so a hotel pad of that size split from a larger tract outside a city goes through plat approval.
| Layer | Rule | Applies to a hotel when |
|---|---|---|
| Seal threshold | TCA 62-2-102(b): plans and specifications by a registered architect or engineer, except listed occupancies both under three stories and under 5,000 sq ft gross; amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts ch. 904, effective July 1, 2022 [1] | The building is 3 stories or more, or 5,000 sq ft or more |
| Seal on each sheet | TCA 62-2-306: the registrant's seal on every original sheet of a bound set of plans and on the first sheet of the specifications [11] | The permit set |
| Plat seal | TCA 66-24-116: no recording of a map, plat or survey without the signature and seal of a registered land surveyor or engineer [12] | A lot split or new easements |
| Construction stormwater | TDEC Construction General Permit TNR100000: 1 acre or more of disturbance, or less if part of a larger common plan of 1 acre or more [2]; NOI at least 30 days before land disturbance [3] | Disturbance reaches the threshold |
| Streams and wetlands | Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit, which also serves as the Section 401 certification [13] | Any alteration to waters of the state; stormwater coverage waits on the ARAP decision [14] |
| State route access | TDOT Highway Entrance Permit before any driveway on state right-of-way [15]; a Traffic Impact Study by a licensed professional engineer when TDOT requires one [16] | Frontage on a state route |
| Building code | State Fire Marshal adoption of the 2021 International Codes, with the 2018 IRC [17] | The statewide baseline |
The building code is a floor with a clock. State law requires adopted codes to be no more than seven years older than the latest published edition [17]. Under TCA 68-120-101, the State Fire Marshal has final enforcement power where a city does not adopt and enforce codes, and the statewide code applies in a city whose local code is not current within seven years or whose enforcement the fire marshal finds inadequate [18].
The seal line, and where the preliminary plan sits
A four-story hotel is above the 3-story line, so a registered architect or engineer prepares and seals its building plans and specifications [1]. TCA 62-2-306 requires the registrant's seal on every original sheet of a bound set of plans and on the first sheet of the specifications, and it forbids a registrant to seal a document that was not prepared by the registrant or under the registrant's responsibility [11]. Board Rule 0120-02-.08 requires the signature across the face of the seal [19], and the Board's conduct rules bar a registrant from taking over, signing or sealing drawings "when such plans are begun by persons not properly registered and qualified" [20].
The same Board rule also says how early drawings are handled. Rule 0120-02-.08(2)(a), effective October 23, 2018, puts the seal on all original sheets of any bound or unbound set of working drawings or plans, and Rule 0120-02-.08(9) requires working or partially completed plans, and any drawings that are not construction documents, to be marked as preliminary and not for construction, for review only, draft, or with another label showing that they are not complete [19]. The land surveyors' Rule 0820-04-.08(2) applies the same principle: working drawings and preliminary documents need no seal and signature when they carry a large bold statement that they are preliminary and not for construction, recording or implementation [21].
That sets the handoff. The preliminary site plan is a labelled concept drawing: the kind of dimensioned plan Murfreesboro asks for at its due diligence meeting, the drawing a lender or general contractor prices, and the program for the design team. The engineer and architect of record take it as the program and layout brief and draw the sealed set under their own responsible charge. Local rules add their own seals: in Murfreesboro the site plan must carry drainage areas "with engineered stamped calculations" [22], and Metro Nashville's permit drawing requirements state "A licensed Tennessee land surveyor or engineer must seal all site plans" [23]. The Metro sheet also requires building plans sealed by an architect or engineer licensed in Tennessee when, among other triggers, the building is 3 stories or more in height [24]. Both are Metro Nashville permit requirements, not lines of state statute [24]. The general answer is in do I need an architect for a site plan.
State permits and site factors that move the schedule
ARAP before stormwater. Construction stormwater permits are not issued until the ARAP/401 decision is made [14]. A stream or wetland touch found late therefore holds up the whole stormwater track, and compensatory stream and wetland mitigation is required for certain impacts under rules the Water Quality Control Board revised in October 2018 [25]. The preliminary plan maps the water features first and keeps the building, parking and detention areas clear of them where the site allows.
The 2026 Construction General Permit. TDEC's page states the 2026 permit took effect "October 1, 2026" and expires "September 30, 2031" [26].
State route frontage. No driveway may be built or changed on state highway right-of-way without the Highway Entrance Permit, and a Traffic Impact Study is required when TDOT determines it necessary, with applicants notified during initial review [15, 16]. A hotel on a state route should show the driveway location on the concept plan early, so the access permit runs in parallel.
Karst in Middle Tennessee. Murfreesboro's Stormwater Management Code (Chapter 27.5) defines karst, karst windows and closed depressions, in a landscape "characterized by sinkholes, springs, conduits, caves" [27]. USGS documented sinkhole flooding in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, with three focus areas (Shiloh, Hooper Bottom, Manson Pike) where sinkhole flooding has overtopped roadways [28]. Rutherford County's Engineering Department reviews site development plans for stormwater and karst-area compliance, and the county adopted an updated stormwater ordinance in 2024 [29]. Closed depressions go on the preliminary plan as constraints; the geotechnical investigation and their treatment belong to the engineer of record.
Fire access, by edition. In every IFC edition, Section 503.2.1 sets the base fire apparatus access road at 20 ft of unobstructed width and 13 ft 6 in of vertical clearance [30]. Appendix D applies only where a jurisdiction adopts it [31]. In the 2018 edition the aerial access requirement sits in Appendix D (D105); in the 2024 edition it sits in Section 503.1.4 [32, 33]. The 30 ft trigger, the 26 ft width and the 15 to 30 ft offset are the same in both forms, so the layout consequence does not change, but the citation must be confirmed with the fire marshal [32, 33].
Murfreesboro: the documented local layer
Murfreesboro publishes its zoning ordinance, site plan checklist, fees and Planning Commission minutes, and those minutes record recent hotel approvals that match a select-service program. The points that shape the plan:
- Use. Chart 1 shows "Hotel" as permitted by right in six district columns; approvals confirm CH and MU [34]. The Chart 1 endnotes make an "X" use one "permitted by right subject to site plan review and approval and the issuance of building permits" [35]. The city's definition of a hotel requires ingress and egress to and from all rooms through an inside lobby or office supervised by a person in charge at all hours [36], and an exterior-corridor product would be a "Motel", a separately listed use [37]. "Extended Stay Hotel/Motel" applies where at least 5% of rooms are offered for extended stays, and it is permitted in only two columns, so brand choice can change the district screen [34, 36].
- Due diligence. A zoning verification letter costs $25 for the basic letter (5 to 7 business days) or $50 expedited (3 business days) [38].
- Who approves. "Any development of one or more acres or five thousand square feet of floor area to be located in a nonresidential district shall require a site plan approval by the Murfreesboro Planning Commission" [4]. Staff indicate whether a site plan goes to the Commission or is reviewed administratively [39].
- The concept stage. The due diligence meeting requires "A dimensioned conceptual site plan ... depicting all proposed and existing structures, vehicle and pedestrian access, parking, landscaping, potential drainage area(s) and a site data table." At the pre-application meeting, plans "should be 90-95% complete" [40].
- Gateway Design Overlay. Hotels in the overlay go through initial design review, then final design review with the site plan. As applied, the overlay asks for masonry on 50 percent of fronts and 35 percent of sides and rear [41], and the Hyatt House approval reduced EIFS to 15 percent or less [42]. In July 2021 the Commission refused a ground-level glass curtain wall without a 24-inch base, and the same minutes record the Design Guidelines' 20 percent open space against a PUD request to reduce it to 15 percent [43]. An October 18, 2023 approval conditioned a brand sculpture to "be brought back to Planning Commission for review" [44].
- Facade changes. A facade change after approval goes back to the Commission as a separate exterior architecture modification review: the Fairfield by Marriott returned and was approved 6-0 on October 15, 2025, with the site stated as 2.68 acres [45].
- Overlays to map. The checklist requires the site plan to show "airport zones, flood zones, battlefield protection districts, gateway design overlay districts, and historic districts" [22], and the Chart 1 endnotes add that "no structure shall exceed the maximum height requirements denoted in the Airport Overlay District" [35].
- Fire access. Above 30 feet, the IFC requires an aerial apparatus road 26 feet wide, 15 to 30 feet from one entire side of the building, in D105 of the 2018 edition [5] and Section 503.1.4 of the 2024 edition [32]. Overhead utility and power lines may not sit over that road or between it and the building [5].
- Parking. On September 18, 2024 the Commission required "the construction of all parking areas depicted on the site plan with the initial development" [46], so the plan shows only the parking the first phase builds.
- Sewer. A 2022 approval was conditioned so that no building permits would issue "until sanitary sewer upgrades were constructed and completed in this area" [47].
- Stormwater notes. The checklist's standard notes require a Stormwater Fee Credit Application before the building permit, and an engineer's certification of the stormwater facilities, given to the Director of the Murfreesboro Water Resources Department, before the certificate of occupancy [22].
- Record. A 65,000 sq ft, 4-story Fairfield by Marriott on 2.69 acres (MU and GDO-1) cleared initial design review 5-0 on December 18, 2024 [6]. A 124-room, 5-story hotel at North Church Lot 21 (CH and GDO-1), developed by Vision Hospitality Group, cleared initial design review 6-0 on July 15, 2026, and the minutes record that "no one had signed up to speak" [7]. The Commission meets on the third Wednesday at 1:00 pm [48].
- Outside the city limits. The Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission's 2014 site plan checklist asks for the "Stamp and name of the registered engineer, architect, or surveyor preparing the plan", and for an erosion and sediment control plan, SWPPP and water quality and quantity calculations "If over 15,000 sq ft of impervious area or over 1 acre of disturbance"; it does not govern parcels inside the city [49].
The Murfreesboro select-service hotel model project carries the full approval path, standards, comparable approvals, cost benchmarks and submittal anatomy. This page does not repeat them.
Nashville: Specific Plan zoning
Nashville is a consolidated city-county. Its primary site plan process is Specific Plan (SP) rezoning followed by a Final Site Plan, and in an SP district the plan is the zoning:
| Item | Metro Nashville |
|---|---|
| Specific Plan | The site plan is the zoning; all preliminary SP conditions must be satisfied before a building permit [50] |
| Who decides | SPs are adopted by Metro Council and reviewed by the Planning Commission [51]; the Final Site Plan is approved by the Planning Department [50] |
| Overlays | The Downtown Code and the UZO overlays apply in their areas [51] |
| Final site plan | 10 copies; "A capacity study/permit will be required with the final site plan application" (Metro Water Services); landscape plan at permit [50] |
| Review portal | ePlans since September 8, 2025: "one set of plans that will be reviewed concurrently by all permitting departments" [52] |
| Planning Commission | Approves, conditions or disapproves subdivisions after staff recommendation and public hearing; advises Metro Council on zoning [53] |
| Subdivision regulations | County-wide except Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Goodlettsville and Oak Hill [54] |
| Code edition | Metro Code Supplement 53, codified through BL2025-1141 (December 17, 2025) [55] |
| Permit site plans | Sealed by a licensed Tennessee land surveyor or engineer [23] |
We cite no Nashville hotel-specific dimensional standard. In an SP district the site plan is the zoning [50], so the layout and site data table of the preliminary plan carry the standards the Council acts on. The market behind it: the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin metro reached 2,197,416 residents in July 2025, up 34,658 from 2,162,758 in 2024, on Census Bureau data republished by FRED [56]. The Nashville-Davidson balance counted 721,074 residents, up 9,244 [57]. Davidson County posted the state's largest population gain in 2025, 9,821 people (1.3%), with Rutherford, home to Murfreesboro, second at +6,266 and Wilson third at +4,693 [58]. Statewide, Tennessee added 63,785 residents in 2025 after a record single-year gain of more than 98,200 in 2024 [59].
Franklin and Williamson County
Franklin, named in the metro's title, publishes its fees and review steps, which makes it the third documented local layer for a hotel in Middle Tennessee:
| Item | Franklin and Williamson County |
|---|---|
| Site plan review fee | $500 base plus $0.02 per sq ft of nonresidential floor area, on the schedule effective 5/1/2019 [60] |
| Before filing | A staff meeting is required before an application is accepted [61] |
| Site plan attachments | Owner Affidavit, fire flow test and Water/Sewer Availability Determination [62] |
| PUD timeline | A Development Plan (PUD) typically takes 4.5 to 5 months through BOMA if all steps are met on time [61] |
| Williamson County | Electronic plan review through IDT Plans for all Regional Planning Commission applications; TCA 5-1-137 requires county departments to justify development fees exceeding $250 [63] |
The Tennessee hotel record
| Project | Program | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield by Marriott, Murfreesboro | 65,000 sq ft, 4 stories, 2.69 acres | Initial design review approved 5-0, December 18, 2024 [6] |
| Fairfield by Marriott, exterior architecture modification | 65,000 sq ft, 4 stories, 2.68 acres | Approved 6-0, October 15, 2025 [45] |
| North Church Lot 21, Murfreesboro (Vision Hospitality Group) | 124 rooms, 5 stories | Initial design review approved 6-0, July 15, 2026 [7] |
| Caption by Hyatt Chattanooga Downtown (3H Group) | 123 rooms | Opened end of March 2026 [64] |
| Embassy Suites downtown Chattanooga (Vision Hospitality Group) | 184 rooms, $54M | Opened September 2025 [65] |
For how these programs compare with brand prototypes, see hotel site size by prototype.
What the preliminary plan carries, and what the engineer of record adds
| Item (Murfreesboro checklists) | Preliminary site plan | Engineer or architect of record |
|---|---|---|
| Name, address and telephone number of the person who prepared the site plan [22] | Yes | Replaced at formal submittal |
| Location and arrangement of proposed structures, and their height in stories and feet [22] | Yes | Dimensions to the surveyed boundary; architect confirms height |
| Present and proposed zoning, adjoining zoning, overlays, proposed use [22] | Yes | Certified flood data |
| Table of required minimum setbacks per Chart 2, with its footnotes [22] | Yes, in the site data table | Verifies |
| Parking and loading per Section 26 [22] | Yes, with yield and parking table | Final striping |
| EV Capable, EV Ready and installed spaces [22] | Count and location | Electrical design |
| Curbs [22] | Concept | Detailed geometry |
| Drainage retention or detention areas [22] | Area reservation only | Sealed calculations and inverts |
| Standard stormwater notes: fee credit application, engineer's certification [22] | Placeholder notes | Engineer of record |
| Planting, irrigation with a spigot within 300 ft, tree save zones [66] | Concept landscape zones | Landscape architect |
| Gateway overlay elevations | Elevations and a materials percentage table | Architect of record finalizes |
The plans are preliminary, and engineering is done by your engineer of record. For overlay review, the hotel rendering service produces the four-sided elevations and street views the Commission reads alongside the plan. The hotel site plan hub covers the program and layout archetypes; the Tennessee state page covers the other asset classes. Related Tennessee work: the Sevier County RV resort model project and RV park site plans in Tennessee. Background reading: where unsealed site plans are accepted, hotel and motel site plan requirements across the top 30 growth markets and room sizes in newly built hotels. To start a Tennessee hotel plan, send the site.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an architect or engineer to design a hotel in Tennessee?
Yes, for any hotel of 3 stories or more, or 5,000 sq ft or more gross. TCA 62-2-102(b) exempts only listed occupancies that are both under three stories and under 5,000 square feet [1].
Does a preliminary hotel site plan need a seal in Tennessee?
Board Rule 0120-02-.08 puts the seal on working drawings and plans, and Rule 0120-02-.08(9) requires plans that are not construction documents to be marked as preliminary and not for construction, for review only or draft [19]. The land surveyors' Rule 0820-04-.08(2) excuses preliminary documents from the seal and signature when they carry that statement in large bold letters [21]. Murfreesboro still wants stamped drainage calculations with the formal site plan [22].
Can my engineer simply stamp the preliminary site plan?
No. TCA 62-2-306 bars a registrant from sealing any document not prepared by the registrant or under the registrant's responsibility [11], and the Board's conduct rules bar sealing plans begun by persons not properly registered [20]. The engineer and architect of record take the preliminary plan as the program and layout brief and draw the sealed set under their own responsible charge.
Is a hotel allowed by right in Murfreesboro?
When does a Tennessee hotel site need a state stormwater permit?
What is a Specific Plan in Nashville?
Will a four-story hotel trigger aerial fire apparatus access?
Can sewer capacity stop a hotel in Murfreesboro?
Yes. A 2022 approval was conditioned so that the applicant could not obtain building permits until sanitary sewer upgrades in the area were constructed and completed [47].
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