Who inspects electrical work in Lebanon, TN?
The State does. The City of Lebanon’s Building Inspection page puts it plainly: “Electrical inspections are not performed by the City of Lebanon Building Inspection Department.” They’re conducted by State of Tennessee Deputy Electrical Inspectors, part of a State program that runs on about 100 contracted deputies.
You can still buy the permit locally. The State lists the City of Lebanon as one of its electrical permit issuing agents, at 615-444-0825, and the State’s electrical line is 615-741-7170. Because it’s the State program, the work is inspected to the statewide 2017 National Electrical Code.
Can a Lebanon homeowner wire their own house?
Yes, within the State’s rule. A homeowner may wire their own residence on a property owner’s permit, limited to one every 12 months. Anyone you hire has to be licensed for the work and pulls the permit in their own name. Tennessee also has a Limited Licensed Electrician category, which covers jobs under $25,000 in places where the State Fire Marshal handles permits or inspections, as it does here.
Building inspections are a separate track. Lebanon’s Building Inspection Department takes inspection requests by email, and its page lists Tyler McDaniel as chief building official. So a kitchen remodel inside city limits can have the city looking at the framing and a State deputy looking at the wiring, on their own schedules.
What did the March 2020 tornado do in Lebanon?
After peaking at EF-3 in Mt. Juliet, the March 3, 2020 tornado crossed Highway 109 into Lebanon, weakened to EF-2, and went on damaging dozens of homes and businesses through the southern part of the city, per the National Weather Service.
Lebanon’s houses skew young. The median was built in 2004, among about 44,800 residents. In a house that age, the work people plan tends to be added circuits, better lighting, a generator hookup, or the first water heater replacement.
County offices and the drive
Lebanon is the Wilson County seat, and the county’s Building Codes Department sits in the Courthouse Annex at 233 E. Gay Street (615-444-3025), the place to start for a house outside city limits. The drive from Hermitage is about 23 miles.
For a house out in the county, ask that office which permits the job needs before anything is opened up. The building permit and the electrical permit may not come from the same place.