PE stamp in Tennessee: exempt cities and the State Fire Marshal

When a Tennessee PE stamp is required

The Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners registers engineers under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 2. Only a design professional with an active Tennessee registration may seal plans filed with a building department or local engineering office. A registrant seals work prepared by that registrant or under that registrant’s responsible charge. Applying a Tennessee seal to drawings prepared out of state, without that responsible charge, does not meet the rule.

T.C.A. 62-2-102 exempts some occupancy types and sizes from a requirement that plans be prepared by a registered architect or engineer. A building official may still require a registrant for a project on that list. If a registrant does prepare the set, it is sealed by the appropriate Tennessee registrant. AllInStamp matches a Tennessee-licensed PE and verifies the registration before sealing.

Exempt jurisdictions and the State Fire Marshal

The State Fire Marshal’s Office adopted the 2021 International Building Code, with state amendments, effective April 17, 2025, as the commercial minimum. The statewide residential baseline remains the 2018 International Residential Code. Cities and counties that qualify as exempt jurisdictions under T.C.A. 68-120-101 enforce their own adopted codes with their own staff. Those local codes cannot be less stringent than the state minimum, and the adopted edition stays within seven years of the latest published edition. Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and many other cities are on that local path.

Projects outside an exempt jurisdiction, and certain state-owned, educational, and state-licensed occupancies, are submitted to the State Fire Marshal. Plans are sealed by a Tennessee registrant when the statute requires it. Name the city or county, and say whether the filing is local or with the State Fire Marshal.

Seals and signatures under Rule 0120-02-.08

The registrant stamps every original sheet of working drawings, the cover or index of specifications, and the cover or index of design calculations submitted for review. The signature is the registrant’s, not a rubber stamp of the signature, and it is dated. A rubber-stamp, embossed, self-adhesive, or electronically generated seal is allowed. The seal image itself does not contain the signature or the date.

An electronically generated signature and date are placed across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, or adjacent to it. The registrant uses a secure method and does not authorize another person to affix that signature. A digital signature has an authentication process associated with the document.

West Tennessee seismic and local checklists

West Tennessee sites, including Memphis and Shelby County, draw seismic review that Middle and East Tennessee projects often do not. Put the seismic design category, risk category, and the code edition on the structural notes. Nashville and the other exempt cities publish their own e-plan checklists even though the state minimum is the same family of ICC codes.

A missing calculation index, a seal without a dated signature, or an out-of-state seal are common reasons a set is sent back before technical review starts.

How to get a Tennessee set sealed

Upload the PDF plan set and calculations, and note the jurisdiction and whether the State Fire Marshal or a local exempt department is the reviewer. Include prior comments on a resubmittal. The seal is applied only by a Tennessee registrant in responsible charge.

Start a new quote with Tennessee prefilled. Intake typically responds within 24–48 hours. Stamp turnaround then follows page count and whether rush service is selected.

FAQ

Can an out-of-state PE seal Tennessee drawings if a Tennessee PE signs over them?

No. A Tennessee registrant seals plans prepared by that registrant or under that registrant’s responsible charge. An out-of-state seal does not meet a Tennessee building-department filing, and a Tennessee registrant does not seal another professional’s set without that responsible charge.

Does Nashville use the State Fire Marshal for commercial plan review?

Nashville is an exempt jurisdiction and reviews locally. Projects outside exempt jurisdictions, and certain state and educational occupancies, go to the State Fire Marshal. Identify the reviewer in the quote.

Does every small commercial building need a Tennessee PE?

T.C.A. 62-2-102 exempts some occupancies and sizes. The building official may still require a registered design professional. If a registrant prepares the drawings, a Tennessee registrant seals them.