Excavation and grading in Smyrna

When does Smyrna want a grading permit?

The Public Works Department issues it at 1 acre or more of disturbance, under the town’s 2024 stormwater ordinance. Smaller sites still need one if they’re part of a larger plan, if they’re borrow pits, or if the department decides they’re a “unique threat.” So under an acre doesn’t always mean you’re clear, particularly next to water.

What if there’s a sinkhole?

Then a second agency gets involved. Where the property has one, the ordinance sends the applicant to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Water Supply for a permit. That’s not something to find out after a load of fill has gone in. If you’ve seen a depression that holds water and then empties, tell us when you send pictures.

How much room does a stream need?

At least 60 feet, for streams with drainage areas of 1 square mile or more and for impaired or exceptional streams. On a creekside lot, that can take up the whole back of the property, and it decides where a pad or outbuilding can sit. Have that line drawn before you plan around it.

What do you do in Smyrna?

Yard grading and French drains for homeowners, site work and trenching for commercial jobs, and retaining walls wherever there’s a grade to hold. Smyrna is one of the towns the company names on its Facebook page, and it’s 14.9 miles from Brentwood. La Vergne sits between the two, at 12.5. Rutherford County’s ground has limestone close to the surface in plenty of places, so we’ll ask what you know about rock on the lot.