The Land Development Permit comes first
Thompson’s Station replaced its grading permit with a Land Development Permit, issued by town staff in Community Development. Under the town’s Land Development Manual, effective May 15, 2025, it is needed before grading, before tree removal and before any other site preparation. It is reviewed along with the site plan.
Because the permit covers tree removal, clearing a wooded lot ahead of plan approval isn’t an option here. The town sits between Franklin and Spring Hill, and its own rules, not either neighbor’s, apply inside town limits.
The order the town sets
- The site plan and the permit are reviewed together.
- Erosion controls go in on the ground.
- A pre-construction meeting is held.
- The fee is paid and the permit is issued.
Controls first, trees kept
Erosion controls go in before the permit is issued, which is the reverse of how many owners picture it. Those controls are the first work on the site, ahead of the first tree coming down. The pre-construction meeting falls after they are built and before the permit issues, so the town sees them standing first.
The manual also requires tree protection zones to stay in place for the whole job. On a wooded lot, the trees the plan keeps are protected before clearing starts, and the clearing and grading work around them until the end.
A town that tripled
Thompson’s Station sits about 25 miles south of Nashville, between Franklin and Spring Hill. It counted 2,194 people in 2010, 2,681 in a 2013 special census, 4,726 in another in 2016, and 7,485 in the 2020 federal census, more than three times the 2010 figure. Town parks cover more than 200 acres.
On a job of $25,000 or more, Tennessee requires the prime contractor to hold a state license. We’ll talk through the town’s permit sequence at the free estimate.