One of Tennessee's wealthiest communities — 15 miles south of Nashville, with a consistently high-value new-construction market and Williamson County's full development fee stack: a $2.00/sq ft Privilege Tax plus the full K–12 Education Impact Fee on every new residential permit.
Brentwood is one of the wealthiest and most consistently desirable suburban communities in the United States — a city of approximately 45,525 residents situated 15 miles south of downtown Nashville within Williamson County. With a median household income of $184,720, a median home sale price hovering near $1.3 million, and a new-construction market anchored by luxury builders and custom estate developers, Brentwood represents the high-value end of Middle Tennessee's residential development pipeline. The city's roughly 35 square miles of rolling hills, mature greenways, and planned communities attract relocating executives, Nashville-area professionals, and national homebuilders offering products from the $1.5M range up through $7M+ custom estates.
For residential developers and homebuilders, Brentwood's fee environment is anchored by two county-administered charges on every new permit: Williamson County's Privilege Tax of $2.00 per square foot of living and expandable space, and a tiered Education Impact Fee that scales with finished square footage. On a 3,400+ sq ft home, the Education Impact Fee reaches $12,399 per unit. At Brentwood's common home sizes, combined county charges frequently exceed $20,000 per unit before building permit fees are added.
At the city level, Brentwood levies a Public Works Project Fee (PWPF) — the city's road impact fee, in place since 1995 — on every new residential and commercial building permit. The PWPF is indexed annually to the Engineering News-Record Construction Cost Index and updated by Board of Commissioners resolution before December 1st of each year, with new rates taking effect January 1st. In September 2025, the Board approved Resolution 2025-74, increasing PWPF rates by 2.17% from the prior year. Because the PWPF is calculated on a per-trip basis using national trip generation data, rates vary by land use type. Developers should contact the City of Brentwood Planning and Codes Department directly for the current PWPF schedule applicable to their specific project type prior to finalizing any pro forma.
This is an estimate only. Fees often change on an annual basis. Contact each municipality to confirm before finalizing your estimates. See an error? Report it here
Every Brentwood building permit triggers two Williamson County charges paid directly to the County Trustee at application. The Privilege Tax is a flat $2.00 per square foot of living and expandable space, split equally between the Adequate Facilities Tax and the Adequate School Facilities Tax. The Education Impact Fee is a tiered per-lot charge based on finished square footage, ranging from $1,681 on homes up to 1,399 SF to $12,399 on homes 3,400 SF and above. On a typical Brentwood home, these two county fees combined routinely exceed $19,000 per unit before any city-level charges are added.
Local reporting and public records covering Brentwood's development landscape, housing market, and Williamson County fee policy debates.
Bowen National Research found Williamson County's household count grew 55% between 2010 and 2025 — triple the statewide rate — with a projected shortfall of 10,000+ units by 2030 and a countywide median listing price exceeding $1.3 million.
Read Full ArticleThe Brentwood Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 2025-74 in September 2025, raising Public Works Project Fee rates by 2.17% from the prior year in line with the annual Engineering News-Record Construction Cost Index adjustment process.
View PWPF PageThe Williamson County Board of Commissioners unanimously authorized a study examining whether raising the commercial Adequate Facilities Tax rate would require crediting back Education Impact Fee revenue — a legal balancing requirement that could restructure the county's entire development fee framework.
Read Full ResolutionWe offer fee audits, cost analysis, and consultation services for builders and developers navigating Tennessee's most active residential markets.