Concrete Patios and Pool Decks in Nashville

Flush With the Ground or Raised?

The first question is height. Metro Codes' permit list says a new patio more than 6 inches above average grade needs a building permit^[1]. A slab poured at grade, stepping down from the back door, is a different project from a raised terrace held up by a retaining edge or fill, and we tell you at the estimate which one your yard is heading toward.

Sloped lots are where this comes up. On a yard that falls away from the house, keeping a patio level at the door can put the far edge well above the ground. Stepping the patio down in two levels, or regrading first, can keep the whole thing near grade.

Pools: Setbacks and Barriers

Metro Codes' pool permitting page says in-ground pools that extend no more than twelve inches above grade can be built to the property line. Above-ground pools, and in-ground pools that stand more than twelve inches above the ground, located behind the house need a side setback of half the zoning district's requirement, and never less than three feet^[2]. For fencing, the same page points to the International Swimming Pool Code for barrier requirements^[3].

We pour the deck, not the pool or the fence. But the deck is where those rules meet. If the pool sits near a side lot line, the deck and any raised coping have to respect the same line, and fence posts need a planned place in or beside the slab. We work from the pool contractor's permit drawings so the concrete does not force a fence change later.

Next to a Deck, Mind the Setback Difference

Many Nashville patios sit beside or under a wood deck. Metro Codes' deck page says an uncovered deck may use a reduced 10-foot rear setback but must meet the full side setback, while a covered deck must meet full rear and side setbacks, and replacing more than 100 square feet of deck boards needs a permit^[4].

If you are replacing an old deck with a ground-level concrete patio, or adding a roof over the space later, ask about setbacks before the design is fixed. A covered structure is held to different lines than an open slab.

In a Conservation Overlay

Metro's Neighborhood Conservation Zoning design guidelines list work that may not need a Preservation Permit, and uncovered patios that are flush with existing grade and do not extend into setbacks are on that list, along with in-ground pools without above-ground decking or structures, and resurfacing existing driveways, walkways or parking pads^[5].

Read that carefully. A flush patio inside the setbacks may skip design review; a raised patio, a patio in a setback, or a pool with an above-ground deck may not. A building permit can still apply either way. For a house in a conservation overlay, we keep the patio at grade where we can and confirm with the Historic Zoning Commission staff when we cannot.

Creeks, Ponds and the Floodway

Metro's 2026 Stormwater Management Manual sets water-quality buffers for new development, significant redevelopment and sites that need a grading permit. The width depends on the stream: 30 feet from the top of bank for streams draining under 100 acres, 50 feet for larger streams under one square mile, and 75 feet from the floodway for FEMA-studied streams and larger ones^[6]. Ponds connected to the drainage system get 25 feet from normal pool, and wetlands get 25 feet with no disturbance allowed^[7].

In a floodway, the manual prohibits encroachments, including fill, excavation and new construction, unless a registered engineer certifies no rise in flood levels and a buffer variance is granted^[8]. A patio is fill and new construction. If the back of your lot runs to a creek, we find the floodplain and buffer lines before we draw anything.

Big Patios and the Infill Rule

Large patios add impervious area. Under the manual's residential infill guidance, a project creating between 2,500 and 8,000 square feet of net additional impervious area has to treat runoff from the first inch of rain over an area as large as the new paving, no matter how much of the lot was already covered^[9]. Most patios are far smaller than that, but a patio, a pool deck and a new driveway built together can reach it.

Sinkholes and Nashville Soils

Metro's manual defines a sinkhole as a naturally occurring karst depression with no surface outflow, identified by the first closed contour on a 2-foot contour map or by state designation, and it requires engineered, certified design for systems that discharge to one^[10]. We will not route patio drainage into a sinkhole, and we flag any closed depression near the work area before we price it.

The soil under a Nashville patio varies a lot. Maury soils, used across the Central Basin, run 60 to 200 inches or more to bedrock^[11]. Mimosa soils, extensive in the Central Basin, have a silty clay or clay subsoil with slow permeability^[12], which means water sits under a slab longer. Bodine soils on the Highland Rim carry chert gravel and stone that averages 35 to 80 percent of the soil USDA measures for texture^[13], which drains well but digs hard. We check what is actually in your yard at the estimate and size the stone base to it.

Nashville Patio Prices

Patios, walkways and pool decks run a ballpark $10 to $14 per square foot. We confirm the number on a free visit to your yard. Across Nashville, backyard access through a fence or gate, grading on a sloped lot, pool coping and drains, and tearing out an old deck or slab are what push a patio price up or down. For the general build, see patios, walkways and pool decks; for decorative finishes, see stamped concrete.

Our Nashville Proof

So far, our only Nashville job shown on the homepage is a commercial pad; we have no Nashville patio to show yet. Driveway rules for the city are on our Nashville driveways page.