Terry Cobb to step down in April after 28 years

 

Nashville Metro Codes Director oversaw long period of growth

 
 
Terry Cobb (left) and Nashville Metro Mayor Megan Barry (right) at the unveiling of the new Queue Management System for the Department of Codes Administration in Nashville, Davidson County.
 
Believed to be the longest-serving department head in the history of Nashville Metro government, Terrence L. Cobb, CBO, director of the Department of Codes & Building Safety for Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn., is retiring at the end of April after more than 28 years.

The codes department is the umbrella agency overseeing Metro's permit process and administering and enforcing Metro's building and zoning codes. The Nashville native assumed the position in January 1990 and has served five Nashville mayors, including current Mayor Megan Barry.

"I deeply appreciate Terry's service to the city of Nashville," Mayor Barry said. "Terry has guided the Codes Department through a long period of growth in building construction, ensuring that Nashville's buildings have been constructed to be safe for residents, workers and visitors and that the permitting process has become more efficient and effective."

In November 2016, the QLess management system — which allows for remote sign-in by residents, businesses and employees seeking building, short-term rental property or trade permits, as well as those seeking answers to zoning questions — was unveiled at the Development Services Center. With $3.7 billion in permits issued last fiscal year, QLess modernized the city's permitting process and allows customers to spend more time working and less time waiting, saving them or their businesses time and money in the process.

"QLess is much like software designed to allow you to sign in to a restaurant's waiting list before you arrive, which is how I had the idea to pursue this technology," said Cobb. "The great thing about the program is that it will adapt as more people use the system, providing even more accurate wait times for customers. This is one of many ways in which we strive to make the permitting process as user-friendly and convenient as possible."

An honorary member of the International Code Council (ICC), Cobb served on the ICC and Southern Building Code Congress International boards of directors. He is a past president of the Tennessee Building Officials Association (TBOA) and a member of the Middle Tennessee Code Officials Association.

Cobb has also been the recipient of several prestigious honors over the years, including receiving the prestigious Bobby J. Fowler Award from ICC in 2010 for his many contributions to the building safety and fire prevention industry, being named Code Official of the Year by TBOA and the ICC Region XIII chapters, and being inducted as a member into the Building Industry of Tennessee Hall of Fame.

A Certified Building Official, Cobb was the first chairman of the International Residential Code Drafting Committee and has served as a Code Development Hearing Moderator. As president of the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee, he led a team that set a Guinness world record for the fastest residential home built — five hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds — that was donated to the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. He also hosts an annual golf tournament for charities that serve children with disabilities.

"It just feels like the right time to leave," said Cobb. "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as building official for Nashville and Davidson County. I'm looking forward to the next challenge — the next opportunity."

Former ICC Chief Executive Officer Bill Tangye once said, "Protecting the safety of the public in the built environment is the highest form of public service." Terry Cobb has been a leader in the codes and construction industry who leaves a legacy of service with integrity, professionalism and compassion in furthering the cause of ICC.