Who issues your permit, what it costs, which forms you need, and which professionals the process requires — sourced from the permitting authority itself, never from other websites.
How Tennessee permitting works
Tennessee permits subsurface sewage disposal systems through the state: TDEC’s Division of Water Resources issues the construction permit from its environmental field offices, under one statewide rulebook (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-48-01). Nine counties — Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Sevier, Shelby and Williamson — run the program themselves under contract with TDEC (Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-221-403(a)(10)), to standards that must be at least as stringent as the state’s, and they may require an additional local permit.
What every guide covers
The permitting authority’s name, phone, and address. Current fees, from the authority’s own schedule, with dates. Required steps and professionals. Links to official forms — and an honest note wherever a fee or rule couldn’t be verified.
Published guides
Guides are in production.
We publish a county’s permit guide only after verifying its fees and process against the permitting authority directly — so coverage grows county by county rather than appearing all at once. Every Tennessee county page shows its permitting authority’s contact information today, even where the full guide is still in production.
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